Watford midfielder Peter Etebo has called for his teammates to stick together and "keep going" after their win over Aston Villa.

The Hornets announced their return to the top flight in emphatic fashion, putting three goals past an Aston Villa side many are tipping to do well this season.

However, the new arrival was level-headed in his reaction to the win, knowing that there are 37 games of the campaign still to play.

“This is the start of the season. I’m happy that we got the win, congratulations to my teammates, but it’s a long season so step-by-step we have to keep going," Etebo said in a club interview.

"This is just the beginning. Like the gaffer said, we need everyone. Everyone needs to stay together, be positive. It’s teamwork and there are lots of games to be played. This is just one game and there are a lot of games to go.”

The Nigerian praised his compatriot Emmanuel Dennis for opening the scoring and said his work with Sarr in the early stages of the game helped to build a positive state of mind throughout the team.

“It’s very important as a team to score first and when you get an early goal it motivates everyone, keeps the positive vibes going and everyone keeps pushing,” he said.

“I’m happy for my Nigerian brother [Dennis] and Sarr as well. They did well, you can see they’ve got good pace, they run forward and are direct players.”

Also helping to keep the team happy were the fans, who were permitted to attend a match at Vicarage Road, free from restrictions, for the first time since February 2020.

“It’s a thing of joy because we have gone nearly two years with no fans, but when they are in the stadium they lift up the team. It’s amazing,” he said.