90 min +4: Some head tennis in the United area. Ighalo, on the penalty spot, hits a shot on the swivel, but it’s straight at De Gea, who knows a thing or two about positioning. What a quietly effective goalkeeping performance from the United keeper!

90 min +2: There will be four added minutes. The first couple have been taken up by United celebrations, and Watford wandering around in a stunned fashion.

89 min: Memphis makes trouble down the left to earn a corner for United. From which ...

84 min: Watford are pressing forward, but United rob the ball and break down the other end. Blind, on the left, lofts a gorgeous pass down the middle for Lingard. Gomes has rushed out to the edge of his area, rashly so. He’s open to the lob. Lingard goes for it, but doesn’t get any elevation on the effort, and the ball lands softly in Gomes’s relieved arms. That should have sealed it for United.

82 min: Young is down getting treatment, having possibly injured himself while clattering into Ake a couple of minutes ago. It might be a concussion issue, as the physio is doing that thing with his fingers. Ah he’s back up, though he is blinking quite a lot. The Watford fans not particularly happy at the long break in play, with time against them.

79 min: Memphis fails to take advantage of a long hoof down the left which had released him into acres of space. He’s overly ponderous, and a chance to put the game away is spurned. Mata is then replaced by the 19-year-old Belgian-born Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira.

77 min: Ake looks to break down the left. Young hangs a leg out, and as Ake goes over it, he holds his arms up in apology. Having just been booked, that could have been costly for Young, but Ake rather sportingly made nothing of it. The Watford man was impeded there, so he’d have been within his rights.

76 min: Lingard was booked a couple of minutes ago for failing to get out of the way at a quick Watford free kick. Apparently.

75 min: Ighalo cushions a long ball down for Deeney, on the edge of the United box. Deeney hits a pearler towards goal, but straight down De Gea’s throat. Either side of the keeper, and that was bursting the net.

74 min: It’s end-to-end entertainment. Abdi curls one in from the left. The ball twangs off Schneiderlin’s back and into the arms of De Gea. United go up the other end, Lingard pressurising Watson into clumsily conceding a corner kick. Watford break upfield from the set piece through Paredes, whose refusal to give up possession as he powers down the left forces Young into a cynical trip. He’s rightfully booked.

71 min: Ighalo backflicks down the inside-left channel to release Capoue into the United box. He can’t get a shot away. The ball breaks to Abdi, level with the left-hand post, 12 yards out. He hammers a low shot through a thicket of players and towards the bottom left. De Gea tips round the post with his fingertips, at full stretch. A simply astonishing save. The corner comes to nothing. Watford so close to levelling things there.

69 min: Both sides make a change. Nyom is replaced by Paredes, while Jones - who looks to have picked up a foot injury - makes way for McNair.

68 min: Watson cynically clips Young’s ankles as the former Watford man goes down the right wing. That’s the first booking of the match.

67 min: But 2-0 would be even better, of course. Lingard robs Anya down the right. He slips the ball inside for Mata, who shuttles it further on to Memphis on the left-hand edge of the Watford D. Memphis looks to scoop a curler into the top right, but it’s well wide of the post.

65 min: A bit of a lull. Watford enjoying a little more possession, but not doing a great deal with it. United quite happy to sit back and let them go nowhere. Louis van Gaal, one senses, would be beside himself with happiness if this ends 1-0, a job done with clinical ease.

62 min: Watford are right back in this game now. Capoue nutmegs Lingard down the left. He shuttles the ball inside for Ighalo, who scoops back down the flank for Ake. Smalling is across quickly to batter the ball out of play, just before the left back can tear into acres of space.

59 min: A corner for Watford down the right this time. It’s whipped into the six-yard box, where Ighalo tries to swivel the ball home. But Rojo - who had conceded the set piece - stands firm to block and clear. Meanwhile let’s put some meat on the bones of Martin Stannard’s half-time report from China, courtesy of the Guardian’s Asian Big Cup Hot Stamping Action correspondent (and guardian.com sports editor) James Dart:

56 min: Then again, one goal and Watford are right back in this. Ake makes off down the left. His low cross is cushioned by Ighalo to Deeney, on the edge of the box. Deeney blooters a fine rising shot goalwards, but it’s straight at De Gea, who can tip over the bar. The corner is a waste of everyone’s time, but that’s much better from the home side.

