With only a few days between Saturday’s game at QPR and Tuesday’s home match with Birmingham, Chris Wilder wanted to make sure that while the Loftus Road performance was reflected on, his players predominantly focussed on the next challenge.

The Watford head coach told the media in advance of the Birmingham that he had spent time with the squad going through elements of the defeat on Saturday, but he wanted to get that out of the way and not dwell on it in the lead-up to Tuesday night.

The way Watford started the game – scoring twice in the first half of a game for the first time since the win over Luton in October – suggested he got the balance of reflection and forward thinking right.

“We had to park Saturday pretty quickly and look forward to the game tonight and I thought we did that,” said Wilder.

“As you can imagine there are still certain bits and pieces that we’ll need to analyse and pull apart from this win, but generally on the whole it’s what we’re after.

“It was a front-foot performance which allowed the players to dominate and dictate the opposition in possession, and have a good shape out of it.

“I thought for the majority of the game that’s what we did, although obviously there was a 10-minute spell just after half-time. I should imagine a few words were said in the other dressing room at half time and that galvanised them.

“We started the second half a little bit on the back foot when you really need to be a bit better.”

Despite scoring twice before the break, Wilder felt his side could and should have totally killed the game off in the opening 45 minutes.

“In the first half I thought we should have been out of sight. It should have been done and dusted at half time,” he said.

“I’m not one of those who thinks every opportunity should be a goal, but it felt like a game where it should have been 3-0 at half time.

“We moved the ball around really well at times and Jeremy has hit the post, plus there were one or two other really good opportunities.

“At times we were hard to hold back, and that’s what I’m looking for. I want that front-foot performance where the players are enjoying their football.

“We have to be humble about that little period just after half-time, and know that we have to be better. But we got through it and then the third goal was key, which allowed us to see the game out with ease.”

One very noticeable step forward was the number of goal attempts and the way Watford used the ball in the final third.

Possession was split 50/50 with Birmingham, but the Hornets had 11 attempts on the visitors’ goal, five of which were on target.

“Filling the box and getting into areas where we needed to be with the ball were key for us,” said Wilder.

“There’s not been enough of that from what I’ve seen over the last three or four games, and there certainly wasn’t any of it on Saturday.

“It looked more like how we want it to be. The credit must go to the players in terms of them adhering to how we want to play while showing the qualities they have undoubtedly got.”

Wilder explained that the absence of Ismaila Sarr was due to him not feeling 100% after being substituted at Loftus Road on Saturday, where he left the pitch holding his hamstring.

“I took no risk at all,” said Wilder.

“We’ll assess him again in the days leading up to the weekend and I think if it had been the last game of the season or a play-off then maybe you do take that risk.

“But from our point of view we’re taking no risks. We’ll keep him with us and if he’s right to be involved on Saturday we’ll involve him.”