Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri once again refuted the notion he is fighting to save his job after they lost for the sixth time in eight games at Stoke.
On the night Mike Phelan was axed by Hull, the favourite to be the next man sacked among his Premier League peers witnessed his team beaten 2-0 at the bet365 Stadium thanks to goals from Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch.
The Hornets slid down the table around this time last season under Quique Sanchez-Flores and fears of a repeat have increased the pressure on ex-Napoli and Inter Milan boss Mazzarri at a club where managers' shelf lives have been typically short under the Pozzo family.