55 min: Corner for United down the right. Mata swings it to the near post, where Schweinsteiger, the Teddy Sheringham de nos jours, attempts to flick on. He gets too much on the ball, and clanks it out of play to the right of goal. But Watford are living dangerously here.

53 min: Watford can’t get out. United press them back, knocking the ball hither and yon. Eventually Memphis, cutting in from the left, attempts a shot from the edge of the box. It nearly goes out for a throw on the far side. You can’t win ‘em all. Meanwhile here’s a bit of movie trivia from Steven Wyatt: “In that clip from Casablanca, the teary blonde shouting Vive la France! is the actress Madeleine LeBeau, who had to flee Paris with her Jewish husband in 1940. So she isn’t acting.”

51 min: More fluid United movement, this time down the right. Mata feeds the ball inside for Jones, of all people. His attempted snapshot is blocked at source, and wafts gently into the arms of Gomes.

50 min: Anya has his first run down the right wing. He hooks a ball into the box, but De Gea claims easily enough.

49 min: From the best part of 30 yards, Schweinsteiger looks to launch one into the top left. Nope! But his side have started the half strongly.

48 min: As is the next one United win, after some pretty triangulation down the left, with the lively Memphis very much at the centre of it all.

47 min: Capoue gives the ball away in the midfield to Memphis, who briefly considers attempting to lob Gomes from distance. Instead he slides the ball left to Lingard, who is free on the edge of the box. He shoots hard and low towards the bottom left, Gomes saving brilliantly, tipping around the post. The corner’s a non-event.

Half-time nostalgia: Manchester United haven’t always been the most glamorous team in English football.

44 min: And now Gomes shanks a clearance straight to Memphis, and is very lucky the United striker doesn’t engage his brain with options to cause a light-at-the-back Watford a lot of problems. This is very sloppy from the home side.

43 min: Britos follows a long United punt back to his own box. Gomes comes out to meet it too. Lingard very nearly nips in between them. For a team that don’t concede too often, Watford have been a dithering mess at the back so far today. United could easily have had a couple more.

42 min: It’s momentarily descended into scrappy nonsense, this.

40 min: Memphis comes in from the left, and creams a right-footed shot towards the bottom left. The ball bounces just in front of Gomes, forcing him to parry round the post for the purposes of safety. United’s corner, played miles back down the wing, is too clever for its own good. But all in all, they’re looking pretty dangerous today.

38 min: Blind loops a cross in from the left. Mata tries to flick the ball into space for himself down the left channel, but it balloons off Watson and back to Gomes.

36 min: Brilliant work from Nyom, who claims a throw on the right touchline before the ball goes out of play. Blind stops, but Nyom traps the ball on the line, then races off with it. He whips a cross into the middle for Deeney, but Jones heads clear. Capoue lashes wildly over from 25 yards. Much better from Watford.

34 min: Deeney is fairly fortunate to escape a booking after a studs-up contribution to a 50-50 ball with Rojo. It was clumsy rather than malicious, and the referee makes do with a bit of finger wagging.

32 min: Young works hard down the right to earn a corner out of not very much. Mata curls one to the near post. Schweinsteiger flicks it on, and having beaten Gomes it looks like going in, but Deeney hooks it off the line. So close to a second for United.

30 min: Rojo isn’t up to speed yet, and some poor control allows Deeney to scamper off down the right. He’s ushering the ball out for a corner, but it hits the flagstick and stays in play, forcing him to play a pass, and allowing Rojo to redeem himself with a block that earns a goal kick.

29 min: Ighalo is sprung into a little space down the left, but United have held the sort of line George Graham, Steve Bould and Tony Adams would be proud of, and the flag goes up for offside. Watford are doing absolutely nothing in attack.

27 min: Nyom has got his clumsy boots on today. Now he pointlessly bundles over Memphis down by the left-hand corner flag. The United attacker was going nowhere. So this is effectively a corner. A high ball into the box isn’t cleared properly, and Schneiderlin tries a dipping, screeching volley from the right-hand side of the D. It’s over the bar, but not by much.

25 min: Herrera pulled up while chasing Anya down the left wing. Not at much speed, it has to be said. But it is very cold. He’s replaced by Rojo. United look like they’re going to go three at the back, with Young and Blind as wing-backs. They were totally on top, so it’ll be interesting to see how an elaborate change of playing system will affect them.

