Watford 7-2 Blackpool

Odion Ighalo has scored seven goals in three games for Watford

Odion Ighalo scored four of Watford's seven second-half goals to help his side fight back from 2-0 down to thrash the Championship's bottom side.

Andrea Orlandi pounced to fire Blackpool's opener into the roof of the net, before Steven Davies added a second from point-blank range.

Ighalo inspired the fightback, scoring either side of Troy Deeney's header.

Matej Vydra struck from 20 yards before Gabriele Angella netted after Deeney hit the post and Ighalo added two more.

Slavisa Jokanovic's Hornets remain sixth in the Championship table, but are now only three points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

The second-half capitulation by the Tangerines leaves them winless away from home this season and nine points from safety.

Watford's win came on a day that the club celebrated the life of former manager Ken Furphy, who guided the club to the second tier of English football for the first time in their history in 1969 before going on to manage Pele at the New York Cosmos in the old North American Soccer League.

The crowd at Vicarage Road paid their respects to Furphy, who died this week, with two rounds of applause, while Watford players wore black armbands in his memory.

In a lively start to the game, Blackpool's Ishmael Miller dragged a shot wide and Watford's Angella headed over the bar before Orlandi punished Watford for only partially clearing the ball to score the opener.

Blackpool goalkeeper Elliot Parish protected the lead under mounting pressure before half-time, keeping Ikechi Anya and Ighalo out, while Davies needed two attempts to make it 2-0 on 42 minutes after Heurelho Gomes failed to properly deal with Tony McMahon's effort across goal.

Ighalo sparked the astonishing second-half fightback with a tap-in finish just after the break and then fired Watford ahead from a tight angle after Deeney levelled with a header from Daniel Tozser's corner.

Vydra beat Parish with a fine strike, while Gomes tipped a Jamie O'Hara free-kick over the bar at the other end before Angella reacted quickest to slot home a fifth after Deeney hit the post with a header.

Ighalo completed his hat-trick with a simple finish, latching on to a loose ball after Deeney again hit the woodwork, and the Nigerian was assisted once more by his strike partner for his fourth of the afternoon.

Andrea Orlandi scored his first goal since April 2013 - when he netted for Brighton & Hove Albion in a 6-1 win against Blackpool

Steven Davies's goal to make it 2-0 was his fourth of the season

Odion Ighalo competed his hat-trick in 26 second-half minutes, before adding his fourth goal on 81 minutes