Hornets boss Marco Silva felt it was important to right the wrongs of the League Cup exit to Bristol City earlier in the season and show what they are really all about by putting on more of a show in the FA Cup against the Robins.
Silva made six changes for the Carabao Cup tie in August but he only made three this time round in a sign of just how seriously he is viewing the FA Cup and the respect he paid to the Championship high fliers and League Cup semi-finalists.
He was rewarded with a more cohesive performance and a very professional one as Watford made it through to the fourth round with plenty left in the tank. With three unanswered goals, including one for returning captain Troy Deeney, things couldn’t have gone much better, with hopes that the victory could help Watford push on with confidence.
“We respect the competition, ourselves, our fans and we were serious,” said Silva. “I told our players we need to respect our fans and we had an obligation to win and qualify for the next round. Always when you win it gives more confidence to everyone. We prepared to win, we won 3-0 and didn’t concede a goal.”
Silva said there was no chance they were going to take Bristol for granted, even though City had more than half an eye on the semi-final first leg with Manchester City.
“They are doing very well, not only in league but in the Championship as well,” said Silva.
“They have surprised four Premier League teams this season and when we played against them we didn’t perform well. We didn’t perform in the right way. This time everything was different. It was clear we deserved the win.”
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