Saturday 10 December 2016 17:44, UK
Walter Mazzarri hailed Stefano Okaka's match-winning performance as Watford ended a two-game losing streak with victory over Everton.
The Hornets overcame Romelu Lukaku's 17th-minute opener at Vicarage Road thanks to a double from Okaka, which came either side of a first goal of the season for Sebastian Prodl.
And Italian Mazzarri was pleased to see his compatriot finally make his mark in their 3-2 victory.
"I've known Okaka since he was very young at Roma," the Watford boss said.
"He was a great talent then, so when we had the opportunity to sign him we took it. He's perfect for the Premier League.
"He doesn't only help himself, he helps his team-mates to play football and to score.
"It was great movement and the whole play that led to his first goal we have been practising all week. Okaka then did what only important players can do."
Watford's first victory over Everton since 1987 moved the Hornets up to seventh in the Premier League, leapfrogging Ronald Koeman's side, who have won just one of their last 11 games in all competitions.
"I'm very happy because even though they managed to score with the first chance they had we showed great character as a team and we managed to beat a very good team like Everton," Mazzarri added.
"I also want to thank all the fans because they were incredible, not only for the banner they did for me ahead of the game but also when we were losing they were still chanting. This is very important.
"It was an extremely important win because we came into this one after losing two games we didn't deserve to lose."
