Watford deserved a draw at Everton, says boss Walter Mazzarri

Walter Mazzarri believes his Watford side did enough to earn a draw in their 1-0 loss at Everton on Friday night.

Ross Barkley's second-half strike was enough to separate the sides and the result means Watford's Premier League status for next year is yet to be confirmed.

The Hornets remain on 40 points following a fourth straight loss, but Swansea and Hull must both win this weekend to keep Watford in the mix for the drop.

And while Watford could not get the point required to end their relegation fears, Mazzarri says his players should have come away from Goodsion Park with at least a draw.

"Very unlucky, very unfortunate. We didn't deserve to lose, we deserved at least a draw. In the first half and before their first goal we had chances with [Daryl] Janmaat and [Troy] Deeney, but the ball didn't go in," Mazzarri told Sky Sports after the game.

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"Everton after the break they had one shot and one goal, so I'm very happy with the way my team played."

As Mazzarri suggested, Watford came close to scoring through Janmaat and Deeney, though it was their own goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes who was the busier of the two on Friday.

Gomes denied Barkley, Tom Davies and Phil Jagielka in the first half, though arguably should have done better for the winning goal in the 56th minute.

However, Mazzarri was pleased with the performance, and following a season marred by numerous injuries to his players, the Watford boss joked after Christian Kabasele was hauled off with a thigh problem in the first half.

"Today actually went well because usually I lose two players a game. But I don't know, until now it went well, let's see tomorrow if we lose a few more players," Mazzarri added.