Watford's hopes of a bumper Christmas crop of points took a body-blow at
Vicarage Road.
Everton piled on the agony for Graham Taylor, whose team have now gone 13
games without a win, and claimed their first Premiership win in nine attempts.
Nick Barmby put the Merseysiders on the road to victory with a goal in the
fifth minute, Don Hutchison added a second and David Unsworth sealed the game
from the penalty spot after Michel Ngonge had given the Hornets hope.
To add to Watford's misery, Neil Cox was dismissed in stoppage time,
apparently for arguing with the linesman at the centre of controversy
surrounding Everton's late penalty.
Bookmakers rarely give anything away, even in this season of goodwill, and
Watford fans could have claimed 6-1 against their team starting next season in
the Premiership.
The odds could be longer after another gallant, but ultimately fruitless, home
display.
Their ever-hopeful boss Taylor had greedily asked Santa for 12 points from
four games over the holiday period before out-of-form Everton arrived in
Hertfordshire.
But within five minutes of kicking-off, his players had already spoiled their
manager's Christmas wish.
The shaky Hornets defence, which conceded five on its last Premiership outing
against Wimbledon fell apart at the first sign of attack from Walter Smith's
Toffees.
Barmby drifted in from the right, exchanged neat passes with Don Hutchison and
found himself staring at Alec Chamberlain in the Watford goal.
Chamberlain got a hand to Barmby's low shot but couldn't prevent it rolling in
off the post.
If Watford's defence had been caught cold on a frosty December afternoon, the
attack also spluttered and stalled when they were called into action.
Charlie Miller fired tamely at Paul Gerrard after sweeping move inspired by
Micah Hyde. And Michel Ngonge couldn't find the target with a header from a Paul
Robinson cross.
Everton lasped after the early gift but eased themselves back in control as
the game went on and were dominating the midfield by the time Hutchison pounced
for the second before half-time.
Richard Dunne lifted a long-ball behind Robinson and into the path of the
bustling Kevin Campbell.
The Everton striker whipped an early cross into the goalmouth where Hutchison
beat a static defence to the ball and fired past Chamberlain from close-range.
Chamberlain saved a Campbell piledriver before the break and Watford were
lucky to escape further damage when a John Collins thunderbolt hit Campbell in
the back.
The Hornets showed spirit after the break. Tommy Smith went close with two
snap-shots but wasted a golden chance when Gerrard's attempted clearance hit
Ngonge and fell to him. The Everton keeper saved the weak shot easily.
Watford, far more threatening in the second half, grabbed a lifeline from
Ngonge in the 61st minute.
The Everton back-four failed to deal with a long ball and Watford's leading
scorer pounced on the hesitation rifling home his fifth of the season from the
edge of the area.
The goal lifted the Vicarage Road faithful and prompted Everton boss Smith to
reinforce his defence with the introduction of player-coach Dave Watson.
Steve Palmer saw a long-range effort saved as the Hornets pressed for an
equaliser and Richard Johnson was inches wide with a left-foot volley but the
game was killed off by the penalty decision three minutes from time.
Barmby went to ground under a Mark Williams challenge as he tried to latch
onto a through pass and Wilkie pointed to the spot on the advice of his
linesman. Unsworth crashed the ball home to the delight of the travelling fans.
Cox was sent off in stoppage time, apparently for something he said to the
linesman involved in the penalty controversy.
Teams:
Watford: Chamberlain, Cox, Palmer, Page, Robinson,
Hyde (Foley 88), Williams, Johnson, Miller, Ngonge, Smith.
Subs Not Used: Day, Gibbs, Bakalli, Perpetuini.
Sent Off: Cox (89).
Booked: Johnson, Miller, Robinson.
Goals: Ngonge 60.
Everton: Gerrard, Cleland (Watson 68), Weir, Dunne, Unsworth,
Barmby, Xavier, Collins, Pembridge, Campbell, Hutchison.
Subs Not Used: Ball, Moore, Grant, Simonsen.
Booked: Gerrard.
Goals: Barmby 4, Hutchison 37, Unsworth 86 pen.
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