diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 846513924..2d97530f9 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ require (
 	gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2 v2.0.0
 	gopkg.in/square/go-jose.v2 v2.2.2
 	k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20220104023900-7289fed567b9
-	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220104211627-ea11419e6b79
+	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220105211620-b76ef24635f1
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20220105172055-255c79651356
 	k8s.io/component-base v0.0.0-20220104212607-e7b8df8cf100
 	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.40.1
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ require (
 
 replace (
 	k8s.io/api => k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20220104023900-7289fed567b9
-	k8s.io/apimachinery => k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220104211627-ea11419e6b79
+	k8s.io/apimachinery => k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220105211620-b76ef24635f1
 	k8s.io/client-go => k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20220105172055-255c79651356
 	k8s.io/component-base => k8s.io/component-base v0.0.0-20220104212607-e7b8df8cf100
 )
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index e9b205ac4..7cda9ff6f 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -953,8 +953,8 @@ honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.1-2020.1.3/go.mod h1:X/FiERA/W4tHapMX5mGpAtMSVEeEUOyHaw9
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.1-2020.1.4/go.mod h1:X/FiERA/W4tHapMX5mGpAtMSVEeEUOyHaw9vFzvIQ3k=
 k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20220104023900-7289fed567b9 h1:HghyPmUKTDSohvaoMdU8NmSTLV3GMrwWfUjJX33U7aE=
 k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20220104023900-7289fed567b9/go.mod h1:nKerto6bPj5aBqqPdGEHYEtwdsvWd6LAIUE0QPgQzoE=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220104211627-ea11419e6b79 h1:vLDmYX/AUxrvjZE7baCJ4xdUMMM2R4hFAOiOTBtNjrk=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220104211627-ea11419e6b79/go.mod h1:vcZg0n5bcYADuuKUza0y2en2OCM/UIxFaAI7N0cN6Ik=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220105211620-b76ef24635f1 h1:JN5l8vsJbanXY+UEBvVC2AUaIHfPL64YTlrLGviEBE8=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20220105211620-b76ef24635f1/go.mod h1:vcZg0n5bcYADuuKUza0y2en2OCM/UIxFaAI7N0cN6Ik=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20220105172055-255c79651356 h1:uNiuxb+Z7sPRSIWJiR20WrwpvSmMT5RMkBaxCdaLS2k=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20220105172055-255c79651356/go.mod h1:8wJ34MBqSNCHmQ1mGLLHqI68ERylfM0lr3UK2WQOShk=
 k8s.io/component-base v0.0.0-20220104212607-e7b8df8cf100 h1:MtcO/Ysm2eaDif2wEngbGDI72FIHId/80y+x0koGLrg=
diff --git a/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics.go b/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics.go
index 7dd40a373..445dfb1c2 100644
--- a/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ func CanonicalVerb(verb string, scope string) string {
 // LIST and APPLY from PATCH.
 func CleanVerb(verb string, request *http.Request) string {
 	reportedVerb := verb
-	if verb == "LIST" && checkIfWatch(request) {
+	if suggestedVerb := getVerbIfWatch(request); suggestedVerb == "WATCH" {
 		reportedVerb = "WATCH"
 	}
 	// normalize the legacy WATCHLIST to WATCH to ensure users aren't surprised by metrics
@@ -593,27 +593,19 @@ func cleanVerb(verb, suggestedVerb string, request *http.Request) string {
 	return OtherRequestMethod
 }
 
-//getVerbIfWatch additionally ensures that GET or List would be transformed to WATCH
+// getVerbIfWatch additionally ensures that GET or List would be transformed to WATCH
 func getVerbIfWatch(req *http.Request) string {
 	if strings.ToUpper(req.Method) == "GET" || strings.ToUpper(req.Method) == "LIST" {
-		if checkIfWatch(req) {
-			return "WATCH"
+		// see apimachinery/pkg/runtime/conversion.go Convert_Slice_string_To_bool
+		if values := req.URL.Query()["watch"]; len(values) > 0 {
+			if value := strings.ToLower(values[0]); value != "0" && value != "false" {
+				return "WATCH"
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return ""
 }
 
-//checkIfWatch check request is watch
-func checkIfWatch(req *http.Request) bool {
-	// see apimachinery/pkg/runtime/conversion.go Convert_Slice_string_To_bool
-	if values := req.URL.Query()["watch"]; len(values) > 0 {
-		if value := strings.ToLower(values[0]); value != "0" && value != "false" {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 func cleanDryRun(u *url.URL) string {
 	// avoid allocating when we don't see dryRun in the query
 	if !strings.Contains(u.RawQuery, "dryRun") {
diff --git a/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics_test.go b/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics_test.go
index a1fa6ba95..5da5a8500 100644
--- a/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics_test.go
+++ b/pkg/endpoints/metrics/metrics_test.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ func TestCleanVerb(t *testing.T) {
 			desc:        "LIST should be transformed to WATCH if we have the right query param on the request",
 			initialVerb: "LIST",
 			request: &http.Request{
+				Method: "GET",
 				URL: &url.URL{
 					RawQuery: "watch=true",
 				},
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ func TestCleanVerb(t *testing.T) {
 			desc:        "LIST isn't transformed to WATCH if we have query params that do not include watch",
 			initialVerb: "LIST",
 			request: &http.Request{
+				Method: "GET",
 				URL: &url.URL{
 					RawQuery: "blah=asdf&something=else",
 				},
@@ -66,20 +68,25 @@ func TestCleanVerb(t *testing.T) {
 			expectedVerb: "LIST",
 		},
 		{
-			desc:        "GET isn't be transformed to WATCH if we have the right query param on the request",
+			// The above may seem counter-intuitive, but it actually is needed for cases like
+			// watching a single item, e.g.:
+			//  /api/v1/namespaces/foo/pods/bar?fieldSelector=metadata.name=baz&watch=true
+			desc:        "GET is transformed to WATCH if we have the right query param on the request",
 			initialVerb: "GET",
 			request: &http.Request{
+				Method: "GET",
 				URL: &url.URL{
 					RawQuery: "watch=true",
 				},
 			},
-			expectedVerb: "GET",
+			expectedVerb: "WATCH",
 		},
 		{
 			desc:          "LIST is transformed to WATCH for the old pattern watch",
 			initialVerb:   "LIST",
 			suggestedVerb: "WATCH",
 			request: &http.Request{
+				Method: "GET",
 				URL: &url.URL{
 					RawQuery: "/api/v1/watch/pods",
 				},
@@ -91,6 +98,7 @@ func TestCleanVerb(t *testing.T) {
 			initialVerb:   "LIST",
 			suggestedVerb: "WATCHLIST",
 			request: &http.Request{
+				Method: "GET",
 				URL: &url.URL{
 					RawQuery: "/api/v1/watch/pods",
 				},