Watford are ninth in the Premier League and they now have an FA Cup quarter-final to look forward to after beating Leeds United 1-0 at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

The Hornets were not at their best but they were the better side throughout, creating the majority of the chances and dealing more than competently with what forward advances Leeds were able to manufacture.

Watford had enjoyed the bulk of the attacking play in the first half but were unable to find the quality when it was needed to carve out anything clear cut.

But the breakthrough did arrive nine minutes after the restart when Scott Wootton diverted a fine Ben Watson cross from the right into his own net.

Almen Abdi missed a good chance to double the lead soon after before Etienne Capoue had an effort ruled out following a Troy Deeney foul.

The Hornets continued to squander chances but they were solid value for a tenth successive game unbeaten againts the Whites as they reached the last eight with their third straight 1-0 win in the tournament.

Quique Sanchez Flores was always going to make changes as the Hornets aimed to reach the last eight for the first time since 2007 and ultimately he decided to make six from the starting line-up for last Saturday’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The majority were at the back with Costel Pantilimon, Juan Carlos Paredes, the fit-again Miguel Britos and Jose Holebas coming into the defensive five, Mario Suarez was selected in the engine room and Abdi started in an advanced midfield role.

Five of the six who were left out of the team that started at Selhurst Park were on the bench while Nathan Ake was given the afternoon off.

By contrast Steve Evans made just the one alteration from the team that held Middlesbrough to a goalless draw last time out, with Sol Bamba coming in for Liam Cooper in defence.

Watford were quickly out of the blocks and had their first chance inside 90 seconds; Capoue whipping in a cross from the right and Deeney seeing a downward header deflected not too far wide of the far post.

That corner came to nothing but from the home side’s second Britos rose highest to head over the top after Watson had clipped a delivery from the right into the near post.

There was a surprisingly open feel to the game in the early stages at times, with the visitors also looking to be progressive when the opportunity arose, but their default set up was to get as many bodies behind the ball as possible when Watford were in possession.

The home side’s next chance came in the 12th minute when Deeney’s tenacity enabled him to win the ball in midfield before passing to Abdi, who in turn fed Holebas. He opted against crossing first time and the Hornets worked a neat triangle before the Greece international did deliver the ball into the area but Nordin Amrabat mistimed his header and the ball looped harmlessly into the arms of Marco Silvestri.

The hosts had another opportunity soon after and again it was a case of a mistimed header as Britos directed a Watson corner from the left back across the target and wide.

Flores’ men were increasingly turning up the heat as their corner count continued to rise, while Holebas saw a shot deflected wide and soon after Suarez and Capoue both missed their kicks before Abdi had an effort blocked.

Giuseppe Bellusci was the first player to be booked in the 24th minute for delaying a Hornets throw-in and Paredes was soon to join the Leeds defender in Michael Oliver’s notebook for a foul on Lewis Cook.

In between times, Stuart Dallas dragged a tame effort wide of Pantilimon’s left-hand post as the home side went off the boil for a time as an attacking force.

However, they did carve out another opening four minutes before the break when Deeney’s incisive pass put Paredes in behind the defence on the right and he tried to pick out Amrabat in the six-yard box but Silvestri snatched hold of the ball at the second attempt.

Dallas came inside off the right and had a shot deflected wide at the other end but that was the last chance as the opening period ended goalless.

Although Odion Ighalo was warming up during the interval Flores opted against making any changes at the start of the second period as, like in the first half, the Hornets looked to make a quick start.

They won two corners inside the opening 90 seconds and from the second from the right Craig Cathcart rose highest but became the latest Hornet to fail to direct his effort on target.

Former Watford loanee Liam Bridcutt was booked in the 52nd minute for a crude challenge on Capoue and from the resultant free-kick Watson tried to pick out Cathcart at the far post but the ball was nodded behind.

The corner again came to nothing but the home side kept play alive and when Abdi knocked the ball out to Watson on the right and his dangerous delivery was beyond the reach of Silvestri but the unfortunate Wootton, in trying to put it behind, guided the ball inside the keeper’s right-hand upright to give Watford the lead in the 54th minute.

It could have been two soon after as a fine pass from Capoue released Abdi, who burst forward and beat an opponent but lashed over with only Silvestri to beat.

Watford did have the ball in the net for a second time in the 59th minute when Capoue thought he’d scored his first goal in yellow, converting an Amrabat ball across the six-yard box from a tight angle at the far post but the referee disallowed it for a foul by Deeney when the ball came across.

Leeds made their first change in the 61st minute as Alex Mowatt replaced Dallas and then an under-pressure Cathcart headed Watson’s latest corner over.

Bridcutt hit a rising 20-yard drive at Pantilimon before Ighalo’s time to enter the fray came in the 67th minute when he replaced Amrabat. Before that Cathcart had been cautioned for a foul on Cook and Capoue had appealed in vain for a penalty after appearing to be clipped in the 18-yard box.

Adelene Guedioura replaced Abdi with 13 minutes to go as the Hornets continued to be frustrated in their attempts to make the game safe, not least by the assistant’s flag as promising situations were cut short by offside decisios on more than one occasion.

The Leeds manager’s constant complaining earned him a lengthy lecture from referee Oliver before Mirco Antenucci was replaced by Lee Erwin with seven minutes of normal time remaining.

Two minutes after that the Hornets spurned another chance to make sure of their place in the quarter-finals when they broke on the counter and Deeney and Ighalo combined to release Capoue, but after working the space for a shooting opportunity in the area he fired an angled effort over.

Jordan Botaka replaced Watford old boy Toumani Diagouraga for the closing stages before the visitors missed a rare chance to force a replay when Souleymane Doukara fired high and wide from a clear shooting chance.

As Ikechi Anya replaced Capoue, five minutes of stoppage time afforded the visitors further hope but it was the hosts who let another chance slip by when the substitute over-hit a pass to Ighalo after intercepting a poor cross-field pass.

Watson then had a chance when a free-kick was rolled short to him, but this was charged down, before Pantilimon was called upon to punch a cross clear as the home side safely advanced into the last eight.

Watford: Pantilimon; Paredes, Britos, Cathcart, Holebas; Capoue (Anya 90), Watson, Suarez; Abdi (Guedioura 77), Deeney, Amrabat (Ighalo 67). Not used: Gomes, Nyom, Prodl, Behrami.

Leeds United: Silvestri; Wotton, Bamba, Bellusci, Taylor; Diagouraga (Botaka 86), Bridcutt; Dallas (Mowatt 61), Doukara, Cook; Antenucci (Erwin 83). Not used: Peacock-Farrell, Murphy, Adeyimi, Coyle.

Bookings: Bellusci for time wasting (24); Paredes for a foul on Cook (32); Bridcutt for a foul on Capoue (52); Cathcart for a foul on Cook (67).

Attendance: 18,336 (4,065 away fans).

Referee: Michael Oliver.