24 min: Herrera is down on the turf, holding his hamstring and shaking his head. It doesn’t look as though he’ll be able to continue.

21 min: The set piece is a pointless nonsense. The ball goes back to Young, on the halfway line. He steps on the ball like Gerry Young in the 1966 FA Cup final, allowing Deeney to tear free down the left. Watford are two on one! But Deeney’s pass inside to Ighalo is behind his partner, allowing Smalling to get back to cover. Ighalo twists gorgeously to make a bit of space on the right, but then slices his shot miles right of the post. Watford should have at least forced a wonder save from David De Gea. But nothing.

20 min: Schweinsteiger switches play to the right wing for Young, who whips one to the near post. Cathcart steps in ahead of Memphis to head out for a corner.

18 min: Blind makes a bit of space for himself down the left, and swings a low cross into the area. It’s only half cleared by Britos, and falls to the feet of Mata on the penalty spot. Fortunately for Watford, the ball clanks between Mata’s boots, and he can’t dig it out for a shot. Cathcart hoicks clear.

17 min: United pass it around the back awhile, and over-elaborate, Smalling knocking the ball out of play on the Watford left. A chance for the home side to put a little pressure on the visitors, but the throw goes back up the flank and possession’s lost quickly enough. Watford look very unsure of themselves at the moment.

15 min: Nyon glides inside from the right, but his curling cross is easily cleared by Smalling. Lingard, breaking quickly, should send Mata scampering free into the Watford half down the left, but his pass is overcooked, and the danger is over.

13 min: That goal was no more than United deserved after a crisp start. They’ve been in complete control of this game so far. And as things stand, they’ll be going top of the Premier League table, for a couple of hours at least.

8 min: Deeney picks up a loose Schneiderlin pass in the middle of the park and feeds Ighalo, who freezes 25 yards from goal. It is fairly nippy. United rob the ball off him and go up the other end through Young down the right. Young - who returns to his old club for the first time since being sold to Aston Villa nine years ago - hoicks a cross miles over the bar.

6 min: This is all United right now. They’re pressing hard up front, and stroking it around calmly at the back. Watford are struggling to get a feel of the ball in the early exchanges.

4 min: Memphis, cutting in from the left, nearly finds Mata at the far post. Watford half clear. Herrera knocks it back into the box. Nyom then slices an appalling clearance back over his head and over the bar. Gomes had come out to claim. That could have been super-embarrassing. It’s bad enough that Nyom’s given away a corner in such a ludicrous fashion. But the set piece is dealt with easily enough. Not the most solid of starts from the home team.

2 min: United start very fast. Jones feeds Lingard down the inside-right channel, but the young man miscontrols instead of breaking free into the box. The ball is recycled, and Mata scoots down the right. His low cross should be met by Memphis at the near post, but he’s mistimed his run. Lingard tries to meet the ball in the middle, but can’t connect. On another day, United would be leading. Attack, attack, attack attack attack? It looks like United are planning to do just that.

The teams are out! Watford in their vivid yellow shirts and black shorts, Manchester United in their famous red shirts with white shorts. We’ll be off soon, but first the players mingle in the centre circle for minute to reflect on last week’s dreadful events in Paris, and a rendition of one of the most defiant musical statements of all.

Quique Sanchez Flores talks! “It is amazing to play every time here at Vicarage Road, because our fans support the style we are trying to play, and I am very happy. We have to improve always. We have been training together for four months, and are on the right road. I have made a change today because sometimes players come in tired after the international break. I respect Louis van Gaal, so United are gong to be very tough. We will have to be at our best to win today.”

Louis van Gaal speaks on subjects various. “Paris was a tragic event, and we spoke about that. Can you play or not? Can you focus or not? Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger said they could focus, so that was that ... I don’t have many options this weekend, so it is not easy for me. It is difficult. You will have to look to see how we play! [Massive cheeky grin] ... I am very happy if Memphis scores. It will give him a big boost. I hope he scores. But it doesn’t matter who is scoring. Manchester has to score.”

Watford make a single change to the team that went down 2-1 at Leicester City a fortnight ago. José Manuel Jurado comes in for Nathan Aké, who drops to the bench.

Manchester United meanwhile make four changes to the side that started their 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. Phil Jones, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and Memphis Depay come in for Marcos Rojo, a sub today, the injured Michael Carrick and Anthony Martial, and the ill Wayne Rooney.