In the Watford boardroom, this victory must have been infused by the sweet scent of retribution. This club were riding high in the top half of the Premier League and troubling the top six when Everton took a sledgehammer to their forward momentum by pursuing then manager Marco Silva so vigorously.
Since then, these two teams have, in many ways, seen their seasons defined by the Silva episode and this was another afternoon where the Portuguese coach's shadow loomed large.
The pursuit of Silva reached the point where a £15m compensation package was rejected. Instead, Everton turned to Sam Allardyce and toil in an uneasy marriage of convenience, while Watford's form fell off a cliff and they are now adapting to life under Javi Gracia, their eight manager in less than four years.