Watford Women overcome early scare to reach Fourth Round

That burst of goals included a hat-trick for Laila Harbert, who also had a fourth ruled out for offside.

The Hornets dominated their hosts – who play two leagues lower – for most of the game but found Southampton keeper Grace Jenman in outstanding form.

Not only did she keep the Hornets out until first-half stoppage time, she then produced another string of fine saves in the second period to prevent a much larger scoreline.

With Watford thwarted at one end despite piling on so much pressure, they then found themselves a goal down as Southampton hit them with a classic sucker punch on the break.

Had the home side taken that lead into the interval things may have turned out differently, but striker Michelle Agyemang – making her first appearance since September 3 after suffering a knee injury – levelled things up in stoppage time.

Again, if Southampton had retained parity in the second half then they may have tested Watford, but once Poppy Wilson headed the Golden Girls 2-1 in front two minutes after the restart then it was largely one-way traffic and the goals began to flow.

It was just the tonic Watford needed after a testing period in the Championship, and it gave them their first win since a 3-2 away success at Charlton on September 10.

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They now head into the Fourth Round for the first time since the 2019/20 season, when they beat Plymouth in the Third Round before going out away at Sunderland in the Fourth Round.

The last time Watford went beyond the Fourth Round was in 2014/15, when wins over Brighton (Third Round) and Keynsham Town (Fourth Round) earned them a trip to Chelsea in the Fifth Round, where they lost 6-0.

The start of the game at the Test Park Sports Ground in Southampton was delayed by more than an hour as the match officials were concerned about an area of standing water on the pitch after days of heavy rain.

When the game did get under it was Watford that made the running, and after only five minutes Flo Fyfe saw her shot tipped onto the bar by home keeper Grace Jenman, who then held an effort by Coral Haines.

Agyemang then fired wide before Jenman was called into action, gathering Anne Meiwald’s first-time shot from a corner.

It continued to be one-way traffic and Jenman remained resolute in the Southampton goal, saving first from Agyemang and then from Laila Harbert.

So it came totally against the run of play when the home side took the lead after 36 minutes, Britt Jeal being played in on the edge of the box and firing home.

Then it was back to more Watford pressure as Corinne Henson’s strike from the edge of the area was again saved by Jenman, before Haines swung over a free kick that Sophie McLean headed wide.

The home side were trying to survive the storm and get through to half-time but, a minute into stoppage time, Agyemang pounced on a loose ball in the area after a scramble and fired home to bring Watford level at 1-1.

Poppy Wilson heads Watford 2-1 up. (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

Having been frustrated for much of the first half, Watford got in front quickly in the second period and never looked back.

Two minutes after the restart substitute Gemma Davison floated over a cross from the right and Wilson rose to head home her first goal since May’s Play-Off Final.

Agyemang sent a shot wide and Wilson forced yet another good save from keeper Jenman before Watford went 3-1 up in the 58th minute as Harbert scored her first for the club by beating Jenman at her near post.

Ten minutes later it was Harbert who then netted again to put the game out of Southampton’s reach, showing a cool head in a crowded penalty area to slot home.

Jenman continued to keep the score down with a number of further good saves, blocking at the feet of substitute Carly Johns and then keeping out a fierce shot from Davison.

Michelle Agyemang returned from a long injury lay-off to score Watford's equaliser. (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

When the keeper was beaten, the woodwork came to her rescue as, in the 82nd minute, Johns swivelled and sent a shot against the bar.

Harbert was denied a hat-trick two minutes later by the linesman’s flag, but in the 85th minute Watford went 5-1 up when Coral Haines converted a cross from Bianca Baptiste.

And then, three minutes into stoppage time, the hat-trick did arrive for Harbert as the 16-year-old coolly beat the outstanding Jenman with a low finish to complete what was ultimately a comfortable 6-1 victory.

Watford: Goldsmid; Meiwald, McLean (Johns ht), Agyemang (Head 77), Georgiou (Palisch 77), Harbert, Wilson, Fyfe (Baptiste 69), Haines, Reid, Henson (Davison ht). Subs not used: Lafayette, Fleming, Bennett, Chandler