Hornets may have sting in the tail: Lewington

Paul Walker

His battling Championship side frustrated their Anfield hosts for long periods and restricted Rafael Benitez’s side to a goal from Steven Gerrard via the head of Hornets defender Neil Cox.

“We have an outstanding chance of reaching the final because our place is not an easy ground for visitors,” said Lewington.

“It is not as good a pitch and we will go for the win from the start, they will find it very tough in the second game. Before last night’s game we would have been happy to accept a 1-0 defeat, but after watching it I felt we deserved a draw at least.

“We may not be able to get as big a crowd into Vicarage Road as they had at Anfield, but our fans can create a very hostile atmosphere. We still have a great chance of reaching the final.”

Lewington singled out skipper Gavin Mahon for the way he restricted England midfielder Gerrard on the night.

“Mahon was the best player on the pitch. He won so many tackles in midfield and I am struggling to think of anything he did wrong,” the manager added.

“He led by example but we played well on all fronts. The game only changed when they brought Baros on. He has such pace and ability that he causes problems and I am pleased that he didn’t start the match.”

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has also warned his players they will have to be strong to survive in the second leg as Watford could still grab a place in the final.

The Spanish boss said: “They have already beaten Premiership teams on their own ground, so we know how difficult it will be there,” said Benitez.

The former Valencia boss is gradually moulding Liverpool into the side he wants them to be but even a coach who was won two Spanish league titles said he is still learning, especially now he is in a foreign country.

“Watford started the game thinking about not conceding a lot of goals, but after they had seen that they were doing okay and we were not playing well, they felt able to try to score themselves and they made it very hard for us at times,” he said.

“I was very impressed with them. We know it is going to be difficult now (in the second leg) and I have discovered that such games are always difficult in England.”