Of all the midweek Premier League fixtures to have taken place over the last couple of days, Stoke's visit of Watford was definitely the least exciting.
Somehow, the game wasn't last on Match of the Day but the drab 0-0 draw was anything but memorable and it's 90 minutes that fans of both clubs will never get back.
I say 90 minutes, but they definitely didn't get 90 minutes worth of action. That's because as per Opta, the ball was in play for just 42 minutes.
The time between the first and last whistle from referee Jon Moss was exactly 96 minutes and 41 seconds but it's emerged that the ball wasn't in play for 43.3 per cent of the game.
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Watch: Some of these lot wouldn't have looked out of place playing in last night's game:
A feisty affair that saw seven cards dished out, the amount of timewasting, whether it be players receiving treatment for injury, or taking an age to take throw-ins and goal-kicks, certainly added up - with the game seeing the lowest amount of ball-play in the Premier League this term.
Watford, who claimed their first point under new manager Javi Gracia, lead the charts when it comes to the ratio of lack of ball in play.
During the 3-2 defeat to Everton, where the Hornets threw away a two-goal lead, the ball was in play for 45 per cent of the game - the second lowest in the top tier this season.
West Ham and Crystal Palace's 2-2 draw earlier in the season is in third with 47.2 per cent, while Watford's unwanted statistical dominance sees their home games against Leicester (48 per cent) and Huddersfield (48.3 per cent) complete the pretty shambolic record.
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Last night's bore was so bad you could rewrite it from history and nobody would care or notice!
(h/t Stoke Sentinel)
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Watford, Football News, Football, Premier League, Stoke City
