Hornets well beaten

The Hornets were woeful in the first 45 minutes and, in truth, should have been 4-0 down, but Tim Cahill and James Beattie were unable to convert easy chances to add to goals from Manuel Fernandes and a dubious Andrew Johnson penalty.

Substitute Tamas Priskin provided a desperately needing cutting edge after the break and went close to scoring on three occasions, before fellow replacement Leon Osman applied the gloss with a delightful third in injury-time.

With Ben Foster always unlikely to be fit to play following his mid-week injury, it was no surprise that Richard Lee was back in goal. However, Aidy Boothroyd decided not to take a risk like he did against Wigan by naming Scott Loach among the replacements. The other change to the starting line-up saw Hameur Bouazza come in for Johan Cavalli, who did not make the 16.

David Moyes, meanwhile, chose to make three changes to the side that was beaten at the death by Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. Joleon Lescott and Cahill, back after suspension, replaced Alan Stubbs and Osman, but the biggest surprise was that Johnson was fit to play and he replaced Victor Anichebe.

Watford, and in particular Bouazza, started in a positive vein, with the Frenchman picking up the ball wide on the left inside the opening minute and driving at the heart of the defence, but he didn't really connect with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area and Tim Howard was able to gather comfortably.

The Hornets had another opening from their first corner three minutes later when the visitors failed to deal with Tommy Smith's low set-piece in from the left, presenting Malky Mackay with a header at the near post, but he was unable to direct it back on target from an admittedly tight angle.

Cahill half-volleyed Everton's first attempt well wide from the penalty spot area in the seventh minute and then Mikel Arteta pulled a free-kick from near the left-hand corner flag back to Fernandes, who set himself up for a left-footed half-volley that had Lee scampering across his goal as it went wide of the keeper's left-hand post.

The game then settled down until Lee nearly gave his team-mates a heat attack in the 19th minute. The keeper appeared to be solidly behind a Cahill shot, but the ball somehow squirmed through his grasp and hit him on the right hip and rolled towards the net, but the Hornets stopped managed to get back and spare some of his blushes.

Lee though, redeemed himself two minutes later with a superb spring-heeled leap to his left to turn over a deft Johnson header from ten yards following Cahill's ball in from the right.

But a minute later the Watford keeper was unable to prevent Everton taking the lead. The visitors broke forward at pace and Arteta cut in from the right before sliding the ball across the area to Cahill, who struck a first time, right-footed shot that bounced up in front of Lee, who could only parry it back in the direction of Johnson and Fernandes, and the latter was adjudged to have converted the rebound via the underside of Jay DeMerit's leg, although it looked as if Johnson may have got the decisive touch.

As Watford sought to recover from that setback, they found themselves two down in next to no time. It looked a case of six of one, half a dozen of the other in the pushing and pulling stakes as Johnson just got goalside of Adrian Mariappa as he attacked the left side of the area and went down, but referee Lee Mason immediately pointed to the spot and the former Crystal Palace striker slammed the penalty down the middle of the goal to make it 2-0. However, Johnson, who has never been the most popular of figures at Vicarage Road, further enraged the home faithful by sarcastically holding his finger to his lips as he celebrated his tenth goal of the season.

But how two didn't become three moments later, only Cahill will now. The Australian was picked out in the heart of the area by Lee Carsley's ball over the top of a statuesque Hornets defence, but with only Lee to beat the midfielder lifted the ball over the target.

Watford did try to rouse themselves after that with some useful balls into the box, before Mackay's far post header from a Jordan Stewart free-kick from the right forced Howard to tip the ball behind, but the effort did not look on-target anyway.

Then Tommy Smith, who was clearly the home side's best player, broke down the right before picking out Steve Kabba in the area with his back to goal. The striker did manage to create a shooting opportunity but scuffed it straight at Howard.

But the game should have been put out of sight in the final minute of the first-half courtesy of more abject Hornets defending. DeMerit seemed to have down the hard work when he showed Johnson away from goal as he sought to latch on to a ball over the top, only to mis-control it and let the forward lay a straightforward opportunity on a plate for Beattie, but the striker did a Cahill and blazed horribly over.

The half-time whistle was greeted by a chorus of boos, which were also directed at Johnson and the referee, but the Hornets could have no complaints after an abject 45-minute performance.

It was no surprise that Boothroyd chose to make changes at the break, but the decision to replace Henderson with Priskin was surprising given that Watford's line leader had been one of the few players on his game in the opening 45 minutes. The other change saw Lloyd Doyley come on for Mackay.

Both sides started the second-half by forcing corners, but Watford's first attempt of the 45 minutes largely summed up their performance to date. Doyley tried an ambitious shot from 25 yards but he mis-hit it so badly that the ball went out for a throw.

Priskin did screw a better attempt high and wide of the target after 55 minutes as Watford sought an unlikely way back, but two minutes later the Hungarian went very close with a right-footed drive from 25 yards following some good midfield link-up play between Smith and Kabba that shaved Howard's right-hand post.

Priskin went close again three minutes later when he launched himself at Kabba's cut-back from wide on the right with a header that bounced down and wide of Howard but just the wrong side of the keeper's far post following more improved Hornets play.

And the hat-trick of great chances for the substitute was completed moments later when Smith did well to stand up a cross from the right and Priskin headed down and wide of the far post from the edge of the six-yard box.

But although the Hornets were threatening a fightback, they still had to be wary at the other end as Beattie headed an Arteta free-kick wide. And then it took Stewart to throw himself in the way of Arteta's shot from the edge of the area to prevent the Spaniard's shot from possibly testing Lee after Johnson and Cahill had linked to good effect around the Hornets box.

The predictable chorus of boos greeted Johnson's withdrawal after 77 minutes when he was replaced by James Vaughan, amid chants of "you'll never cheat for England", while at the same time Anthony McNamee came on for Bouazza.

Osman then came on for Fernandes, but Everton were comfortably coasting to victory before they added a delightful third in injury-time when Beattie's header inside found Osman, who curled a superb left-footed shot past Lee from 20 yards to complete what, in truth, was an all too easy win.

Watford: Lee; Mariappa, DeMerit, Mackay, Stewart; Smith, Francis, Mahon, Bouazza; Henderson, Kabba. Substitutes: Doyley and Priskin for Mackay and Henderson after 45 mins; McNamee for Bouazza after 77 mins; Williams and Loach not used.

Everton: Howard; Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Naysmith; Fernandes, Cahill, Carsley, Arteta; Johnson, Beattie. Substitutes: Vaughan for Johnson after 77 mins; Osman for Fernandes after 82 mins; Hibbert, Anichebe and Wright not used.

Bookings: Smith for a foul on Fernandes after 45 mins; Fernandes for dissent after 75 mins.

Attendance: 18,761.

Referee: Lee Mason.