TOMMY SMITH felt Watford's failure to make hay during their best spell of the game just after half-time cost them the chance of reaching Wembley on Saturday.

Trailing 2-1 after Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo had scored either side of a strike from Hameur Bouazza, the Hornets came out with all guns blazing at the start of the second half, pinning United in their own half with a series of well-constructed attacks.

But they failed to find the equaliser and were made to pay when Rooney scored with United's first attempt on goal of the second period.

"We are bitterly disappointed, the scoreline flattered them a little bit," said Smith.

"At 2-1 at the start of the second half we had them on the rack and that is great credit to us. We had a few half chances and we felt fairly comfortable at that point.

"If we had of got a goal then it may have been a different game. But we gave away a soft third goal that we are disappointed with. It could easily have gone the other way at that point."

Added the winger, who was asked to patrol the left flank: "We weren't quite at it in the first half as we were in the second half and it took their goal to get us going, really. We got a good goal back but to concede straight away was disappointing."

Rooney was the outstanding player on the pitch and his desire was evidenced in the build up to the second goal when he beat both Smith and Jordan Stewart to a bouncing ball and raced clear before teeing up Ronaldo.

"It was bouncing, Jordan went up for it but Wayne just had the run on him and was in from there on in," explained Smith. "We'll look at that and see what we could have done differently."