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Hakim Ziyech scores winner as Chelsea edge past battling Watford

Watford vs Chelsea live, Premier League: score and latest updates - REUTERS
Watford vs Chelsea live, Premier League: score and latest updates - REUTERS
  • Play halted due to a medical emergency in the stands after 10 minutes of action

  • Fan taken to hospital in stable condition after cardiac arrest

  • Chelsea take lead but Watford score well deserved equaliser

  • Ziyech makes difference off the bench, ensuring his side stay top

Hakim Ziyech stepped off the substitutes’ bench to earn Premier League leaders Chelsea a victory that head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted they “stole” in the strangest of circumstances at Vicarage Road.

The game was held up for 30 minutes after a male supporter suffered a cardiac arrest in the home stand and needed CPR before being taken to hospital.

Thankfully, the fan was stabilised and play resumed with Chelsea producing arguably their worst performance of the season on a night when Saul Niguez was again substituted at half-time and Trevoh Chalobah suffered an injury.

Mason Mount had given Chelsea the lead against the run of play before Emmanuel Dennis equalised for Watford, who will see this as an opportunity missed. It was Mount who turned provider for Ziyech, but Tuchel knew his team had been left off the hook.

“That’s not us,” said Tuchel. “We had the break due to very sad circumstances – hopefully the person is better. 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.

“I see this totally as an exception from the rule. I will not think too long on this match because it’s so unusual for us to play like this. The most worried I am is about the injury for Trevoh Chalobah. We stole three points. We don’t have to talk around it. For the first time it feels like a lucky win. Watford deserved more.”

Watford manager Claudio Ranieri added: “We deserved at least a point but that’s football. Now we are involved in a relegation battle, but if we continue to play in this way with this mentality, all together - I saw a fantastic group.”

It was Chelsea’s left wing-back Marcos Alonso who first spotted the medical emergency in the upper tier of the Graham Taylor stand while Watford left-back Adam Masina was down receiving treatment in the 10th minute on the opposite side of the pitch.

Play was suspended due to a medical emergency. - REUTERS
Play was suspended due to a medical emergency. - REUTERS

Referee David Coote led the players off the pitch and it was more than half-an-hour after the stoppage that the game resumed, following confirmation the fan was in a stable condition, with Danny Rose replacing Masina in the 12th minute.

On the medical emergency, Ranieri added: “Good news. The man is in good condition. I wish him and his family all the best."

Chelsea had made a poor start to the game, for which Tuchel made six changes, before the stoppage, with Chalobah needing to make a good block from Joao Pedro and Edouard Mendy forced to make a diving save to keep out the Watford forward’s header.

Saul started his first Premier League game since his nightmare Chelsea debut against Aston Villa, in which he was substituted at half-time, and the Spaniard suffered a similarly bad opening 45 minutes at Vicarage Road before being hooked again after picking up a yellow card.

“I don’t know where he goes from this performance, but he was on a yellow card,” said Tuchel. “I had two options and the other one was to take Alonso off and try Saul as a wing back, but then I thought maybe it was not the right match to try things.

Chelsea were sloppy in possession and looked vulnerable at the back, and yet the Blues were inches from taking a 19th-minute lead when Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s header fell to the feet of Mount and his shot smacked the post.

Mount made no mistake just over 10 minutes later, however, when he finished a great move that involved Antonio Rudiger and Alonso. It was Kai Havertz who squared the ball for the England midfielder to beat Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Mendy had to make his second good save of the evening to prevent Rose from equalising with a well-struck volley, but Watford deservedly drew level on the stroke of half-time after seizing on an error from Loftus-Cheek. Moussa Sissoko robbed the Chelsea midfielder of the ball and passed to Dennis, who beat Mendy with a shot that took a slight deflection off Rudiger.

Emmanuel Dennis.  - GETTY IMAGES
Emmanuel Dennis. - GETTY IMAGES

Sissoko and Dennis combined again before the break, with the former Tottenham midfielder almost scoring and, unsurprisingly, Tuchel made a change at the break by introducing Thiago Silva and Chalobah moved into midfield.

But Chalobah was later forced off with an injury that meant Tuchel had to send on Ziyech and Chelsea’s midfield, already without N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, became even more makeshift.

But the introduction of Ziyech was decisive, as the Moroccan netted what proved to be Chelsea’s winner in the 73rd minute. Rudiger’s pass was headed on by Alonso and Mount produced a perfect cross for Ziyech to find the net.

Before Chalobah’s injury, William Troost-Ekong, who could have easily been sent off, had done brilliantly to cut out a Havertz cross intended for Mount. And Mendy had tackled Tom Cleverly outside his penalty area, with the Watford midfielder racing through on goal.

