It was ultimately a comfortable and deserved 4-1 victory for Watford over Wycombe Wanderers at London Colney in a game still played in hot sun despite the 11am kick-off.

The Hornets switched to 3-4-3 and deployed Emmanual Dennis through the middle with Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro out wide, although the three did also tend to interchange position.

Kiko Femenia made a brief appearance, starting the game at right wing-back but being replaced after 25 minutes, while there was a first appearance for Rey Manaj as a second-half substitute.

The Albanian striker will certainly upset a few defenders based on this run-out. He’s very combative and happy to mix it with players a fair bit bigger than him – he'll win free kicks and give them away such is his preparedness to chase and grapple even when the odds of getting the ball are against him.

There was no Vakoun Bayo for this one. He was at the training ground working, but didn’t play presumably as a result of the illness he felt after Tuesday’s game.

Having not scored in the previous two friendlies, Watford needed just a couple of minutes to get on the board this time. Pedro sent a raking ball out to the right and Sarr accelerated away before hitting an early cross.

That was only half cleared and Sarr closed down a defender who was trying to shepherd the ball. The pair came close together, Sarr appeared to nick the ball and was then upended. The referee was well placed and pointed to the spot, and the Senegal international sent the keeper the wrong way.

Sarr was keen to stay out wide and Pedro picked him out again in the 28th minute. The full-back had a good couple of yards start but Sarr went past him and then pulled the ball back for Pedro to fire over the top.

As the half wore on, Wycombe started to have some success as they looked to isolate the giant Sam Vokes against anyone other than the equally tall Francisco Sierralta.

The first scare came on the half hour when the ball was hoisted into the Watford box and Bachmann came off his line with a loud shout. Vokes took off and steamed into an aerial challenge with the Watford keeper who did enough to fist the ball away for a corner.

Three minutes later Vokes found space again to meet a cross with a header which Bachmann tipped onto the inside of the post. The ball bounced down and Sierralta was on hand to clear off the line.

Four minutes before the break Ken Sema split the Wycombe defence with a low ball through the middle which Dennis ran onto and hit early, his shot going just wide.

The half ended with Volkes again forcing a save from Bachmann, this time low to his right after the big striker had swivelled and shot from 12 yards.

The Hornets clearly upped the intensity at the start of the second half and almost scored from their first attack. Sarr sprayed the ball out to Kamara on the right, and then took a return pass before flighting a cross that Dennis met perfectly with a header that the Wycombe matched with a fine save.

However, it was 2-0 in the 49th minute. Sierralta got in front of his striker to meet a long ball and head forwards from halfway. Two defenders both seemed to want to leave it to each other, and as they paused Sarr nipped in and rolled the ball past the advancing keeper.

It was 3-0 three minutes later with Dennis starting and finishing the move. His very clever turn midway inside the Wycombe half allowed him to spot the run of Pedro down the left and he measured his pass perfectly. The Brazilian carried the ball into the box and sent in a crossed that was deflected up in the air – Dennis had kept running and was first on the scene to prod the ball home.

Sarr then forced another smart save after bursting into the box, and Dennis ran onto a Sema pass and cut inside before sending a shot over the bar.

Kamara, who again played out on the right flank after Femenia was withdrawn, was the next to threaten as he cut inside onto a pass from Pedro and unleashed a cross-shot that went over the bar.

To their credit, Wycombe emerged from a long stint of defending to pull one back after 69 minutes. It was a decent goal too, Jacobsen sending over a deep cross from the right that Al-Hamadi nodded down for Ryan Tafazolli to sweep home.

Pedro threatened again in the 71st minute when he ended another run from deep with a well-struck shot from the edge of the box that was just too high.

A superb step over from Samuel Kalu created enough space for him to accelerate into the Wycombe box and let fly with a rasping drive that the keeper tipped over at full stretch.

From the resulting Sema corner, Christian Kabasele came in at the back of the six-yard box but headed at the keeper.

Five minutes from time, Watford made it 4-1. William Troost-Ekong dispossessed a striker just outside his own box and played a quick pass into Tom Dele-Bashiru, who surged forward, got to the edge of the visitors’ box and then moved the ball to his right. Manaj shaped as if he was going to shoot but then cleverly dragged the ball back, wrongfooting the keeper and two covering defenders, which allowed Yaser Asprilla to shoot home despite the attempts of a third defender on the line to stop the effort.

Watford: Bachmann; Kabasele, Sierralta, Cathcart; Femenia, Gosling, Kayambe, Sema; Sarr, Dennis, Pedro. Subs: Kamara for Femenia after 25 mins; Okoye for Bachmann at half-time; Troost-Ekong, Kalu and Manaj for Sierralta, Sarr and Dennis after 63 mins; Dele-Bashiru for Gosling after 71 mins; Asprilla for Pedro after 75 mins.