Watford Women missed a second-half penalty as they went out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat away at Oxford United.

Coral Haines saw her spot-kick 12 minutes from time saved by Oxford keeper Paris Sercombe and with that went the hopes of staying in the competition.

It was the Hornets who made the early running as Flo Fyfe forced Sercombe into a save inside the first five minutes and then Sophie McLean sent a shot narrowly wide.

Zoe Barratt had the home side’s first chance of the game when she fired over the top just before the 20-minute mark.

Dre Georgiou sent a shot over the bar before Nic Gibson crossed for Leah Burridge to send a header too high for the hosts.

Sercombe made another good save shortly after, pushing away a powerful header from Anna Filbey after she met a Haines corner.

The U’s keeper may have had a lucky escape five minutes into the second half when she appeared to bring down Jessie Gale in the box but Watford’s penalty appeals were waved away.

The home side made the most of their good fortune to grab the game’s only goal in the 70th minute when Vitallia Budaieva scored from close range.

Eight minutes later Watford were presented with a chance to level things up when a handball in the box saw them awarded a penalty, but Sercombe dived away to her right to keep out Haines’ effort from the spot.

The Oxford keeper then preserved her side’s winning advantage in the closing stages, first doing well to gather a powerful cross from substitute Bianca Baptiste and then tipping away Gemma Davison’s curling effort right at the death.

Watford: O’Sullivan; Filbey, Meiwald, Chandler, McLean, Rossiter (Davison 86), Georgiou, Haines, Head (Perry 56), Fyfe (Hall 81), Gale (Baptiste 81). Unused subs: Goldsmid, Hind, Mehmet