Watford midfielder Etienne Capoue has said that there was a "special" atmosphere in the dressing room after his side reached 40 points with a 1-0 win over Swansea City on Saturday.

Capoue scored the only goal of the game and his sixth of the season to fire the Hornets into the top half of the table, all but securing their Premier League status for another year in the process.

The France international is now setting his sights on finishing the season strongly and believes that no longer having the shadow of relegation looming over them will allow the team to play with more freedom.

"Every day is nice in our dressing room but [Saturday was] special. We have reached 40 points and now we can play, the people at the bottom we have pushed away and now we can look forward," he told the club's official website.

"Three points is the most important now. It is the last games to stay in the Premier League and reach a very good position and we did that. It is a long time since I scored. I tried to challenge the central defender, I pressed him and tried to score and I did it.

"Defensively we did very well, our defenders were strong and it is good for the confidence, a clean sheet is one of the most important things. We played against a team that wanted to survive."

Watford take on relegation-threatened Hull City next weekend.