Tottenham match-winner Rafael van der Vaart admitted Watford probably deserved to go through to the fifth round of the FA Cup in place of his side after producing an impressive performance in Friday night's clash at Vicarage Road.
Van der Vaart netted the only goal of the game in the 42nd minute with a 30-yard drive that beat home goalkeeper Scott Loach, but npower Championship side Watford created enough chances to dump their Barclays Premier League opponents out.
The Hornets struck the Tottenham woodwork on two occasions and visiting goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini performed well to keep out lively striker Marvin Sordell in the second half.
When asked if he was relieved to get the win, Van der Vaart told ESPN: "Yes I think so. I think Watford deserved more, maybe a win because they were the better team tonight.
"Sometimes you have these types of days, the 100% sharpness isn't there and I think it was a difficult game, the pitch was heavy and they played a great game."
Regarding his goal, which Loach may feel he could have done better with, the Dutchman said: "It was a lucky strike but I'm happy with the win."
Van der Vaart also praised team-mate Cudicini, adding: "(He made) great saves. We were under pressure and he did fantastic."
Cudicini was not surprised that Watford gave them such a tough night, saying: "Once you've been in England for a while you know what the FA Cup is about so we knew it was going to be a difficult game."
Asked about his side's chances of going all the way in the cup, the Italian added: "We have a great squad we showed that in Premier League and hopefully we will have a long run in the competition."
Watford manager Sean Dyche told ESPN: "I thought our performance was excellent tonight.
"Sometimes it happens when you don't get your rewards and I think that happened tonight.
"Performances are really important but I'm really gutted we couldn't go through tonight.
"We should have got a draw as a minimum."
