Watford head coach Nigel Pearson says match-winner Danny Welbeck deserved his winning goal against Norwich City after a frustrating time with injuries.

The former Manchester United and Arsenal player won the game with an emphatic bicycle in the second-half at Vicarage Road after the Hornets had slipped behind to an early Emiliano Buendia goal.

The Watford head coach praised Welbeck and said he was really pleased for the striker to have made such an important impact.

"He's a player with a lot of ability and he's had a really good career. To have a winner of such quality is great for us because it was a difficult game," said Pearson.

"I'm pleased for Danny, but I know him, he will just see this as a step in the right direction for himself having had a frustrating time with injury, so for him I know he will feel that all the hard work that he's put in to get himself back to match fitness has paid off. The goal was an added bonus, but I thought he played and worked exceptionally hard for his team today. He had a good game."

While the win lifts Watford to four points above the relegation zone, Pearson thinks it is not enough for them to start celebrating their Premier League survival just yet.

With Newcastle, West Ham, Manchester City and Arsenal still to come between now and the end of the season, the head coach has urged his players to retain their focus.

"It's not breathing space," he insisted. "We'd been unable to find a win so far and it's not been easy to acclimatise, but it's a very important win for us. We've now got four games in which we've got to pick up enough points to keep us up ourselves. We don't have an opportunity to not stay focused, it's really important."