The loss of Heurelho Gomes to injury changed the game in Everton's favour in Watford's 3-2 loss this evening, Marco Silva admitted, but said the Hornets "win and lose as a team" in spite of Orestis Karnezis' nightmare debut.

Gomes went off just after making a superb double-save to keep the Hornets 1-0 up in the second half, but after Christian Kabasele doubled the visitors' lead Karnezis' first action was to pick the ball out of the back of his net, after Oumar Niasse beat him to a ball and pulled a goal back.

That goal undoubtedly changed the momentum in the Toffees' favour, and the substitute goalkeeper was not covered in glory when again positioned poorly for Dominic Calvert-Lewin's header to equalise.

"We played in the same way as usual, we controlled the game until 2-1, even after our second goal," he said. "We had them under control. But then, we gave one chance to the Everton players who started to believe again.

"Then we started to become uncomfortable, and when we lost the ball for the corner for the 2nd and the 3rd, the slip, everything happened with our team.

"The injury to Gomes was an important moment and it gave the chance to them."

Silva stopped short of laying the blame at Karnezis' feet - or gloves - but admitted it had been a difficult afternoon for his debutant custodian.

"It’s never easy for a goalkeeper in the Premier League, but he’s an experienced goalkeeper," he said. "Gomes knows this type of game very well - and maybe it’s too easy to rely on Gomes to control what’s happening in our box.

"It’s not an easy for Karnezis to make his debut, but after we lost our focus with the first goal and then everything started to change. When we win we win together, and the same when we lose.

"It’s not just Karnezis, we needed to be better and we can’t lose the ball like we did for 2-2 and 3-2 we had it in our possession."