- Giroud, Willian and Barkley all on target as the Blues continue their chase for Champions League football next season
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Chelsea put three goals past struggling Watford bouncing back from their midweek upset away at West Ham with a comprehensive win over Watford.
The Blues came into the match having dropped to the fifth position after Manchester United had breezed past Bournemouth with a resounding 5-2 win.
Frank Lampard’s side knew that anything less than three points would direly dent their hunt for next season’s Champions League football.
With Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, and Ross Barkley to the fore, Lampard’s team were far too good for a limited Watford side, whose chief current hope appears to be the poor form of their relegation rivals.
Watford began brightly in the opening quarter chasing the hosts assiduously around the pitch, denying them space and limiting their goal-scoring opportunities.
Their efforts crumbled when Olivier Giroud opened the scoring with a clever turn from Ross Barkley’s pass after 28 minutes.
Watford’s opening zeal dimmed further when Brazilian Willian converted a penalty deep in first half.
Pulisic was responsible for creating the penalty, driving into the Watford box and heading for the by-line. He engendered enough panic for Etienne Capoué to charge him and knock him to the ground, unnecessarily as he had team-mates covering.
The Hornets’ survival in the Premier League appears dimmer with upcoming home games against Norwich and Newcastle set to determine their fate of Nigel Pearson’s team.
