The pressure will surely be on the manager of the Premier League champs now, with a battle on his hands to keep the champions in the top four. They also have a Champions League tie against Barcelona to come this month. Deeney scored from the penalty spot in the first half of the game, but Hazard looked to have earned the Blues a point against the run of play. Back came Watford, however, with Janmaat, Deulofeu and Pereyra all finding the net late on to kill off Conte’s men.
Watford might have played against 10 men for an hour, but they were deserving 4-1 winners against the champions. Bakayoko’s red card was merely the first of a series of mishaps on a miserable day for Chelsea.
First take a glance how the teams have shaped up before the big occasion :
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Victor Moses, N’Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta, Willian, Pedro, Eden Hazard.
Watford (3-4-2-1): Orestis Karnezis, Adrian Mariappa, Sebastian Prodl, Jose Holebas, Daryl Janmaat, Etienne Capoue, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Marvin Zeegelaar, Gerard Deulofeu, Troy Deeney, Richarlison.
Here are the talking points of the match :
1. Red Card Of Tiemoue Bakayoko Was An Important Turning Point Of The Match :
Bakayoko had been particularly poor and he fouls Capoue clumsily after giving the ball to the Watford man. That was the first booking. A horrible showing met a premature end for Bakayoko. He was off. A poor first touch allowed Richarlison to nip in and a rash challenge brought a second yellow card in quick succession.
2. Troy Deeney Put Watford Ahead From The Penalty Spot :
Courtois brought down Deulofeu in the Penalty box. The Spaniard has been lively throughout and he nicked the ball beyond the goalkeeper and rides the challenge to win a Watford spot-kick. Deeney rifled beyond Courtois from the Penalty Spot. The goalkeeper tried to read the penalty and stay central, but he was not close to saving a powerful strike.
3. Eden Hazard’s Equaliser Kept Chelsea In The Match :
Brilliant from Hazard and Chelsea were level.
The Watford players could not believe it. The little Belgian had beaten Mariappa twice and then, from 25 yards, shooted into the bottom-right corner. It was a scarcely deserved equaliser but an equaliser all the same.
4. Janmaat Put Watford Ahead Just Few Moments After The Equaliser :
The Dutchman scored a wonderful individual goal against Chelsea last season, but this was even better. He had beaten man after man, traded passes with Pereyra and then slided a reverse finish past Courtois.
5. Deulofeu Doubled The Lead For Watford :
Deulofeu had been brilliant and he got the goal he deserved. It was another individual strike, cutting inside from the right to shoot into the bottom-left corner, and that should be that. 3-1 to Watford.
6. Pereyra’s Brilliant Strike Sealed The Match For Watford :
Pereyra got in on the act and Watford were rampant. A wonderful finish from the substitute, running across the Blues’ defence and delayed just a second to leave Azpilicueta off balance before shooting inside the left-hand post. It was another assist for Doucoure, another beauty. He spotted Pereyra’s run and slided the ball in behind David Luiz and Cahill. Marvellous finish from Pereyra.
