Watford finally smashed their League Cup hoodoo as Tom Ince hammered a hat-trick in a 5-0 romp against MK Dons at Vicarage Road.

The Hornets had been knocked out of the competition by lower division teams in each of the previous four seasons – including a 2-0 win for the Dons two years ago.

But there were no banana skins this time as skipper Mattie Pollock and midfielder Ince gave the Hertfordshire side a 2-0 interval lead.

That scoreline reflected Watford’s first-half dominance. They broke through in the 24th minute when Ince took a corner on the right and Pollock rose at the far post to send a looping header beyond the grasp of keeper Nathan Harness.

Harness was the hero late in the half with some fine saves, but Watford continued to push and Francisco Sierralta’s header hit the bar before the home side’s pressure paid off again.

Imran Louza’s killer long pass down the right found Ryan Andrews and he crossed low for Ince to sweep home from close range.

It was all over in the 64th minute, when Yasser Larouci sent fellow substitute Kwadwo Baah racing down the left before cutting in to score.

Three minutes later, Ince lashed home a low shot from just outside the area, and he completed his treble in the 74th minutes as he pounced on the rebound from Tom Dele-Bashiru’s shot.