Watford vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight
Relive all the action as the Premier League leaders visited Claudio Ranieri’s side at Vicarage Road
Chelsea maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League as Hakim Ziyech came off the bench to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Watford on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were not at their best at Vicarage Road but had enough attacking quality to emerge with three important points and stay ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool.
After a 32-minute suspension while a fan was treated for a medical emergency, Chelsea took the lead when Mason Mount coolly converted after a well-worked move in the 29th minute.
But Watford deservedly levelled before the break through Nigerian Emmanuel Dennis.
Ziyech came on for injured defender Trevoh Chalobah on the hour and struck the winner 12 minutes later with the outstanding Mount turning provider.
Chelsea lead the standings with 33 points from 14 games, with City on 32 and Liverpool on 31.
Claudio Ranieri’s side will take heart from the way they pushed the league leaders but are just one place and three points above the relegation zone.
Tuchel made six changes from the side that drew with Manchester United at the weekend and Chelsea looked disjointed for much of the evening.
Watford were the better team either side of the suspension but fell behind to Chelsea’s first move of quality.
The ball was played to Marcos Alonso down the left and he slipped the ball into Kai Havertz who shifted it across to the unmarked Mount who had time to pick his spot.
Watford responded well and equalised when Moussa Sissoko powered forward and played in Dennis whose shot took a deflection on its way past Edouard Mendy.
The hosts could have been ahead with Mendy making a fine save and Sissoko scuffing a decent opportunity.
The quality on Chelsea’s bench eventually told, however, as Ziyech came on to secure the points.
Mount was played into space down the left and his low cross was met by Ziyech whose powerful first-time shot beat Watford keeper Daniel Bachmann for pace.
Watford vs Chelsea
Watford manager Claudio Ranieri, speaking to Amazon Prime:
[On facing former team Chelsea] “Every time I get emotional. I’m an older manager and I have a lot of former teams behind me. After the Leicester defeat we want to react. We know Chelsea are one of the best team in Europe and today we have to do our best to take a positive result.
[On injuries] “I have a very good group and I hope this group can help each other and try to fight. The fans have to help us because in front of us there are so many champions and they can do something special.
“We have to play our match. At Leicester we created chances but didn’t score the goals. Now I hope we create the chances and score the goals.”
Watford vs Chelsea
On Tuesday, Thomas Tuchel told Andreas Christensen it is time to “walk the talk” by committing his future to Chelsea following protracted contract discussions - and the defender finds himself back in his manager’s starting line-up tonight.
Christensen, whose existing deal expires at the end of the season, has seemingly stalled on putting pen to paper and was an unused substitute for the club’s last three fixtures ahead of tonight.
“We have to hope that it influences the contract situation a little bit,” Tuchel said, referencing Christensen’s spell on the sidelines.
“As I understood it, the club wants the same, the player wants the same, the coach wants the same: to stay. And that’s why for me it was a zero-problem situation.
“But we are waiting a long time now for confirmation and it’s on Andreas to act. How he acts on the pitch, he needs to act now off the pitch and walk the talk because he tells us that he loves Chelsea.
“He tells us that he wants to stay. He is a big part of a big club and I think he is a perfect fit and I think his career here is by far not finished. But, like I said, it’s on him. We want the commitment and hopefully we get it.”
Thomas Tuchel tells Andreas Christensen to ‘walk the talk’ over new Chelsea deal
The 25-year-old defender’s existing contract expires next summer
Watford vs Chelsea
Although the absence of Ismaila Sarr is undoubtedly a blow for Watford tonight, it has been softened by the availability of the in-form Emmanuel Dennis.
The forward, who was an injury doubt ahead of this one, has three goals in his last four Premier Legaue matches and his tally for the season stands at five - that’s one more than Chelsea’s top-scorer Reece James.
Watford vs Chelsea: Premier League set for three-team title race?
Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool are all in action this evening and with the Premier League’s top three separated by just two points coming into tonight, it feels as if the title race is entering a new chapter as we head into the hectic Christmas schedule.
With recent seasons usually coming down to a two-team race, if even that, to decide the title - what are the chances of all three of Chelsea, City and Liverpool keeping up with each other and taking the season down to the wire?
Miguel Delaney takes a look as the Premier League prepares for matches to start coming thick and fast.
