Watford captain Troy Deeney has revealed that scoring late on in the 3-2 win over Aston Villa was an 'emotional' feeling.

Deeney, a fan of Villa's local rivals Birmingham City, was released from Villa's academy a decade ago, and he returned to haunt the side by scoring his fourth goal in the last five games late on to ensure victory at Villa Park on Saturday.

The 27-year-old admitted that he got caught up in the emotion of the moment in his celebration, for which he was booked for over-exuberance, but he insisted that he was merely reacting to the home fans' treatment of him throughout the game.

"I cannot explain how good that was," he told BBC Sport. "Their fans gave me stick all the way through, which lets me know that I am doing something right.

"It was a tough game and we showed real character. They rallied to come back but we got those two goals. These are games we have to win against teams that are in and around us, it is a massive three points. We pressed hard up the pitch and managed the game well."

"I slid on my knees [in celebration], everyone does that. It is football, we get caught up in the emotion. I do not think I offended anyone. You should have heard what the crowd were saying to me, but I am thick skinned and can take it and am more interested in taking three points."

The victory lifted Watford up to 11th in the Premier League table and left Villa rock bottom and seven points adrift of safety.