Watford 1-4

Telegraph:


Watford 4 Chelsea 1: Antonio Conte on the brink after ten-man Blues capitulate at Vicarage Road

Jason Burt


Antonio Conte asked for a vote of confidence. Instead he got the kind of crushing defeat that can hasten the sack. The Chelsea head coach is under severe pressure now, fighting for his job, if he wants to keep it beyond this season, and make no mistake about that.

Will Conte still be in charge when Chelsea host West Bromwich Albion next Monday? Surely he will but this is Chelsea. Nothing can be assumed. This is a club that will not risk failure and are not afraid of change. They will not risk finishing outside the top four. And they are also less likely to risk it for a manager who has pushed them and tested their patience.

Defeats happen. But it is the manner of the defeat that counts. And this was shocking in its capitulation with Conte later complaining that his team played with fear, without personality, without confidence. That sounded like resigned talk. It was the kind of talk that Roman Abramovich, who is in London, but who was not at this game, will not want to hear. And neither, history has told us, is he afraid to act; especially at this crucial point of the campaign.

Chelsea have won only two of their last 10 games - and knocked Norwich City out of the FA Cup on penalties. With this defeat they have conceded seven goals in their last two Premier League matches: three against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge and now four, here, against a rampant Watford who were re-energised under their new head coach Javi Gracia.

Watford thoroughly deserved to win; a win that takes them six points clear of the relegation zone and halted the alarming run of results that led to the sacking of Marco Silva as head coach. This was Gracia’s first home game in charge and his January signing, fellow Spaniard Gerard Deulofeu, was outstanding in a rampant performance which Chelsea simply could not cope with.


Deulofeu earned a penalty, facing accusations that he dived, and scored an outstanding goal – one of three that Watford claimed late in the game and after another fine strike from Eden Hazard had drawn Chelsea level. Briefly level. For after their goal, Chelsea crumbled alarmingly as Watford hit back. And hit back hard with three outstanding goals in seven extraordinary minutes.

Chelsea had to play for more than an hour with 10-men after Tiemoue Bakayoko was dismissed following such a woefully hapless display that it led to cruel claims they would fare better with a man fewer.


Bakayoko lost the ball seven times in the opening 30 minutes, leading to three chances for Watford and was yellow carded for a clumsy challenge on Etienne Capoue after another piece of poor control. Just five minutes later referee Mike Dean cautioned Bakayoko again, after he again failed to control the ball, trodding on Richarlison. It seemed a harsh decision and Bakayoko was stunned while his departure was greeted with angry rebukes from the travelling Chelsea fans.

Those fans rallied behind Conte, and maybe that will count in his favour, maybe that will buy him more time but that looming last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona now appears increasingly crucial. And it was a Barcelona player, Deulofeu, on loan until the end of the season who undid Chelsea and Conte. They could not cope with his pace, or that or Richarlison, who bizarrely burst into tears after being substituted, while their defence was physically dominated by a resurgent Troy Deeney.

It was Deeney who scored the opening goal, driving the ball home from the penalty spot, which sparked a dubious celebration from him that may lead to questions being asked by the Football Association. Not smart from a man who has served lengthy bans this season. The penalty came as Deulofeu ran onto a through ball from Daryl Janmaat with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois hurtling from goal. There was contact, but did Deulofeu make the most of it? Chelsea protested. Dean stood firm.

With Bakayoko’s departure Conte, who rested Marcos Alonso and later suggested he got his team selection wrong, as he also started without a striker before bringing on new signing Olivier Giroud, sacrificed the fit-again Willian. On came Cesc Fabregas to provide some ballast but it was not until late on when Hazard sparked into life that Chelsea threatened. Firstly he dribbled into the area, cutting the ball back to Fabregas, who shot weakly. Then Hazard stole possession, cut inside onto his right foot and bent a superb 25-yard shot around goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and into the net.

Would that be the late salvation? The unlikely comeback from the 10-men? Could they even go on and win it? Instead the exact opposite happened. Watford were stung into action and hit back. Hard. Very hard. Firstly Janmaat, of all people, restored the lead with a quite brilliant goal as he ran in from the right, evading two challenges, played a one-two with substitute Roberto Pereyra, evaded two more half-hearted challenges and side-footed his shot back across Courtois.

It was a stunning strike and then, remarkably, there was another with Deulofeu sprinting from his own half and as David Luiz – making his first Premier League start since October – and Gary Cahill backed off he accepted the invitation to carry on and stroked the ball low into the corner of the goal.

That sealed it. But there was still more to come with another lovely strike as Pereyra running onto Abdoulaye Doucoure’s pass before simply hammering a powerful cross-shot that flew past a shell-shocked Courtois.

It meant Chelsea have now lost their last seven league games when they have been trailing at half-time. It also secured Watford’s biggest-ever Premier League win and one of Chelsea’s biggest and most humiliating defeats in the Abramovich era. For Conte the heat is on.



