Watford passed the 52-point mark for the season with a very comfortable 3-0 victory over Sheffield United at Vicarage Road this afternoon after being given a huge helping hand by the indiscipline of two of their former players.

The Hornets were already leading 1-0 thanks to Danny Graham’s 23rd of the campaign - becoming the club’s highest scorer in a season since Luther Blissett in 1984/85 in the process – when the already booked Darius Henderson was sent off following a late challenge on Lee Hodson.

The young full-back had to be stretchered off as a result, but the Blades were further reduced to nine men in the 34th minute when Lee Williamson saw a straight red card for a foul on Lloyd Doyley.

Unsurprisingly, the hosts dominated thereafter and capitalised on their numerical supremacy with further goals from Martin Taylor and Ross Jenkins’ first of the campaign.

Malky Mackay made just the one change from the team that held high-flying Swansea City to a 1-1 draw in midweek, with Doyley returning from his five-game injury lay-off at the expense of Dale Bennett.

After a low key opening, Watford created the first opening when Will Buckley did well on the right to get to the by-line and send over a cross which a Blades defender headed over his own bar. Another corner followed, which was also dealt with, but the Hornets tried to keep the pressure on, only for Jenkins to be rather harshly booked in the eighth minute for pulling back former team-mate Williamson after he had slipped over.

Within a minute though, the Hornets were in front.

Buckley initially did well to win a header on the right, the supporting Don Cowie turned the ball inside where Neil Collins headed back towards his own goal. Keeper Steve Simonsen did well to react and prevent the own goal, but the predatory Graham was in the right place to score for the fourth successive game with his 20th league goal of the season.

Watford old boy Henderson was making his first start of the campaign due to a prolonged absence through injury but his first meaningful involvement was to get booked in the 14th minute for a high challenge on John Eustace.

Soon after though, the big striker glanced a header wide from the Blades’ first corner of the match and then Michael Doyle fired wide of Scott Loach’s left-hand post from the edge of the area.

Graham was sensing his opportunity for a second goal in the 22nd minute when he almost latched onto a clearance downfield, but this time Collins got the better of him and there was no mix up with the on-rushing Simonsen.

Another chance for the hosts came and went three minutes later when Cowie slipped in Deeney on the right side of the area with a clever ball but the former Walsall man’s shot went back across the face of goal and well wide.

However, the real drama was yet to begin, with the afternoon to end prematurely for three players.

It started in the 28th minute when Henderson went in extremely late on Hodson in the area and was quite rightly shown a second yellow card. But that challenge came at quite a cost for the young full-back, who received treatment for several minutes before he was stretchered off wearing a protective cast on his right leg and with an oxygen mask on.

Adam Thompson came on for Hodson, with Doyley switching across to left-back, but the Blades were clearly riled by referee Dean Whitestone’s decision and it was Doyley who was on the receiving end of an over-zealous challenge by Williamson in the 34th minute that ended with the midfielder receiving a straight red card.

With a two-man advantage, it was no surprise that Watford finished the opening period strongly and they came within a whisker of doubling their advantage in the last minute of normal time when Graham just failed to connect with Deeney’s ball in from the left at the far post.

The Hornets’ leading scorer then chanced his arm with a right-footed effort from 25 yards, but Simonsen was right behind it. However, in the sixth minute of injury-time, a Thompson cross from the right picked out the unmarked Doyley in the area, but he glanced his header well wide.

Not surprisingly, the hosts started the second period by dominating possession but they were unable to fashion an effort until the 54th minute when Eustace sent a left-footed strike wide from outside the area.

The pressure continued, with Buckley having a shot deflected narrowly over, but it was only a matter of time before the Hornets scored a second and it came in the 56th minute.

A Cowie corner from the right was met by Thompson, whose fine header brought an equally good save from Simonsen to tip it onto the bar, but the ball rebounded back into the crowded goalmouth where Taylor fired into the ground and into the net for his fifth of the season.

Micky Adams’ response was to bring on Ched Evans for Sam Vokes after Graham had twice fired wide in quick succession.

The Blades completed their changes in the 70th minute, with Daniel Bogdanovic and Mark Yeates coming on for Stephen Quinn and Nick Montgomery before Watford almost made it 3-0 when Deeney met Graham’s cross from the left with a good header but Simonsen saved.

Euatace and Buckley sent a couple of long-range efforts over before Graham was booked for dissent after being given offside in the 79th minute.

Deeney made way for Andi Weimann soon after before Cowie sent a diving header straight at Simonsen from Buckley’s deep cross from the right.

Marvin Sordell then came on for Graham and the substitute was on the pitch in time for his side’s third with four minutes remaining when Jenkins guided a well-placed header beyond Simonsen from Eustace’s cross.

Yeates did muster the visitors’ first attempt of the half soon after, but the Blades finished well beaten.

Watford: Loach; Doyley, Mariappa, Taylor, Hodson (Thompson 32); Eustace; Jenkins, Cowie; Buckley, Graham (Sordell 84), Deeney (Weimann 81). Not used: Gilmartin, Bennett, Mingoia and Whichelow.

Sheffield United: Simonsen; Nosworthy, Lowry, Collins, Mattock; Williamson, Montgomery (Yeates 70), Doyle, Quinn (Bogdanovic 70); Vokes (Evans 60), Henderson. Not used: Ertl, Cresswell, Bent and Thomas.

Bookings: Jenkins for a foul on Williamson after 8 mins; Henderson for a foul on Eustace after 14 mins; Henderson for a foul on Hodson after 28 mins – sent off; Williamson for a foul on Doyley after 34 mins – sent off; Graham for dissent after 79 mins.

Attendance: 12,441.

Referee: Dean Whitestone.