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The top end of the Premier League table remains the same after all the teams chasing the title won their matches on Wednesday. Chelsea recorded a narrow 2-1 victory over Watford, Manchester City defeated Aston Villa 2-1, and Liverpool pummeled Everton 4-1.
Of the three title contenders, though, Chelsea were the least impressive. The Blues had to ride their luck for a large part of their game. On another day, they could have lost.
However, in the end, the gulf in quality between Thomas Tuchel’s side and the Hornets showed, as goals from Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech sealed the win.
Chelsea labour against Watford
Chelsea have been very good in recent months, but if their last two matches are anything to go by, then Tuchel must be a worried man.
The Blues were abject against Manchester United last week and once again didn't rise to the occasion when they faced Watford at Vicarage Road. They were uncharacteristically passive and reactive instead of being proactive. The Hornets seized the initiative from the first minute and managed to push the London giants back into their own half.
Chelsea may have won, but this was one of their worst performances of the season. They risk dropping points in subsequent games if they repeat such a dire performance.
Chelsea currently playing without momentum
For a team that is unbeaten in their last 12 matches, it’s surprising how Chelsea have gone from playing high-octane football to being lethargic.
This is a team that is not known to be sloppy, but they’ve been playing without any form of momentum in their last two matches.
The truth is that they were lucky to win against Watford. However, they could get punished if they play the same way against opposition with more quality.
"That’s not us. We were absolutely not ready today for this match. I missed maybe to find the right approach to make my team ready,” Tuchel admitted after the game, as quoted by Goal.
"Even this break after the first 11 minutes did not change our approach. We did not cope with the pressure, with the first ball, second ball.
“We had a lot of changes but too many faults. It did not get better. The only thing we could do was hang in there and focus on the easy things. It was a lucky win."
It can be argued that Chelsea were without several first-team players, and their absence affected their play. However, they can’t afford to go to sleep in such a tight title race, especially with Manchester City and Liverpool lurking around.