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Guardian:

Gerard Deulofeu inspires Watford to runaway win against 10-man Chelsea


Dominic Fifield at Vicarage Road



Antonio Conte had shivered through much of this contest, hands planted deep in the pockets of his puffa jacket and that helpless, rather haunted look in his eyes that tends to mark out Chelsea managers whose time is up. The Italian was emotionless as Eden Hazard belted his team improbably level eight minutes from the end. He was just as impassive while Watford ran riot in what little time remained. It was as if he had seen it all coming and, judging by the fog of discord that has enveloped the club for too long this season, maybe he had.

The champions can point to the reality that they remain in the top four, with FA Cup and Champions League campaigns to be resumed, but a third chaotic defeat in four games has reinforced the sense that this season is veering from them. Everything seems to have taken its toll, from disagreements between head coach and hierarchy over recruitment, to a cluttered schedule on a squad clearly not built to compete on four fronts. Now results have turned. Conte could emerge through his post-match gloom insisting his “conscience is clear” in terms of the effort he is putting in but Roman Abramovich tends to react when he sees his team’s prospects of finishing in the top four on the wane.


Much more of this and the divorce anticipated for the summer would surely be brought forward. This, like the defeat by Bournemouth last week, was a drubbing, a thrashing that was telegraphed in the opening half-hour while the visitors were still blessed with a full complement and confirmed when Watford seized their chances late on.

Chelsea had done well to stay in the contest as long as they did but they always lacked cohesion. Pumping long balls towards Hazard was never likely to yield reward. More tellingly, the ease with which Daryl Janmaat and Gerard Deulofeu, the game’s outstanding performer, scythed through the visitors’ frazzled backline in those madcap last six minutes was enough to drain what little colour remained in Conte’s cheeks. By the time Roberto Pereyra was squeezing out enough space in stoppage time to belt across Thibaut Courtois and into the far corner, Chelsea were broken.


The teams who have overwhelmed them in the past week had both started against Chelsea looking at the foot of the table. Conte’s charges can now feel Tottenham on their shoulder and Arsenal not far behind. In so many ways their struggles here were personified by Tiémoué Bakayoko’s nightmare of a game. Focus will be drawn to the two bookings the midfielder picked up for clumsy fouls on Étienne Capoue and Richarlison that had him dismissed on the half-hour – the second was arguably rather harsh – but, after his red, it was tempting to wonder which team benefited more from his departure. His 28 touches had been littered with errors, from a weak header picked up by Abdoulaye Doucouré, a former team-mate at Rennes, to misplaced and sloppy passes presented to Deulofeu, Capoue and Richarlison. All four errors led directly to shots at goal.

The Frenchman had trudged down the tunnel bravely offering the away support at the far end a clap of appreciation – the chorus bellowed back was far from friendly – but he would, at present, appear to typify the fear that is gripping this team. Watford, excellent even prior to the dismissal, would eventually capitalise. They had their own motivation in Javi Gracia’s first home game in charge and a team who had won once in their 12 previous league games were outstanding. Janmaat’s pass cut Chelsea open, the ball eased beyond Gary Cahill for Deulofeu to chase. Courtois slid out and failed to reach the ball with the Spaniard, seeking his own contact, sprawling to the turf. There were few Chelsea protests as Troy Deeney converted the penalty, even if his one-fingered celebration may bring sanction.

Thereafter, profligacy rather spared the visitors until Hazard, whipping in a glorious equaliser that dipped under Orestis Karnezis’s outstretched left hand, made it level. Briefly, tantalisingly, Chelsea dared to consider inducing another late Watford implosion but it would be the champions who unravelled. Janmaat, Deulofeu and the substitute Pereyra would each glide into space to drive home their advantage while the majority inside the arena pinched themselves in the giddiness of victory. “It’s difficult to explain how I feel at this moment,” said Gracia. “We needed the three points badly but for motivation and to believe in our possibilities, in our work, today was very important.”

His team should sprint back into mid-table safety on the back of this riotous success. The ramifications for Chelsea could be just as far-reaching. West Brom are at Stamford Bridge next Monday and in any other circumstances a visit from the division’s bottom club would feel like an opportunity. Yet, while the fear still grips, it is the champions who look there for the taking.


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Mail:


Watford 4-1 Chelsea: Roberto Pereyra, Gerard Deulofeu and Daryl Janmaat net dramatic late goals to pile misery on Antonio Conte after Eden Hazard's thunderbolt had cancelled out Troy Deeney's opener


By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail


When things start to unravel at Chelsea they often do so at an alarming rate and an air of impending doom clung to Antonio Conte as Watford kept scoring.

Any old defeat would have been bad enough for manager Conte on the back of last week’s 3-0 humbling at home to Bournemouth.

But this was a wretched result, backed by another feeble performance from the Premier League champions.


They have won only two of the last 10 games in all competitions and their status in the top four has become precarious, a pressure point which never fails to escape owner Roman Abramovich.

Conte’s team were devoid of his trademark intensity at Vicarage Road even before Tiemoue Bakayoko was sent off, leaving them to toil with 10 men for more than an hour.

They were on their knees by the time Roberto Pereyra lashed the fourth past Thibaut Courtois in the first minute of added time.

