Watford's relegation from the Premier League has been confirmed after the Hornets suffered a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Roy Hodgson's side simply needed to pick up all three points in order to keep their survival hopes alive that little bit longer, with the Hornets boss seeking a result against his former club at his old home.
However, Watford were sent back down to the second tier as Wilfried Zaha's penalty decided the contest, with the attacker converting after Hassane Kamara's handball.
Things went from bad to worse for the Hornets as Kamara received his marching orders with 21 minutes to go, making Hodgson's task of a great escape ever more difficult.
Watford's attacking line barely troubled the steadfast Eagles defence, with Craig Cathcart heading over the bar with 10 minutes left to play.
Hodgson will not be at Vicarage Road to oversee the Hornets' transition to the Championship, with the 74-year-old recently confirming that he would step down at the end of the season.
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The soon-to-be second-tier side are already searching for Hodgson's successor as they prepare to join Norwich City in the Championship, but they must first face final Premier League fixtures with Everton, Leicester City and Chelsea.
Watford have now gleaned just 22 points from their 35 top-flight outings this term and are already condemned to a 19th or 20th-placed finish having lost 25 times - more than any other side in the division.
Burnley did not do their survival prospects any favours either on Saturday, with Mike Jackson overseeing a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa to hand Leeds United and Everton the chance to leapfrog his side tomorrow.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Brentford more or less assured themselves of a second consecutive season of Premier League football by putting three past Southampton, who are now only eight points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea were on the road to victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to Romelu Lukaku's brace, but Francisco Trincao and Conor Coady replied in dramatic fashion for the visitors in front of new Blues owner Todd Boehly.
Arsenal could now cut the gap to Chelsea in third to just one point with victory over Leeds on Sunday, where the Whites will seek to avoid being dragged closer to danger.
Ben Knapton
