As Chelsea sought to correct their worrying form, they did so in an open encounter at Stamford Bridge to overcome of high flying Watford, coming from behind to win 4-2. The defending champions rode their luck on occasion, but the victory provided the perfect tonic to round off a disappointing week for the west London side. Chelsea had failed to win their previous three competitive matches, the longest winless run in Antonio Conte’s managerial career, but the win will come as a welcome reprieve for the Italian boss.
Pedro opened the scoring for the hosts with a sumptuous curling effort past Heurelho Gomes, but Watford responded brilliantly, netting either side of half time. The Blues were fortuitous in that Richarlison was without his shooting boots as the Brazilian twice missed two clear-cut chances in between his assist for Pereyra’s goal, yet when a team is down on their luck, they need to rely on good fortune to secure all three points. Pedro’s goal also stemmed from a corner that should not have been after the ball last touched Eden Hazard before rolling out of play, but Chelsea wouldn’t have minded.
Both Watford goals, though, came about from lacklustre Chelsea defending, with the Blues struggling to clear their lines from a Jose Holebas long throw for Abdoulaye Doucoure’s strike on the stroke of half time before Pereyra was picked out in acres of space to put Watford ahead. Chelsea have now kept just four clean sheets in 14 competitive matches this season, three of which have come in the Premier League. Last season only Tottenham and Manchester United (both 17) kept more clean sheets than Chelsea in England’s top tier (16).
The lack of defensive solidity that made Chelsea so effective last season is completely lacking and while it makes for more entertaining encounters for the neutral, Chelsea fans must be pulling their hair out with their team devoid of organisation in the defensive third, this coming despite minimal changes at the back. Conte has been handed a number of injuries at the back time and time again, which hasn’t helped his side settle into the same rhythm that saw them concede the third fewest league goals (33) last season.
An average of 0.86 goals conceded per game last term has since risen to 1.11, with the Blues struggling that comes with the demands of a match every three days. Victory merely papers over the cracks and it’s vital that Conte quickly improves Chelsea’s fortunes at the back if they are to successfully defend their top-flight crown. The entertaining victory closed the gap at the top of the table to six points prior to the 3pm kick offs, but Chelsea now need another run akin to last season’s 13-match winning streak to have any hope of usurping Manchester City at the Premier League’s summit.
Back-to-back league defeats last season kickstarted that fine winning run, and to return to winning ways against a Watford side that had earned 10 points of possible 12 on the road ahead of today’s match certainly boosts morale. Marco Silva has enjoyed a fine start to life at Vicarage Road as evidenced in their impressive league position nine games into the season. However, the Portuguese boss is not devoid of criticism after today, with his substitutions - to an extent - costing Watford a positive result. The decision to remove Troy Deeney for Ben Watson with 10 minutes to play signalled the decision to sit deeper and soak up pressure, which Chelsea exploited.
Without an attacking outlet to hold up play in the final third, Watford came under increased pressure before folding with three minutes left on the clock as Cesar Azpilicueta completed the turnaround. Michy Batshuayi rounded off the 4-2 win late on with his second and Chelsea’s fourth in the dying embers of the Premier League match up. Silva has a bright future in the game, but his poor substitutions allowed Chelsea back into the game. Nevertheless, this is a learning curve for the Watford boss, who will steadily improve in time.
Had he not taken Deeney off, however, would Chelsea have won the game? That remains to be seen. The Blues had almost 60% possession after the striker’s withdrawal having mustered a little over 50% during Deeney’s time on the pitch. It was another case of the Blues riding their luck on the day, but three points is three points and Conte would have taken the win without a second’s hesitation before kick off.
