Another day, another baton change, another away defeat for Middlesbrough. Aitor Karanka would surely have made his defenders walk home from Watford were it not for the probability they’d spend most of the journey travelling in circles. This was that kind of game, a top-of-the-table occasion when Middlesbrough needed to deliver but ultimately failed on every scale – they did not create, they did not contain. They might have survived with deficiencies in one department, but not both. What a cruel time to deliver one of their worst performances of a brilliant season. What a cruel time for the Championship’s best defence to explode at the seams. Odion Ighalo's shot flies into the top corner of Dimi Konstantopoulos' net on 65 minutes . Watford (3-5-2): Gomes; Cathcart (Connolly 60), Angella, Hoban; Paredes, Guedioura (Layun 90), Watson, Tozser, Anya; Deeney, Ighalo (Vydra 69). Subs not used: Bond, Pudil, Munari, Abdi. Booked: Guedioura, Layun. Goals: Deeney 37, Ighalo 65. Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Tiendalli (Kalas 63), Woodgate, Amorebieta, Friend; Leadbitter, Clayton (Forshaw 84); Adomah, Tomlin (Kike 62), Reach; Bamford. Subs not used: Ripley, Gibson, Whitehead, Vossen. Booked: Reach. Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire) Attendance: 19,656. They gifted Troy Deeney his 20th goal of the season and they contributed significantly to Odion Ighalo scoring his 19th in the second half. With that, Watford rose and Middlesbrough fell. That has been the way of this remarkable season in this peculiar division, for which everyone and no-one has staked a claim. The Championship lead which Boro held at the start of play has now changed hands 16 times, with Watford back in prominence and Karanka sounding like a man searching for a positive note. Karanka said: ‘The players are completely destroyed but I am very proud of them. We have players who have come from League One and other teams in the Championship, a lot of young players, and we are fighting with the best teams in the Championship. No one could have expected this position. ‘The people who know me and this team know we will fight to the last second. I don’t want to forget our position is amazing.’ True enough, but the reality is Boro have a chance to turn a good season into multi-million pound jackpot. They were woeful in falling at Bournemouth last month and have now lost four of their past five away games. Jonathan Woodgate slides in vain to try and block Troy Deeney's opening goal . The Watford captain managed to slide the ball under Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos . Deeney celebrates with his team-mates after giving Watford a first-half lead . But their misery has been Watford’s gain. What a luxury to have two strikers as effective as Deeney and Ighalo. They were, as Karanka said, ‘the difference’. And in the context of the season, their combined 39 goals are pulling the sleigh. Here, they had help. In the first instance, for Deeney’s 37th-minute opener, Jonathan Woodgate and Dwight Tiendalli made a hash of the basics. Adlene Guedioura was given too much time to cross from the right and Woodgate misread the flight, allowing the ball to fall in the space behind him. Tiendalli could have covered but was out of position. At this level, in that situation, there can be fewer worse sights for a pair of defenders than Deeney. His touch was perfect and so was the finish - ruthless brilliance from a striker who has now scored 20 goals in each of his past three campaigns. He is the only Watford player in history to do that; he more than most deserves a chance to see what he can do at the higher level. ‘He’s a Premier League player,’ said Watford manager Slavisa Jokanovic. ‘It’s just a question of whether we are all together as a Premier League team.’ Watford made it 2-0 with 25 minutes to go. Again, the ease with which Ighalo turned Woodgate will have bothered Karanka, as will Grant Leadbitter’s sloppy concession of the ball in the build-up. But, really, it was all about the finish, the striker’s shot hitting the top corner from the edge of the area. Ighalo said he only joined Watford for the prospect of Premier League football. He might just get it. Jokanovic said: ‘I expect this victory can help us to win points a little bit more easily in the future. But in front of us is a very serious job.’ Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes gets a boot to the face from Middlesbrough forward Patrick bamford . Gomes points to the heavens after Ighalo's goal put Watford 2-0 up and settled the game .
Middlesbrough started the day top of the Championship on 75 points .
Troy Deeney opened the score before Odion Ighalo's brilliant strike .
Watford end the day in third place after Bournemouth and Norwich win .