Ziyech could have made it a comfortable final eight minutes for the visitors, but Bachmann managed to save his header and Mendy stopped a late Juraj Kuka free-kick.


10:10 PM

That's all from me...

But read Matt Law's match report for a full recap of tonight's match.


10:04 PM

Watford played very well tonight...

But just did not quite have enough. Chelsea's individual quality got them over the line.


10:02 PM

FULL-TIME: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Watford attack again, Alonso lumping the ball out for a throw-in. Chelsea win it back and hack the ball up the pitch.

A cross is sent into the box and a shot is deflected behind for a Watford corner. Bachmann is into the box but Chelsea clear! That is that!


09:59 PM

90+4 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Kucka hammers a free kick from 35 yards out which Mendy is forced to tip over the bar. That was hit with remarkable power! Rose cannot beat the first man and then Troost-Ekong gives away a foul.


09:57 PM

90+2 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Watford win a corner and send everyone bar the keeper forward. Lukaku heads the corner away. Pulisic then gives away a foul in the Chelsea half.


09:55 PM

90 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Chelsea head the corner away. Watford attack again. Rose finds Dennis with a superb pass but Alonso pinches the ball off him.

There will be six minutes of added time! Mount is named player of the match,


09:53 PM

88 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Ngakia fouls Loftus-Cheek in Chelsea's box. Tuchel's side launch it clear.

Kucka has a shot deflected behind for a Watford corner.


09:50 PM

85 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Rose is booked for a bad challenge on Ziyech as Chelsea break again. Ngakia is on for Cleverley.


09:48 PM

83 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Watford pin Chelsea in their own half, multiple balls into the box headed clear by the men in blue. They counter, an inviting ball is crossed into the box but Ziyech can only glance his header straight at Bachmann.

Chelsea attack again, a cross this time going directly into the arms of Bachmann.


09:45 PM

80 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

A scrappy passage of play breaks out, neither side able to maintain possession.


09:42 PM

77 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Chelsea come again. Lukaku drives at the Watford defence, eventually hitting a shot that is blocked. Play is now stopped as Ziyech is down after he and Cathcart clashed going for a header. Both will carry on.


09:38 PM

GOOOOOOAAAAAAL! Ziyech Watford 1 Chelsea 2

Alonso puts Mount in behind with a header. He squares it to Ziyech who strikes the ball crisply into the roof of the net. Lovely goal.


09:35 PM

70 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Lukaku is on! Off comes Azpilicueta. Another attacking move from Tuchel, who clearly is not happy with a point.


09:32 PM

68 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Louza works a pocket of space, hitting an ambitious shot from very long range. It ends up in the stands...

Lukaku is getting ready to come on.

Havertz breaks down the left. He releases a shot which is deflected into the arms of Bachmann


09:30 PM

65 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Ziyech looks for Alonso with a ball over the top. It is well read and intercepted. Watford look to counter and Ziyech is booked for stopping it illegally.


09:28 PM

63 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Dennis drives at the Chelsea defence, beating a couple of men before the ball gets stuck under his feet. He is a real handful.


09:24 PM

59 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Cleverley is played in through as a huge gap appears. Mendy sprints off his line, meeting the midfielder 15 yards outside the Chelsea box. He does enough to put off Cleverley who trips as he went to shoot. Top keeping.

Chalobah is injured and is coming off! Ziyech is on.


09:21 PM

56 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Rose goes down after catching a stray arm from Loftus-Cheek. Accidental. Chelsea then win a free kick of their own. This game is heating up!


09:18 PM

53 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Azpilicueta lofts a cross to the back post and Bachmann comes off his line to claim it. Good keeping. Chelsea are well on top at the moment.

Pulisic is bundled into the advertising boards. Ouch. No free kick comes.


09:15 PM

50 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

King is picked out in acres of space in the left side of the Watford box. He drives a low ball across goal and it is scrambled clear. Chelsea break, Havertz using some neat skill to break into the Watford box. He lays it off to Loftus-Cheek but his shot is blocked.

Chelsea come again. Havertz drives the ball across goal and Troost-Ekong makes a key intervention.


09:12 PM

47 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Loftus-Cheek fouls Rose. Louza crosses into the box but cannot beat the first defender. Chelsea look to counter but Havertz is fouled, halting the move.


09:10 PM

The second half is under way

Thiago Silva is on for Saul Niguez. Interesting move. Chalobah may move into midfield.


09:08 PM

The players are back out onto the pitch

Can Watford continue their impressive showing after the break?


