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Chelsea made the trip to Watford for their Premier League matchday 14 fixture on Wednesday night. With only one point separating the league leaders from second-placed Manchester City, the Blues needed a win to maintain their narrow advantage at the summit.
Thanks to goals from Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea secured a 2-1 win, returning from Vicarage Road with maximum points.
Watford, who only had four wins prior to Chelsea’s trip, needed a positive result to steer clear of the relegation threat. They started the game full of intensity and kept Thomas Tuchel's side on their toes.
After 13 minutes of play, a medical emergency involving a fan forced the two sides to abandon the match and head into the tunnel. Following a lengthy stoppage, the two teams returned to the field and picked up where they left off.
Watford dominated proceedings just like before, but it was Chelsea who scored through Mount against the run of play. Emmanuel Dennis helped Watford come back with a reply in the second half, but Ziyech’s late effort kept the hosts from securing a point.
Chelsea needed to fight tooth and nail against a spirited Watford side to get all three points, but in the end it was well deserved.
Here are the five Chelsea stars who tipped the scales in their favor against Watford on Wednesday night:
#5 Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva won Chelsea the decisive penalty that secured a point against Manchester United on Sunday. Last night, the veteran defender came off the bench to add steel to Chelsea’s struggling backline.
He made five clearances, intercepted one pass and did not let anyone dribble past him.
Silva was caught off guard by Tom Cleverly’s clever run down the middle, but was ultimately helped by Edouard Mendy’s shot-stopping skills.
#4 Hakim Ziyech
Former Ajax man Hakim Ziyech has not quite lived up to the billing yet at Chelsea.
However, if the last few matches are any indication, he could finally be on his way to securing regular first-team football at Stamford Bridge.
Against Watford, Ziyech was kept on the bench until the 60th minute. He spent the first couple of minutes reading the game, but sprung to life when a clear-cut opportunity presented itself.
In the 72nd minute, Mason Mount fed Ziyech inside the box and the Morocco international made no mistake turning it in.
The strike against Watford marked Ziyech’s first goal in the Premier League this season.
#3 Edouard Mendy
In August 2018, Chelsea splashed €80 million to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao. The record-signing has all but become obsolete thanks to the genius of €24 million-purchase Edouard Mendy.
Mendy has been pivotal in each of Chelsea’s big wins since signing from Rennais in September 2020. The tricky trip to Watford was not going to be an exception.
Thanks to Watford’s blistering start to the game, Mendy was kept on his toes from the first minute. The hosts threw everything at the Chelsea goalkeeper, who managed to deal with almost everything.
Mendy was beaten by Dennis’ strike in the 43rd minute, but the Senegalese custodian was left dumbfounded by Antonio Rudiger’s nasty deflection.
Apart from Watford's goal, Mendy was practically unbeatable. The 29-year-old was forced to make six saves, with three of them coming from inside the box.
His block kept Tom Cleverly from wheeling away in celebration in the 57th minute after the midfielder was played through on goal.
Without Mendy’s crucial intervention, Chelsea could have ended up surrendering their place at the summit to Manchester City.
#2 Kai Havertz
Romelu Lukaku’s unfortunate injury and Timo Werner’s poor finishing have allowed Kai Havertz to often play as Chelsea’s furthest forward.
On Wednesday night, Havertz was given a free role up top, which saw him move around without a worry in the world. He occupied little pockets of space throughout the attacking third and made progressive runs when possible.
Havertz’s most notable contribution came in the 29th minute when he picked up the ball from Marcos Alonso and fed it to Mount. The Englishman made no mistake in putting the visitors ahead.
#1 Mason Mount
Chelsea and England’s poster boy Mason Mount ran the show at Vicarage Road on Wednesday and was deservedly named Man of the Match.
Having been in and out of Thomas Tuchel’s side, Mount got an opportunity to prove his mettle against Watford. It took a little while for him to adjust to the frantic pace of the game, but he eventually came good.
Mount primarily occupied the left flank and even dropped deep to help out at the back when needed. Most importantly, he was always in the right place at the right time, which led to two decisive goal contributions.
In the 29th minute, Mount opened the scoring for Chelsea after Havertz’s measured pass found him inside the area. Mount also hit the post once and was unlucky not to double his tally.
Finally, in the second half, Mount turned provider, setting up Ziyech for Chelsea's winner. All in all, it was an impressive display by the Chelsea graduate which should earn him a spot in the starting XI on Saturday.