Bakayoko did not help. He was awful for half-an-hour and then collected two yellow cards inside five first-half minutes.

Chelsea supporters turned on him when he had the audacity to turn to them and applaud as he departed.

They gave him short shrift in return, waving goodbye among other hand gestures. 



Watford soon took advantage of the extra man and went ahead with a penalty converted by Troy Deeney.

Only when Olivier Giroud was thrown on for his debut and Chelsea adopted a more direct and aerial approach did they finally offer any attacking threat.

Eighty minutes had gone by before they mustered a shot on target, a low drive by Cesc Fabregas from the edge of the penalty box which was saved by Orestis Karnezis.

Then, out of nowhere, Eden Hazard offered hope.

Hazard, deployed at centre-forward in the absence of Alvaro Morata and with Giroud not considered ready for 90 minutes, had been quiet but he summoned a brilliant curling shot to level the game.

Almost immediately, however, Chelsea collapsed at the back.

Daryl Janmaat sailed through the blue shirts to restore Watford’s lead, trading passes with substitute Pereyra before beating Courtois with a low shot arrowed into the corner. 



Gerard Deulofeu, outstanding on his second start since his move from Barcelona, added a delicious third and Pereyra completed the rout.

For Javi Gracia it was a fabulous way to mark his first home game as Watford manager, with the club’s biggest win in the Premier League.

Gracia was afforded a pre-match ripple of applause by the Vicarage Road crowd who know better than to get too carried away.

Their managers do not tend to hang around for long. The same could be said for the visitors.

Conte is under pressure, clearly dissatisfied with the squad at his disposal and the business performed in another transfer window and seemingly spoiling for a fight with the Chelsea board.

At the same time, injuries are stacking up.

Andreas Christensen and Ross Barkley are the latest casualties, both absent with hamstring problems, and Marcos Alonso was given the opportunity to rest.

Pedro hobbled off in the second half. Morata is still out with a bad back.

It meant right-back Davide Zappacosta was on the left and David Luiz started his first Premier League game since October.


Chelsea suffered without the pace of Christensen against Bournemouth last week and they were again missing their old solidity.

Deulofeu and Richarlison caused problems with their positive running and Bakayoko started the game in careless fashion, not for the first time since his arrival from Monaco.

More than once he conceded possession in his own half of the pitch, although the second yellow card was certainly unfortunate.

He did not win the ball from Richarlison in midfield and his tackling technique made it look like bit of a stamp but he did not catch the Brazilian striker.

Richarlison rolled around clutching his ankle and Mike Dean produced a red card.

It was a dreadful 30 minutes from Bakayoko, emblematic of a dreadful first six months in London, but to send him off was harsh and it left his team in trouble.

To get Cesc Fabregas into midfield, Conte replaced Willian, who had been the only one of his team to summon anything like an effort at goal until that point.

Chelsea fans jeered the decision and sang Willian’s song and things got worse for Conte as he fumed on the touchline.


There was a lecture from referee Dean as he contested another decision and then the penalty conceded before half time.

Janmaat teased a long pass into the channel on the right and Deulofeu was far too quick for Courtois who made the decision to race out of his goal.

Deulofeu was there first, touched the ball away and was wiped out by the momentum of the goalkeeper’s slide.

This time, there was no dispute and Deeney stepped forward to give Watford the lead, before wheeling away to celebrate with a middle-finger salute towards Chelsea fans which could land him in trouble with the FA.

Victor Moses launched a threatening counter-attack in stoppage-time at the end of the first half which culminated in Pedro firing over.

Otherwise, the champions created very little and found it difficult after the interval.

Moses and Marvin Zeegelaar clashed heads as they contested a Zappacosta cross but Chelsea rarely made it near to the Watford goal until Fabregas tested Karnezis with 10 minutes to go.

Hazard’s moment of magic gave them hope of a point but the hope killed them.

Within two minutes they were trailing again and the champions were relieved when the final whistle put them out of their misery. 


Watford (3-4-3):

Karnezis 6; Mariappa 6, Prodl 6.5, Holebas 6; Janmaat 6.5, Doucoure 7, Capoue 6.5, Zeegelaar 6; Deulofeu 8, Deeney 7, Richarlison 7.5 (Pereyra, 7.5)

Subs not used: Bachmann, Carrillo, Gray, Lukebakio; Mukena, Ndong, Pereyra

Goals: Deeney 42, Janmaat 84, Deulofeu 88, Pereyra 90

Yellow cards: Richarlison 45, Prodl 50

Manager: Javi Gracia 7


Chelsea: (3-4-3):

Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 5, Luiz 5, Cahill 5; Moses 6, Kante 6, Bakayoko 3, Zappacosta 5; Willian 6 (Fabregas 35, 6), Hazard 5.5, Pedro 5 (Giroud 64, 6)

Subs not used: Caballero, Drinkwater, Hudson-Odoi, Emerson, Rudiger

Goals: Hazard 82

Yellow cards: Luiz 58 Fabregas 62

Red cards: Bakayoko 30

Manager: Antonio Conte 6

Ref: Mike Dean