08:58 PM

Dennis' form continues tonight


08:56 PM

Play has resumed in Southampton-Leicester

Thankfully both medical emergencies tonight seem to have been resolved.


08:55 PM

HALF-TIME: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Alonso dinks the free kick into the box which is cleared long. What a half.


08:52 PM

45+4 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Sissoko should put Watford in front! He wins the ball back, linking up with Dennis but he then fluffs his shot from eight or so yards out! Poor attempt.

Chelsea break and Troost-Ekong is booked for a foul on Mount.


08:51 PM

45+3 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Watford break down the right, winning a free kick of their own. It is taken short but the following shot is blocked away. Nicely worked.


08:48 PM

45 mins: Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Louza is booked for a poor challenge. The free kick into the box is dealt with. There will be five minutes of added time.


08:48 PM

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAL! Dennis Watford 1 Chelsea 1

Dennis goes it again! He breaks into the box after Chelsea lose the ball. Dennis takes his time, hitting a shot which deflects into the back of the net from Rudiger.


08:46 PM

42 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea attack down the right but Mount's low cross is cleared. Chalobah is then fouled by King in a good area for a cross.


08:44 PM

Main man Mount


08:43 PM

40 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 1

Loftus-Cheek and Troost-Ekong both go for a header, with the two players making head contact. Both have stayed down. That looked painful. Both will continue.


08:40 PM

There is now a medical emergency in the Southampton-Leicester game!


08:38 PM

35 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 1

A cross is not dealt with by Chelsea. The ball falls to Rose who hammers the ball towards goal from the left side of the box, forcing a strong save from Mendy.


08:35 PM

32 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 1

Watford have been the better side but that was clinical from Chelsea. The hosts attack down the right. Sissoko does well, holding off two defenders and rolling the ball to Cleverley on the edge of the box. Poor control kills the attack.

Chelsea counter, Pulisic plays Havertz in who slots it home but he was well offside. The ball had to be played earlier!


08:33 PM

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! Mount Watford 0 Chelsea 1

A ball over the top finds Alonso in the box. He brings it down passing to Havertz, the German puts it on a plate for Mount who strokes it home from close range. Lovely goal. Superb composure all around.


08:32 PM

29 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Dennis nutmegs Alonso who recovers well, winning the ball back and igniting an attack. Chelsea maintain possession in the opposition half.


08:30 PM

27 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea are looking brighter after a sloppy start (and restart). Havertz darts in behind but the offside flag goes up.


08:27 PM

24 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Joao Pedro finds space down the left. He curls a ball into the box but Alonso heads it away. Rose sends a second cross into the box and Rudiger deals with it this time.


08:25 PM

22 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea attack again. Mount holds up the play, the ball switches to the other side of the pitch but the away side are forced to retreat.


08:22 PM

19 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Pulisic is brought down by Cleverley as both players go for the ball. Free kick. Chelsea take it short, keen to try and maintain some much-needed possession.

They work their way up the pitch. The ball falls to Mount in the Watford box who hits the post with venom! That was close.

Watford break, and Alonso dives in at the ball from behind Cleverley.


08:20 PM

17 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Louza and Cleverley stand over the ball. Louza strikes it with his left foot into the wall, pulling the rebound well wide. Poor effort.


08:18 PM

16 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Sissoko is picked out in the Chelsea box. He lays it off for a cross which is headed clear. The hosts are on top, just as they were before the enforced break.

Rudiger gives the ball away in his own half. Dennis bursts forward with the ball and Saul trips him on the edge of the box. Great position for Watford. Saul is booked.


08:16 PM

13 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Rudiger commits a foul on the right side of the pitch. A quick free kick is taken but King fouls as he goes to latch onto the cross.


08:15 PM

Play resumes!

The re-warming-up is done. So, a reminder, Rose on for the injured Masina. Mendy gets us restarted from inside his box.


08:07 PM

The players are back

Both sides are back out onto the pitch. Five minute warm-up to commence.


08:04 PM

Play should not be far away

The crowd breaks into applause as the medical staff take the person out of the ground. The prognosis is positive at this stage, thankfully.


08:00 PM

Positive news

The fan has stabilised. The ambulance will come into the stadium to collect the person and take them to hospital. The players will return to the pitch once that has happened.


07:57 PM

The wait goes on...

It seems the person in the stands is doing better and recovering. However, the players do not want to restart play until everything is cleared up.

The players will do a five minute warm-up when that happens.


07:56 PM

No sign of the players

The players will not return until they know what has happened to the supporter.

When play does restart, Masina is off, replaced by Rose. He got injured just as the incident was unfolding.


