Watford were unable to give Quique Sanchez Flores a winning send off as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland in their final game of the season at Vicarage Road.

The home side twice had to come from behind to earn a point on an afternoon when the name of the departing Hornets boss was sang proudly and loudly by the home side.

The Hornets had looked promising going forward at times in the first half, attacking with a degree of freedom, fluidity and invention, but they were unable to make the most of their chances, with the impressive Almen Abdi and Odion Ighalo going the closest.

As is so often the case when that happens, Sunderland took a chance that fell their way a few minutes before half-time when Jack Rodwell scored from close range after being found by Jeremain Lens.

But the Hornets didn’t have long to wait in the second half to equalise – Sebastian Prodl heading in an Adlene Guedioura corner – only to concede minutes later when they were exposed on the counter-attack and Lens duly capitalised.

Having fallen behind for a second time though, Watford were level again around the hour mark when Troy Deeney converted a penalty after Jose Manuel Jurado had been caught by a high John O’Shea boot.

Flores made three changes for his final match at the helm, but once again stuck opted for four central midfielders. Nathan Ake, Prodl and Guedioura came into the side following the 4-2 defeat at Norwich City, with Allan Nyom, Mario Suarez and Ikechi Anya dropping to the bench. This meant Craig Cathcart, as he did at Anfield a week ago, started at right-back.

Having secured their top-flight safety with a 3-0 win over Everton, Sam Allardyce made a total of nine changes and gave debuts to Tom Robson and Rees Greenwood. DeAndre Yedlin and Lamine Kone were the only two players to keep their place in the starting line-up from Wednesday night’s win.

In front of a crowd including Sir Elton John, both sides started the game with positive intent but it was the hosts who had the first chance in the sixth minute when Almen Abdi rifled a shot narrowly wide of the near post after a lovely intricate move that he started at the business end and progressed through Deeney and Ighalo.

The Hornets were looking in the mood and another promising move saw Deeney move the ball out to the left for Jurado, who came inside and fed Ighalo, but instead of playing in the overlapping Abdi to his right, he tried a chipped pass back across goal to the far post and the opportunity foundered.

The much-changed Black Cats then had a reasonable spell of possession, without threatening the Hornets defence, before the hosts had their next chance and again it fell to Abdi, who fired a left-footed effort from 20 yards over after he had latched onto a Jurado pass inside and showed some neat footwork to create some space.

Another Abdi effort came in the 23rd minute, this time more of a prodded strike at goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, when the visitors were unable to clear their lines after a Prodl header from a corner had rebounded back away from goal.

Next Jurado decided to have a go from 25 yards, but Pickford was always behind it and claimed the ball at the second attempts after initially taking the sting out of the shot.

But there was soon to be a nervous moment for the Spaniard at the other end when, in trying to cut out Duncan Watmore’s attempted cut back from the right side of the penalty box, the ball ricocheted into his own body and over the crossbar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Another opening came and went for the home side in the 34th minute when Ighalo dragged a low shot wide of the far post having also showed quick feet on the edge of the area after receiving a pass from Abdi.

Pickford was forced to go to ground a minute later to keep out an Ake shot after Abdi’s initial effort had been blocked, but again the opportunity originated from some attractive attacking football from the hosts with Abdi and Cathcart combining to neat effect to release Jurado into space, this time on the right.

Rodwell hit a well-struck right-footed effort from outside the area, but it was always swerving away from goal, but with their next attack the visitors took a 39th-minute lead.

The Watford defence were carved open when the ball was initially played across to Lens, but Heurelho Gomes looked like he’d initially dealt with the danger when he parried the shot. However, the visitors kept the ball alive and Greenwood passed to Lens on the right side of the 18-yard box, he played it back across the six-yard box and Rodwell arrived at the far post to beat Gomes and make it 1-0.

It very nearly got immediately worse for the Hornets as the ball was slipped through to Watmore, who finished between Gomes’ legs and thought he’d scored a second but the assistant’s flag was raised for offside.

The visitors continued their strong finish to the half, with a strong last-gasp challenge from Prodl preventing Dame N’Doye from having a clear sight of goal after the striker had been allowed to run at an exposed Hornets backline with far too much ease.

Flores dispensed with the Cathcart ‘experiment’ at the start of the second half, bringing on Juan Carlos Paredes in his place, and within three minutes of the restart the Hornets were level.

Like several of the Hornets’ goals of late it came from a corner, on this occasion Guedioura clipping in a delivery from the right and Prodl wasn’t really picked up as he thumped a header beyond Pickford to make it 1-1.

But Watford were to be level for less than three minutes.

Following another corner for the home side, the Black Cats were able to break downfield through Watmore, who checked inside Paredes before feeding Lens to his right and the Dutchman came back on his left foot before calmly beating Gomes to make it 2-1.

Before play restarted, Allardyce made his first change and one Premier League debutant replaced another with George Honeyman coming on for Greenwood.

Following a nasty looking collision between Ighalo and Kone, with both players able to continue after receiving treatment, Ake saw a right-footed shot from the edge of the area tipped over and from the resulting corner Miguel Britos sent a header over.

The Hornets continued to try and chance their arm when they had the opportunity, with Jurado and Guedioura firing over before they were exposed horribly again at the back when an unmarked N’Doye headed in a free-kick, but again the offside flag came to the home side’s rescue.

Having survived that let off, Watford were then presented with a gilt-edged chance to level again on the hour when Deeney headed down a deep cross from the right back in the direction of Jurado, who was caught by a O’Shea high boot in the penalty area.

Referee Kevin Friend thought about the decision for a moment or two before pointing to the spot and Deeney confidently did the rest, sending Pickford the wrong way to make it 2-2.

Sunderland again made a change before play resumed, with Yann M’Vila replacing Sebastian Larsson, before Flores followed suit in the 66th minute as Suarez came on for Abdi, who was afforded a deserved standing ovation.

Deeney was then to be left sitting questioningly on the turf after he looked to be caught from behind by Kone on the edge of the area, but the referee decided the Sunderland centre-half had won the ball.

Guedioura was booked for clattering into Honeyman with ten minutes remaining before Jurado made way for Nordin Amrabat.

Both sides continued to look for a winner, with neither really threatening to do so, until four minutes from the end of normal time when Gomes had to block an angled Watmore shot.

Then it was Watford’s turn to go close as Suarez played a low ball across the area and Ighalo managed to work space for a shot, only to see his somewhat scuffed effort deflected wide.

The home side continued to press in injury time, with Suarez unable to get enough of a header on a Guedioura cross, before the Algerian ambitiously volleyed over from the right side of the area as the last game of the season ended with honours even.

But in the final analysis Watford finished the season as the 13th best team in the country, subject to what is decided to do about the abandoned game between Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Watford: Gomes; Cathcart (Paredes 46), Prodl, Britos, Ake; Abdi (Suarez 66), Guedioura, Watson, Jurado (Amrabat 80); Deeney, Ighalo. Not used: Pantilimon, Nyom, Berghuis, Anya.

Sunderland: Pickford; Yedlin (Jones 76), Kone, O’Shea, T Robson; Larsson (M’Vila 61), Rodwell, Lens; Watmore, N’Doye, Greenwood (Honeyman 51). Not used: Mannone, Brown, Defoe, Khazri.

Bookings: Guedioura for a foul on Honeyman (80).

Attendance: 21,012 (2,096 away fans).

Referee: Kevin Friend.