Watford 3-0

Guardian:

Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma puts seal on FA Cup victory over Watford

Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge

It took some half-time tinkering but Chelsea cruised into the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a trio of second-half goals and in the end the only shock came after the match when José Mourinho issued an apology to the referee.
The Chelsea manager had criticised Kevin Friend in a post-match television interview for not awarding a penalty for a handball by Craig Cathcart before Loïc Rémy scored the second goal but a subsequent conversation with the official made him realise the criticism was unfair, so Mourinho began his press conference by saying sorry.
“I was speaking with the referee and I want to apologise for my comments on television,” he said. “Because what he did was great refereeing. He saw that there was a penalty – and was ready to give a penalty – but decided that the ball was going to Rémy and he waited a couple of seconds. He told me that, if Rémy did not control the ball or if the ball went over the bar, he would have given the penalty. I was complaining but it was good refereeing.”
Mourinho’s original anger with Friend might have stemmed from his previous assertion that Chelsea are the victims of a campaign in which their alleged offences are highlighted more than those of other teams but it was probably exacerbated by his discomfort at watching his team’s toils against an admirable Watford side, especially in a scoreless first half.
Any of the 6,000 Watford fans who had made the short journey to Stamford Bridge fearing their team would be made to pay for Chelsea’s New Year’s Day thrashing by Tottenham must have been soothed by the sluggish start made by the hosts and the smart one by Slavisa Jokanovic’s men.
Chelsea, fielding only three of the players who began against Spurs, were pedestrian during the first period while Watford were solid and tenacious in a 4-5-1 formation and carried a threat on the counterattack. The visitors were even the first to force the opposing goalkeeper into action, as long-range shots from Daniel Tozser and Troy Deeney drew saves from Petr Cech.

 

Off-target headers from Didier Drogba and Gary Cahill were the closest Chelsea came to scoring in a first half in which the absences of Cesc Fàbregas, Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic left the Premier League side badly short of creativity. Unsurprisinly, Ramires and Mikel John Obi did not cut it as replacement playmakers. On the stroke of half-time Odion Ighalo dragged badly wide from the edge of the Chelsea box after another counterattack from Watford. Mourinho, who said the first half was “a bit sad”, sought to perk his team up for the second half by introducing Diego Costa and Willian in place of Oscar and the particularly disappointing André Schürrle.
The substitutes broke the deadlock with much-needed ingenuity. Costa, whose movement was beginning to tear holes in the visiting defence, foraged down the right before offering Willian a shooting opportunity from 20 yards. The Brazilian seized it with style, curling the ball into the top corner.
They had struggled to gain the lead, but Chelsea never looked like relinquishing it. Their grip on the game already seemed ominously imperious before Chelsea secured victory with a second goal in the 70th minute. Again Costa was instrumental in the creation. After a one-two with Drogba he unleashed a shot from 15 yards that was blocked by Cathcart before the ball dropped to Rémy who, with the referee watching to see what would happen, walloped it into the net from 12 yards.
Kurt Zouma’s headed goal two minutes later served as extra recompense for a 20-year-old defender who deputised well in place of John Terry.
Mourinho also confirmed after the match that goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is leaving Chelsea to join Leicester City.

Man of the match Diego Costa (Chelsea)