07:50 PM

The game will restart in a few minutes

The Chelsea medical staff who were assisting the person in the crowd have gone down the tunnel. They were applauded by the Watford fans, thankful for their efforts.

An ambulance has arrived at the ground.


07:46 PM

Concerning news

A member of the crowd has had a heart attack and CPR has had to be carried out.


07:43 PM

Play has been paused

The players are going back down the tunnel so that the medical treatment can be carried out without distraction.


07:42 PM

10 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Watford attack again. Masina breaks down the left, hitting a cross into the arms of Mendy. He then stays down and play is halted.

There looks to be a medical issue in the stands too, with the medical staff assisting the ambulance in the stands.


07:37 PM

7 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

A cross into the box takes a deflection off Azpilicueta's knee and forces Mendy into an outstanding save! That was very close.

Mendy takes too long with the ball in the box and is forced to dribble away from King, hacking it clear.

Chelsea are not on it at all!


07:35 PM

5 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

The ball is rolled into the feet of Joao Pedro in the box who has his shot deflected behind for a corner. Chelsea head the resulting ball in clear.

Watford are on top and Chelsea look a touch rattled. Christensen goes down after competing with King for a header. Not much in that, he will be fine to continue.


07:32 PM

2 mins: Watford 0 Chelsea 0

Watford press with intensity, winning the ball deep in Chelsea's half. Superb intent from the off.

Chelsea lose the ball in their own half once more, Pulisic at fault this time. Azpilicueta then gives away a free kick on half-way.


07:30 PM

Here we go!

Chelsea get us under way.


07:27 PM

The players are out onto the pitch

Decent crowd in at Vicarage Road.


07:20 PM

So it is now Tuchel, not Ranieri, that is the 'Tinkerman'


07:13 PM

Watford do not, usually, enjoy playing against Chelsea

Watford have lost seven of their last eight Premier League meetings with Chelsea, winning the other 4-1 in February 2018. The Hornets have conceded 21 goals in these eight games (2.6 per game).


07:05 PM

Team news recap

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel makes six changes from his side's frustrating 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday as the Blues take on Watford.

Jorginho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech drop to the bench in place of Saul, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic.

Reece James is not included in the matchday squad, with Kai Havertz, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta also named in the starting XI.

Claudio Ranieri only makes one change to the starting line-up from the side which lost at Leicester, despite Watford's mounting casualty list.

Joao Pedro is included while Cucho Hernandez takes his place among the substitutes.


06:49 PM

Is this going to change tonight? Probably not...

Watford haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 23 Premier League matches, the longest current run of any team, and have shipped 45 goals in these games since a 3-0 win over Liverpool in February 2020.


06:33 PM

Romelu Lukaku remains on the Chelsea bench...

But Andreas Christensen and Saul Niguez both start.


06:31 PM

Team news is in!


02:53 PM

Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live coverage of Watford-Chelsea

Chelsea's forwards are misfiring in the Premier League due to their defensive workload, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday, but the German manager trusts his team to get them back to their goal scoring best.

League leaders Chelsea have scored 31 goals this season - second-best behind Liverpool's tally of 39 - but they have struggled to finish off their chances in recent games while their main striker Romelu Lukaku was also injured for a month.

Chelsea had nearly 50 shots on goal in their last two home matches against Burnley and Manchester United but both games ended 1-1 to cut the London side's lead down to one point.

"I think they (forwards) try hard. Their contribution to our style of game, to the high pressing, is immense," Tuchel told reporters ahead of today's Premier League trip to Watford.

"We should maybe take into account that when they arrive with the chances, they don't arrive fully relaxed. Maybe that costs us a bit of precision sometimes, but we scored many goals before.

"We trust them, they have the quality to score for us. It is on us to bring them in positions where it's possible for them to score and to do this as often as possible."

With German forward Timo Werner also missing several games with injury, wing back Reece James is Chelsea's top scorer in the league with four goals.

Chelsea's Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante remain sidelined with injuries while Tuchel said late calls will be made on James, Jorginho and Werner.

Watford, 16th, also have several players unavailable, with key winger Ismaila Sarr out for at least a month due to a knee ligament injury.

Meanwhile, Tuchel has told Andreas Christensen it is time to "walk the talk" by committing his future to Chelsea following protracted contract discussions.

Tuchel was expecting imminent good news on the defender's future almost two weeks ago.

But Denmark international Christensen, whose existing deal expires at the end of the season, has seemingly stalled on putting pen to paper.

The 25-year-old has been an unused substitute for the club's last three fixtures and, ahead of Wednesday's trip to Watford, may remain on the bench until the matter is resolved.

Reuters