With Watford leading 1-0, the game entering the final few minutes of normal time and goalscorer Joao Pedro needing to come off due to lack of fitness after his injury, head coach Slaven Bilic had a decision to make.

On the bench he had two defenders and one forward – replace like for like, or stick another player at the back?

Bilic opted to send on Christian Kabasele and switched to five at the back.

The Hornets defended the final three minutes of normal time and the first four of stoppages with minimal fuss, but then conceded an equaliser from a corner with seconds to go.

Given the benefit of time and hindsight, would he have done the same thing again?

“It turned out to look a bad decision because they equalised,” he said, “but in the last 10 minutes we weren’t struggling, we were consolidating.

“We had the ball in the final third, we weren’t facing the Alamo. They were attacking but we weren’t stuck in our six-yard box.

“It was a logical decision to go 5-4-1 and to then still have two players defending each flank to block the crosses. You can’t block everything of course, but if they do get a cross in you have three centre backs inside.

“It wasn’t like in the final minutes they had two or three shots. They scored from a corner.

“Of course, it was my responsibility and it was my call. If we had won the game then people would say it was a great tactical change. But when the other team equalise then you are responsible.

“But it was absolutely logical, and the right time to do it also.”

Having had three points diluted to one right at the death, Bilic was understandably downbeat immediately after the game.

A few days later, he was more philosophical if no less disappointed.

“It was a strange feeling. They are top of the table, had won 10 games in a row, playing good football and so to get a point there is good – on one hand,” he said.

“On the other hand, when you concede a goal in closing seconds, of course you’re gutted. It was a big waste for us.

“After the game, immediately you are down. But there were positives, and when I watched the game again after a couple of days there were good things to take from it.

“We didn’t allow them to create a lot apart from the very start of the game. Particularly in the first half we got the ball into very dangerous areas and should have scored more. We had opportunities where we were running at them in a three v three, and you expect with our quality that we will score.

“Second half, Burnley were more aggressive but they still didn’t create a lot. We made changes because some of the players who have been injured were fading, and as the game went on we weren’t struggling. It wasn’t the Alamo.

“On the contrary, we had situations on the break where we could keep the ball deep in their half. We had a couple of corners and a free kick but then we gave away the corner, their keeper came up and we know how it ended.”