Premier League Fulham began their FA Cup campaign with a dominant victory against second-tier Watford to seal a fourth-round spot.
Barring a short-lived Watford fightback after Rocco Vata netted a stunning equaliser from around 30 yards to cancel out Rodrigo Muniz’ 26th-minute opener, the balance always seemed to be in home side’s favour.
Fulham had the bulk of the possession and far more promising chances as they mostly kept their Championship opponents penned back inside their own half.
Striker Raul Jimenez was introduced at half-time and swiftly restored the hosts’ lead, firing into the top corner from the penalty spot after Adama Traore was brought down near the edge of the box.
Defender Joachim Andersen extended their advantage with an excellent finish from a corner, rifling past Jonathan Bond on the volley after his initial effort was blocked.
Fulham were rampant and netted a fourth goal with five minutes left to cap off a confident performance when Timothy Castagne nodded home Martial Godo’s cross.
Watford just could not deal with the constant pressure as they suffered their eighth successive game without a clean sheet as Fulham claimed a deserved place in Sunday’s fourth-round draw.
Their consolation goal was an outstanding piece of individual quality from 19-year-old Vata, who turned just inside the Fulham half, sprinted forward and sent a powerful drive into the top corner which keeper Steven Benda had little chance of saving.
The equaliser was one of only two shots on target mustered by Watford from their five shots overall, a statistic which paled in comparison to Fulham’s eight on target from 27 shots.
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