With a match against Premier League title challengers, Liverpool, coming up in a few days time, Super Eagles forward, Isaac Success’ Watford went into beast mode on their way to a 5-1 away demolition of Cardiff City in a league match on Friday night. The match saw Gerard Deulofeu score his first ever hat-trick as the Hornets leapfrogged Wolverhampton Wanderers on the league table with the emphatic win.

Cardiff City missed the opportunity to pull away from the Premier League relegation zone as the met an inspired. Neil Warnock’s side could have moved up to 13th with a win – four points ahead of 18th-placed Southampton who face a difficult trip to Arsenal on Sunday – but were undone by a trio of superb finishes from Watford’s Spanish forward and two more from Troy Deeney.

The Bluebirds – who scored a late consolation through Sol Bamba – were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty at 1-0 down, but they can scarcely have any complaints with the result after barely laying a glove on the Hornets over the 90 minutes. The defeat brings a run of two consecutive wins to an end and means they could end the weekend in the drop zone if the Saints get a point against Arsenal on Sunday, while Javi Gracia’s side temporarily leapfrog Wolves into seventh.

Just two minutes after Ben Foster thwarted an instinctive Oumar Niasse effort, Watford forged ahead. Deeney showed superb persistence to retain the ball on the edge of the penalty area before teeing up Deulofeu, who coolly slotted into Neil Etheridge’s bottom right-hand corner from 20 yards. The Cardiff goalkeeper got down well to palm away Deeney’s powerful drive before the half-hour mark, while the hosts were denied what looked like a certain penalty when Daryl Janmaat brought down Josh Murphy in the area shortly before the interval. Any hopes Cardiff had of getting back into the game were extinguished just after the hour as Deulofeu scored twice in two minutes.

His first came after a surging run from his own half, rounding Etheridge to coolly slot home, and he completed his hat-trick with a sumptuous chip over the Cardiff goalkeeper after Harry Arter had cheaply given the ball away in his own half. The former Barcelona man then turned provider for Watford’s fourth after 73 minutes, teeing up Deeney to slam home from 10 yards before Bamba bundled home from close range eight minutes from time. Gracia’s side had the last say, though, Deeney slotting home from Will Hughes’ pull-back in stoppage time to seal a memorable away win. The match was one of two played on Friday in the Premier League, with the more games set to come over the weekend.

What did you make of Watford’s performance? Will they trouble Liverpool next week?