In a season which has so far been characterised by desolation and exasperation, the Carabao Cup had the potential to be a shining light during a gravely gloomy spell for Watford. No wins in the Premier League contrasted with the duo of victories in England's secondary cup competition to raise hopes of a silver lining, perhaps a second major final for the club in as many years.
But, like the majority of occurrences in Hertfordshire in 2019/20 thus far, those ambitions were once again rather abruptly consigned to the past, and the sense of doom at what this campaign may behold for the Hornets returned to the fore.
A bitterly cold night at Goodison Park saw hosts Everton stroll to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Watford thanks to second-half strikes from Mason Holgate and former Hornet Richarlison, a result which earns the Toffees a place in the quarter-final draw, and for the visitors allows attention to be allocated entirely to their league exertions until the induction of first-tier teams into the FA Cup in January.
Certainly, focus will be required to lift the team from their lowly position at the very foot of the table before perturbations caused by the prospect of relegation reach boiling point.
After defeating lower league outfits Coventry City and Swansea City to reach this stage, head coach Quique Sánchez Flores believes opposition of Everton's calibre posed a far greater technical challenge to his team, but that the game was ultimately won by the more determined, stout-hearted side on the night.
"We knew this would be a tough match, playing away against a tough team with very good players and many fans," he admitted. "I think we looked well for a long period during the match, with a very good shape and defending well, not creating spaces for our opponents, but in the second half they pushed more and tried to score."
Fringe players earn minutes
Despite the result, Sánchez Flores takes a number of positives from the trip to the north west, not least the involvement of certain members of the squad who have struggled to stake their claims in the first team in recent weeks.
Veteran goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes started between the sticks, there were places for Sebastian Prödl and the long-serving Adrian Mariappa at centre-back, Dimitri Foulquier earned a rare start, and so did promising midfielder Domingos Quina who in fact made his full league debut for Watford at Goodison Park in December of last year.
"For me, it was important to see Quina, to see Prödl, to see Foulquier, to see many players who are all part of the squad but are not playing too many minutes. If we had been able to win then perfect, but now we need to set for the next match at the weekend."
Now the best part of two months into his second stint at Vicarage Road, Sánchez Flores appears to have settled both on a formation and a favourable starting eleven. It's taken time, but there is evidently a growing comfort amongst the squad with the 5-3-2 shape he has decided to deploy.
However, with a hectic set of festive fixtures approaching, and a list of absentees which only appears to grow exponentially with each passing week, the 54-year old insists the whole squad will need to be prepared to step in and help the team lift themselves from the bottom of the standings.
"We need all of them, in our situation we need all of them," the Spaniard asserted. "They are involved, they are working hard and pushing during the week. We need to be fair with these players and put in the players we think deserve to play.
"If it had been enough to win against Everton, okay; if not, okay — we go for the next match. The players got some confidence for the future and they will need that."
Concerns in attack
When Sánchez Flores returned to Watford in September, it was defence which was being condemned as the reason for their lowly league position. Eight goals conceded in the opening four matches arguably flattered the bizarre chaos which ensued amongst the back line, and it has been reported as a large factor leading to the dismissal of previous head coach Javi Gracia.
Excluding a quite remarkable blip against a rampant Manchester City side, there can be no denying that the Hornets have been shored up defensively since the arrival of new management, the caveat being that now a new and glaring issue has emerged at the other end of the pitch.
Injuries to potential goalscorers such as Danny Welbeck and captain Troy Deeney are unfortunate, but a mere three goals in six league games under Sánchez Flores would make for meagre reading for any side, and it's an aspect of performance which will need to be drastically strengthened if Watford are to advance up the table.
"I think our limitations come from our positions in the last third, because we have opportunities to finalise plays, not concede counter-attacks, even to try to finish our own counter-attacks. I know we have quality in these positions but I can understand because it's a long time since we won, a long time since we scored, so I understand how the players are under pressure."
The substitutions conducted by the head coach against Everton have been called into question — particularly the decision to remove current first-choice penalty taker Roberto Pereyra from the field with the game deadlocked heading into the final 20 minutes — but he insists these, as well as the team selection as a whole, was a factor of necessity rather than preference or tactical consideration.
Watford host Chelsea at the weekend, opposition which are increasingly daunting given their form in recent weeks, and Sánchez Flores is resolutely intent on making sure his side are fully prepared for what will be in any event a must-not-lose affair for the hosts at Vicarage Road.
"We have a match on Saturday, so we had to change amazing players who are giving us a lot and creating situations not anyone can do," he said. "But we needed to change the line up because in four days we have a final again and this is our priority. We need to win every single match we play."