Chelsea exercised the demons of midweek as they recovered from a poor spell to come from behind and beat Watford in style at Stamford Bridge. A Pedro wonder strike got the Blues off to a good start but they fell behind courtesy of goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Roberto Pereyra. Michy Batshuayi came off the bench and pulled Chelsea level before a header from Cesar Azpilicueta and another from Batshuayi sealed the win. The substitutes really changed the game so just how influential were they?
Thibaut Courtois – 6
Made a good save from a Tom Cleverley free kick but will be disappointed by the way Doucoure beat him at his near post. Not left with much chance by an insecure Chelsea defence on a number of occasions and was powerless to prevent Pereyra putting the Hornets in front.
Antonio Rudiger – 5.5
Looked flustered and was torn apart by Richarlison more often than not. The young Brazilian had so much joy down Chelsea’s left side but, luckily for Rudiger, he couldn’t take the golden chances that came into his path.
David Luiz – 6
Kept Troy Deeney under wraps for the large part, which isn’t easy as Per Mertesacker will tell you. Sent a wild volley over the bar in the first half but kept his composure while in possession as Chelsea looked to get back into the game in the second half.
Gary Cahill – 5.5
Not as vulnerable as his German team-mate but still looked uneasy in and out of possession. Was dragged all over the place by the movement of Deeney and Pereyra, the latter finding space in his area of the pitch to slot past Courtois.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7
Put a couple of questionable performances behind him as he scored the all-important third goal as his team came from behind. It was a poacher’s finish as Azpilicueta, who had switched to left wing-back, came inside to nod past Heurelho Gomes. Caught too high up the field on a couple of occasions by Richarlison as he left Antonio Rudiger very isolated but that’s the only bad mark against his name this week.
Cesc Fabregas – 6.5
Came into his own when Chelsea went behind as Watford sat back to protect their lead. The Spanish playmaker had more time and space on the ball and began to control the game. In the first half, he was reduced to long balls up to Alvaro Morata and Pedro and couldn’t really assert himself on the game properly.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 7
Even when Watford dominated the play either side of the break, Bakayoko was a powerful force in the Chelsea midfield, and he needed to be alongside Fabregas and in the absence of N’Golo Kante. Blocked Miguel Britos’ path and his interception fell into the path of Bathsuayi to score Chelsea’s fourth.
Marcos Alonso – 6
Pegged back by Kiko Femenia and couldn’t deal with his compatriot as Femenia got in a couple of dangerous crosses from that side of the pitch. Provided very little going forward and was replaced by Willian in an important stage of the game.
Pedro – 8
The former Barcelona man showed Antonio Conte and the Chelsea fans just how important he is to the side with a goal and an assist on just his fourth Premier League start of the season and after his performance in this game, he surely has to add to that number. His stunning goal set the tone for a crazy game as he sent a first-time shot curling over Gomes and bouncing into the goal off the post. His cross to Michy Batshuayi was just as good as the Belgian headed in Chelsea’s second.
Eden Hazard – 6
Not his greatest game as he struggled to have a major impact in the attacking third. His link-up play was as cute and innovative as ever but his final ball and shot weren’t up to the high standard we saw in midweek against Roma.
Alvaro Morata – 5.5
Barely got a kick during his time on the pitch and ended up being substituted for Michy Batshuayi and the Belgian showed him just how to find the net.
Substitutes:
Michy Batshuayi – 9
For a striker supposedly lacking in confidence, it wasn’t a bad afternoon for the Batsman. He got Chelsea’s equaliser with a superb header, running onto the ball at the near post and guiding it into the far post with one flick of his neck muscles. His second was opportunistic as he latched onto Bakayoko’s interception and poked the ball over Gomes to guarantee all three points for the Blues.
Willian – 6.5
Silenced the critics with an impressive and influential performance. It was his wicked cross that found Cesar Azpilcueta at the far post for Chelsea’s third, one of a number of flashes of Brazilian brilliance.
Davide Zappacosta – 6
Sent in a brilliant cross seconds after coming on but it was just too high for Batshuayi and that set the tone for things to come from the Italian who, even though he only had a few minutes on the pitch, made a big impact on how the team played.