The comeback looked well and truly on for Watford.
Manchester United seemed to be coasting at 3-0 but the Hornets were suddenly handed an unlikely lifeline when substitute Troy Deeney converted a penalty with 15 minutes remaining.
The momentum was behind the hosts in a huge way as the end approached but, according to manager Marco Silva, they should have received a better chance of rescuing a point.
Silva insists that United defender Marcos Rojo, whose awkward challenge on Roberto Pereyra in the box resulted in the spot kick, should have received his marching orders from referee Jon Moss.
Having already been booked in the first half, Rojo was fortunate to avoid another yellow for his foul on Pereyra.
And the Watford boss believes his side was hard done by the fact that the Argentine centre-half was allowed to remain on the pitch and see out the game.
“We scored the first goal from a penalty and for me in that moment it was a second yellow card for Marcos Rojo , with 11 against 10 it would be really difficult for them,” Silva said.
“We made it difficult for them because we scored the second goal. Imagine if it was 11 vs 10 at that moment.
“We started to create more problems for them, but then one counter attack from them and we should do different in that moment.”
An Abdoulaye Doucure strike with six minutes remaining set up a dramatic finish but a wondergoal from United’s Jesse Lingard made the scoreline 4-2 and the three points were in the bag for the visitors.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho maintains that his team was in complete control of the game and that they should have scored more, which is an assertion that Silva did not agree with.
“I think it seems harsh [Jose’s comments] for everyone. It’s Jose’s opinion. I didn’t see the same game,” Silva said.
“It was a hard result. I believe we started very well, the first 20 minutes. We controlled our opponent well, and played in the final third. At that point, it is finely balanced and we had two or three dangerous crosses.
“We controlled things well, but the first time they went in our box the details started to change things. They went in our box three times and scored three times. No one expected these things to happen, but we knew before the game Manchester United are strong on the counterattack.
“We have to be sure and balanced and solve any problems, and after the first goal our players got a bit nervous. That’s not normal for us. The third goal is a good example; we could have cleared it two or three times and made simple mistakes. With 30-35 minutes on the clock, it’s not easy then before half-time because of the scoreline. Richarlison could have scored just before half-time, I told the players it’s not our style, there were a lot of mistakes after the first goal. We had to do everything different, and at 3-0 we needed to go out, play our game and forget the scoreline.”
