"I think, pretty much, we've done a good job today but a lack of communication on a single moment (when Scott Loach was caught in no mans land for City's equaliser) is sometimes how a game can change," said Watford manager Sean Dyche.
"Cardiff started very brightly for the first 15 or 20 minutes and really loaded it on top of us with corners and long throws, as they did for the first five minutes of the second half. Other than that I thought we did very well in the game.
"The manner the lads are playing at the moment is terrific. If you're a fan of Watford I'd like to think the majority are very proud of the way the players are going about their business because the will and demand of the players is absolutely fantastic. It's been there all season but it's growing with confidence and belief."
Dyche did not feel his players were holding out for the win before the equaliser, explaining: "I thought Cardiff were probably at their least productive stage when they got a lucky break with a mix up. It certainly wasn't a holding on situation but I thought we were managing the game well and still being productive."
Former Watford boss Malky Mackay, who left Vicarage Road in the summer after two years in charge, said: "I thought we started very well and had five or six great chances at their goal in the first half, which I thought led a charmed life. On another day we would have gone in a couple up at half-time but we weren't clinical with them.
"Cardiff came out and had to up their game and they did that and scored a good goal from their point of view, I suppose. But what I was delighted about was the calmness of the boys to keep playing, keep believing and knowing we would get chances.
"It came, we scored from it. Then in the last minute, on another day, if Kenny Miller maybe wasn't as honest, he would have gone down under the push instead of trying to stay on his feet to score and we'd have nicked it."