Both teams have felt a sense of injustice in recent days, but it was Hayden Mullins ruing his ill-fortune last night. The midfield player saw the ball rebound off his shin into his own goal to give Watford a place in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, ending a dreadful day for West Ham United, who had learnt in the morning that they would face a substantial compensation bill from Sheffield United.

While West Ham were in a state of shock after the legal verdict over the Carlos Tévez affair, Watford were still stunned by Stuart Attwell’s decision to award a “phantom goal” to Reading during their 2-2 draw on Saturday. The luck of Adrian Boothroyd, the Watford manager, turned midway through the second half, however. Lee Williamson’s free kick from the right wing evaded Jan Lastuvka’s attempt to punch clear and the ball struck Mullins and rolled over the line. “I am thrilled with the result; we rode our luck at times,” Boothroyd said.

Watford’s indifferent start to the season owes something to Boothroyd’s decision to move away from the long-ball game. “When we get it right, it looks wonderful, but when we don’t, it can look awful,” he said. The Coca-Cola Championship side endured a frantic final five minutes with ten men after Jay DeMerit, the defender, hobbled off injured, with three substitutes having been used. Matthew Upson, the West Ham defender, headed on to the bar late on.

Gianfranco Zola’s influence was evident, with West Ham passing the ball better through midfield, but without his three main strikers, Freddie Sears struggled to adapt as a lone forward. Their best moment before Upson’s header nearly forced extra time came when Scott Loach, the Watford goalkeeper, tipped over Luís Boa Morte’s drive from the edge of the area.

“It won’t change our positive attitude,” Zola, the new manager, said. “To improve, we need to go through difficult times. I wanted to get angry, but they tried their best.”

Watford (4-4-2): S Loach — A Mariappa, L Bromby, J DeMerit, J Parkes — R Jenkins, A Bangura, L Williamson (sub: D Bennett, 71min), L Ainsworth — T Smith (sub: J Harley, 70), W Hoskins (sub: L Young, 80). Substitutes not used: R Lee, J Eustace, C Avinel, E Oshodi. Booked: Jenkins.

West Ham United (4-3-3): J Lastuvka — J Faubert, L Neill, M Upson, W López — M Noble, H Mullins, L Boa Morte (sub: S Parker, 62) — D Di Michele (sub: K Reid, 71), F Sears, M Etherington. Substitutes not used; R Green, H Ilunga, V Behrami, J Collison, J Stanislas.

Referee: P Walton.

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