Beppe Sannino believes Barnsley came up against a very angry team today as Watford looked to forget the defeat to Doncaster Rovers midweek.

The Hornets lost to struggling Doncaster on Tuesday night following an injury-time goal and it was a game when the Golden Boys were reduced to ten men and denied a clear-cut penalty, which arguably should have also resulted in a red card for Rovers’ goalkeeper.

Watford responded by blowing Barnsley away in the opening quarter of an hour this afternoon as they raced to a 2-0 lead following goals from Cristian Battocchio and Troy Deeney.

The Hornets’ performance level dipped but they scored a third goal on 74 minutes through Alexander Merkel to cement a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Sannino said: “It’s a good win because through this game we can forget Doncaster. I’m pleased about the performance of the guys because they were able to give some cheer to the crowd but I am a demanding guy and I think we could improve."

“I think that Barnsley were facing a team very angry today, I don’t think they were poor," Sannino added when asked if the Tykes had been poor.

“I’m the kind of coach that even when we win, I don’t watch only the positives of the performance.

“I am pleased with my players because they did what I asked them to do and when I say we can improve I’m complimenting the players because I think we can improve, not because we didn’t do a good job today.”

There will be more reaction from Sannino in the coming days.

Read Danny Wilson's comments here.