Everton boss Marco Silva pointed the finger at the Watford boardroom for the hostile atmosphere he experienced on Saturday.

Watford's pre-match playlist was a series of naked digs at their ex-manager – Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way , Bon Jovi's You Give Love A Bad Name and, right between the eyes, Al Wilson's The Snake.

Silva suspects the “strategy" to unsettle him came from beyond the dressing room and Hornets captain Troy Deeney's unguarded remarks at a fans' forum.

He said: “They prepared the music? It was clear, the strategy during the week was not a players' or manager's strategy.

“It was a good strategy to create something to get everyone going. But people who know me know how serious I was when I worked here. They know the truth and that's important to me."