King leads rampant Watford
This is surely more than half-time, in spite of the cautious verdict of Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd. If not yet home and hosed, the club are a long way down the M4 with a Cardiff final in view.
Three times they ran through the Palace defence in the second half to deliver one of the most emphatic first-leg results in the history of the play-off semi-finals. Sunday Telegraph
Boothroyd's tactical brain storms Palace
The remarkable rise of one of football's brightest young managers looks like continuing as far as the Championship play-off final in a fortnight's time, if not the Premiership next season. Adrian Boothroyd is a studious, besuited 35-year-old bursting with ideas, which included simulating a penalty shoot-out at Vicarage Road after a recent home game. It would now be a surprise if this tie required one on Tuesday, following victory secured here with three second-half goals. Independent on Sunday
King leads the way in ransacking of Palace
It is hard to know who was more staggered by this. Crystal Palace were left punch-drunk by a brutal lesson they had to take on the chin. As for Watford, their superiority was surely beyond the dreams of even those with yellow and red tinted spectacles large enough to out do Elton John.
Watford's fans zigzagged out into the streets around Selhurst Park crooning about promotion and hailing the heroes who are giving them every chance of a place in the Premiership next term. A team who have excelled on the road all season, they did enough here to suggest Tuesday's second leg should be a celebration at Vicarage Road. Football may be full of surprises, but it will take a full-scale miracle for Palace to close this chasm. The Observer
Hornets sting Palace in Play-offs
Crystal Palace are staring at another season in the Coca-Cola Championship after being thrashed 3-0 at home by Watford in their play-off semi-final first leg. With the return at Vicarage Road still to come, the Hornets are virtually certain to progress to the final against either Leeds or Preston thanks to second-half goals from Marlon King, Ashley Young and Matthew Spring.
But Palace have only themselves to blame they will have to overcome such an imposing deficit. Jobi McAnuff, Andrew Johnson and Clinton Morrison all missed first-half chances, allowing Watford to seize the initiative through King's snap-shot, Young's brilliant free-kick and Spring's late solo effort. Sunday Times