Chelsea’s horrible run of form continued on Monday as they were handed a comprehensive 4-1 loss by Watford at Vicarage Road
The Premier League champions were rocked just half an hour into the game as Tiemoue Bakayoko was sent off for two bookable offence, and it was mostly downhill since then. Troy Deeney broke the deadlock by scoring from the spot in the 42nd minute, giving the Hornets the lead.
There were faint hopes of a Chelsea win with less than ten minutes left as Eden Hazard equalised from a long-range shot. But, those slim hopes were dashed as Watford responded with a three-goal salvo, with Daryl Janmaat, Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra finding the back of the net.
Full-time: Watford 4-1 Chelsea.#WATCHE pic.twitter.com/lmwNoWb8cL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 5, 2018
In the end, it was a result of catastrophic proportions for the Blues, who have now suffered back-to-back three-goal defeats to two bottom half sides. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Antonio Conte’s men after a disastrous loss for Chelsea.
Thibaut Courtois: 5/10
Courtois did not do a lot of things wrongly on Monday, but his performance wasn’t faultless either. He was guilty of needlessly rushing out for the incident that resulted in the penalty. Otherwise though, the Belgian shot stopper didn’t stand much of a chance with any of the goals.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 5/10
Well said, @CesarAzpi! ? pic.twitter.com/9XvR3KsXCT
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 6, 2018
The best of the lot at the back for Chelsea, although that is very little consolation. Azpilicueta had his hands full with the pace and trickery of Richarlison, but he did well to negate the Brazilian’s threat as much as possible. Should have taken the responsibility of organising a defence that was all over the place.
David Luiz: 4/10
Luiz, for the most part on Monday, was assured and composed while defending, having been handed a rare start by Conte. He fulfilled his duties in the sweeper role admirably, linking defence and midfield with smart passing.
But, then came Watford’s second goal and things unravelled for the Brazilian, who made the error for it. He really isn’t helping his case with such errors.
Gary Cahill: 3/10
Cahill was bailed out by Bakayoko from being named the worst player on the pitch. The Chelsea captain showed little leadership qualities that are deserving of the armband. Gerard Deulofeu beat him for pace all night long, and it was two Cahill mistakes that led to a couple of Watford goals.
Victor Moses: 5/10
One of the few positive spells for Chelsea came courtesy Moses, who was full of energy on the right flank. The Nigerian made several purposeful runs on the wing, completed four dribbles (the most for his side) and was one of the more creative outlets for his side. But, it all proved to be for nothing in the end.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: 0/10
Bakayoko’s 30 minutes last night:
Lost possession 7 times ?♂️
Misplaced 4 simple passes ?
Gave ball away in own half ?♂️
Sent off from 2 yellow cards ?♂️ Ladies and Gentlemen, the replacement for Nemanja Matic ??? pic.twitter.com/IOFT6kTgkm— CheekySport (@CheekySport) February 6, 2018
Absolutely atrocious; there is no other adjective to describe the poor performance from one of Chelsea’s summer signings. Bakayoko made several errors, inside his own half no less, and picked up two yellow cards. All of this was within 30 minutes, with the player ultimately getting sent off. Just failing to kick on.
N’Golo Kante: 5/10
One of the better players on the night for Chelsea, although Kante was still far from his best. To be fair to the Frenchman though, he had to pull the weight of two players in front of the back-three, especially after Bakayoko’s dismissal. But, he was typically tireless in his work, and would like to put this night behind him.
Davide Zappacosta: 4/10
With Alonso picking up a late injury, Zappacosta was picked to deputise as the left wing-back, with Emerson still working on his fitness. But while the Italian defended well, he was pretty uncomfortable going forward, unable to make a single cross on his weaker foot.
Pedro: 4/10
The poor run of form continued for Pedro on Monday, looking nothing like the player who played a key role in Chelsea’s title run last season. The Spaniard was wasteful and sloppy in possession and while he was lively for large periods, he did little to make a lasting impact.
Eden Hazard: 5/10
Eden Hazard’s goal against Watford now means he’s only one goal away against Huddersfield to have scored against every PL team he’s played against.
Veteran. pic.twitter.com/5za8Vq24pF
— Mod (@HazardChaos_) February 5, 2018
Chelsea needed the Hazard of last season to step up and get his side something from the match. The player on Monday was the Hazard from two seasons ago, creating very little impact even though he tried a lot.
The Belgian did produce the moment that had the Blues dreaming of a win, with the long-range effort a truly splendid one, but that was as good as it got, both for him and the visitors.
Willian: 4/10
Willian was lively in his short stint on the pitch, but he paid the price for Bakayoko’s dismissal, as he was taken off for Cesc Fabregas, who was brought on to provide stability in midfield.
SUBSTITUTES
Cesc Fabregas: 5/10
On for nearly an hour, Fabregas struggled to create an impact and was anonymous for large parts of the game. Needs to rediscover his best, especially at a time when Chelsea are failing to be creative or prolific enough.
Olivier Giroud: 6/10
The Chelsea player who was on the pitch for the shortest duration. But, Giroud looked like the biggest threat for the visitors, hitting the most shots on target for his side as his teammates directed several long balls his way. Did enough to warrant a start in the next game.