Is the Premier League about to get its first proper three-team title race?
This is when the table will start to settle, precisely because the fixture list is so chaotic
Watford vs Chelsea: No James, Lukaku returns
There is lots to get through in that Chelsea team news, and perhaps the biggest line is that top-scorer Reece James has not passed his late fitness test and is not in tonight’s squad. That means Chelsea are without both of their first-choice wing backs, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso operating out wide.
Andreas Christensen makes his first start in four matches, and it will be interesting to see how he responds following Thomas Tuchel’s comments on his contract situation, while Trevoh Chalobah stays in the three-man defence, alongside Antonio Rudiger.
In a further blow for Chelsea, Jorginho has joined N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic on the sidelines, so Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Saul Niguez form a rather makeshift-looking midfield duo.
Mason Mount returns to the starting line-up and joins Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz in attack, while Romelu Lukaku remains on the bench following his return from an ankle injury.
Watford vs Chelsea: Team news
Watford: Bachmann; Femenia, Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Masina; Louza; Joao Pedro, Cleverley, Sissoko, Dennis; King
Chelsea: Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Saul, Alonso; Pulisic, Havertz, Mount
Watford vs Chelsea: Better call...
Saul Niguez could be handed some rare Premier League minutes tonight as Chelsea attempt to deal with a number of injury problems in their midfield department.
The Spaniard has played just three minutes of Premier League football since he was subbed off at half-time in his debut against Aston Villa in September.
Thomas Tuchel said this week that the former Atletico Madrid star needed time to adapt following his move from Spain, and that the midfielder will be ready tonight if Chelsea are without Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.
Tuchel said: “In the moment, where we have injured players in the midfield, even Jorgi doubtful for tomorrow, it’s the moment for him to be ready and I have the feeling since many days that he is ready and can show what he wants to show."
More here:
Thomas Tuchel explains Saul Niguez’s lack of game time at Chelsea
The Spanish international was signed on loan from Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day but has only made two Premier League appearances since
Watford vs Chelsea: Team news
Mason Mount could return to the Tuchel’s starting line-up tonight after only starting three times for the Blues since the end of September.
The midfielder had been sidelined by dental surgery and although he started in the 3-0 win over Leicester recently, the England international was then benched for the pair of home matches against Juventus and Manchester United last week.
It will be interesting, too, to see whether Andreas Christensen is given a recall. The defender has not played a part in Chelsea’s last three matches, despite being fit, as the uncertainty over his contract situation rumbles on.
We will bring you confirmed line-ups at 6:30pm.
Watford vs Chelsea: Team news
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante remain sidelined with injuries while Thomas Tuchel said late calls will be made on Reece James, Jorginho and Timo Werner.
“We have some players in doubt, maybe we need a bit more time, more examinations,” Tuchel said on Tuesday. “James, Jorginho and Werner, they all trained today with us and there will be some last-minute decisions about the three.”
Romelu Lukaku could “get some minutes”, Tuchel added, as he returns from an ankle injury.
Watford also have several players unavailable, with key winger Ismaila Sarr out for at least a month due to a knee ligament injury.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster, who missed the Leicester game with a groin strain, and defender Nicolas Nkoulou, who sustained a hamstring injury against Manchester United, have also been ruled out until the new year. Emmanuel Dennis is a doubt.
Watford vs Chelsea predicted line-ups: Teams news ahead of Premier League fixture
Everything you need to know about the team news ahead of the Premier League encounter between Watford and Chelsea at Vicarage Road tonight
Watford vs Chelsea
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Watford vs Chelsea in the Premier League.
With Manchester City and Liverpool also in action tonight, Thomas Tuchel’s side will be looking to stay ahead of their rivals in the title race after being held by Manchester United last time out.
The Blues looked short in front of goal after dropping points for the second Premier League match in a row at Stamford Bridge, but they could be boosted by the returning Romelu Lukaku at Vicarage Road.
Watford thrashed Manchester United 4-1 on their last outing at Vicarage Road but the Hornets were defeated 4-2 by Leicester City on Sunday, as Claudio Ranieri returned to his former club.
The Italian manager faces another of his former sides in Chelsea this evening with his team coming into tonight’s match just one place above the relegation zone. Both teams are dealing with lengthy injury lists as they enter the hectic winter period.
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