Watford boss Javi Gracia was pleased with the effort of his players for their FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace.

If one moment during a predictably tight quarter-final underlined the qualities Gracia has instilled in his squad, it came at the end of the first half when Gerard Deulofeu uncharacteristically sprinted back to help out defensively and beat James McArthur in a challenge in the left-back area.

Gracia said: “I think it's our strength, our solidarity, our behaviour as a team. We need to play as a team, always as a team. If we play as a team we are stronger than them and we can achieve important things for the club. If we don't do it we don't have any chance.

“Gerard sprints and defends in that situation it was very important because it shows the character of the team and the ambition of the team. All of them have high commitment and want to help the team.

“During the game Tom Cleverley played some minutes, Andre (Gray) played some minutes and all of them showed their quality and their ambition. They are proud to belong to this team."