Watford boss Tom Cleverley said the injury to Kwadwo Baah and a poor refereeing decision were key factors in the 2-1 defeat away against play-off rivals Bristol City.
The influential winger suffered another hamstring injury in the first half and had to come off, but Cleverley hoped it would not see him sidelined for long.
Cleverly told BBC Three Counties Radio: "The start of the game was excellent. We had a gameplan to get our wide players in dangerous positions and we looked a real threat in the first 15 minutes. We really started on the front foot.