Watford manager Walter Mazzarri has admitted that he was left unhappy with the display of referee Bobby Madley during his side's meeting with Stoke City on Sunday afternoon.

The 31-year-old official failed to spot Charlie Adam's shove on Valon Behrami in the build-up to the only goal of a game that saw 38 fouls awarded - a Premier League high this season.

To make matters worse for the Italian boss, Adam later admitted that he should have been penalised for his part in the key breakthrough goal a third of the way through, which went down as an Heurelho Gomes own goal.

Mazzarri failed to shake Mark Hughes's hand following the 1-0 defeat, but he later apologised to his opposite number in the dressing room area for the oversight.

"I was very angry at that moment with the referee and the time he gave at the end," he told reporters. "I went into the dressing room and gave Mark my hand. I forgot in that moment.

"But I was angry with the referee for not giving a lot of time and the decisions he gave. You have to look at the whole game; the fouls, the goal they scored and the yellow cards. Anyone can have a bad day. And this time he had a bad day."

Watford missed out on the chance to climb into sixth place, instead finding themselves eighth following a second defeat in three games.