COVENTRY City completed a superb second half comeback at Vicarage Road to record their first win over Watford in five games.
Sammy Clingan's superb 13th minute strike gave Chris Coleman's side the lead but Watford came back with goals from Nathan Cleverley and Will Hoskins to give them a half-time advantage.
But a Leon Best double wrapped up the points for the Sky Blues in a topsy turvy game which was not short on either drama or excitement.
Watford were almost a goal up inside the first few seconds when an early corner from Cleverly found club top scorer Danny Graham who touched a half volley over the bar from inside the six yard box.
Michael McIndoe very nearly gave City the lead after six minutes though, his free kick from 20 yards curling around the outside of the Watford wall and almost beating Scott Loach at his far post, the Hornets 'keeper forced to make a good save.
Young Coventry full back Jordan Clarke got an effort on goal a minute later, shooting from just inside the corner of the penalty area but a deflection taking it wide for a Coventry corner.
The Sky Blues finally made the breakthrough after a lively start when Clingan hammered home a loose ball from around 25 yards out, hard and low to Loach's left to give City the lead.
The lead was shortlived though when Watford bagged an equaliser on 20 minutes, Cleverly receiving a floated cross from Don Cowie before firing a downward half volley through traffic and past Keiren Westwood.
City were almost 2-1 down three minutes later when Elliott Ward's misjudged backpass failed to reach Westwood and was cut out by Will Hoskins who just failed to get around the Coventry 'keeper.
But he enjoyed better luck on 37 minutes when Graham, on the breakaway cut a ball back to his strike partner to drive home a shot past Westwood from around 12 yards.
Hoskins also nearly added a third a minute before the break, Cowie breaking away and cutting back for Hoskins who went one-on-one with Westwood who made a superb save to deny the hosts a third first half goal.
And he did it again with the last action of the first half, Cleverley's corner kick finding Hoskins at the near post to flick a shot at Westwood's near post with his heel but the City 'keeper was equal to it.
Hoskins went close again straight after the break, finding himself with the ball in the area just seconds after the restart but skying his effort over the bar.
The Sky Blues kept probing the Watford back line with telling crossfield balls, Clingan and Aron Gunnarsson spreading balls into the box only to suffer a last-gasp flick away by a Watford defender.
At the other end, the hosts appeared more cutting, Graham shaping up for a shot on the hour only to be subject to a crunching tackle from Elliott Ward.
City finally made their own pressure tell on 66 minutes when Leon Best headed home his fifth goal of the season.
Clingan delivered a deep corner for Ward to head back across the box with Best at the back post to nod down the leveller.
Westwood, in superb form between the sticks for City, was then forced to make a quick reaction save on 74 minutes, Graham's cutback caught by Wright who inadvertently sent it goalwards although Westwood turned it away.
It was mostly City aproaching the final ten minutes of the game though and they were worthy of their eventual winner, Best maintaining a red-hot scoring run with his second of the night from almost exactly the same position as his first with six minutes to go.
Clingan pumped in a cross which was cleared, giving the Northern Irish international a sdecond bite at the cherry where his delivery was glanced by Ward and found Best at the back post to stiuck a leg out and poke just inside the woodwork.
The Sky Blues had to weather a great deal of late pressure from Watford who threw everything but the kitchen sink at the City goal in the customary four minutes of injury time.
But it was not to be Watford's night as a last-gasp goalmouth clearance, superb save from Westwoood and a close range effort floated over the woodwork all in the last few seconds proved to be insufficient to prevent City from taking all the points.
Attendance: 13,034 (away 749)
Teams
Watford: Loach, Mariappa (c), Cowie (Lansbury 56), Graham, Doyley, Harley, Bennett, Hoskins (Henderson 70), Cleverley, Eustace, Hodson (Oshodi 77)
Subs: Lee (GK), Severin, Bryan, Sordell
Coventry City: Westwood, Wright (c), Ward, van Anholt, Clarke (Cranie 69), Clingan, Gunnarsson, Cork (Osbourne 85), McIndoe (Eastwood 71), Best, Morrison
Subs: Konstantopoulos (GK), Walker, Cain, Jeffers
