Chelsea picked up three points late on for the second time in as many games this season, as the Blues secured a 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.
The first half ended scoreless, with Chelsea controlling most of the play.
Cesc Fabregas was clearly needed from the start of second half, as Watford’s man-marking on Eden Hazard, Oscar and Pedro limited their impact but freed up space in the centre of the park.
Conte opted to make zero changes and paid the price when Watford grabbed the first goal in the 55th minute. On a cross playing into the box, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill lost track of Etienne Capoue, who fired a close-range rocket past Thibaut Courtois at the near post.
Conte waited until the 71st, 73rd and 78th minutes before tailoring his team, bringing on Victor Moses for Pedro, Michy Batshuayi for Oscar and, finally, Cesc Fabregas for Nemanja Matic.
The play improved immediately, with Fabregas picking up a ‘hockey assist’ on Chelsea’s tying goal – scored by Batshuayi in the 80th minute.
Seven minutes later, Fabregas played a sublime pass from Chelsea’s defensive half to Costa in behind the Watford back four. Costa was able to sneak his shot between the legs of Heurelho Gomes, giving Chelsea the match-winner for the second time in as many games to open the season.
Just like Monday, we learnt a lot about Conte’s Chelsea side. Here goes…
Growing pains at the back
The man-marking by Cahill and Ivanovic on Capoue’s goal is inexcusable. John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta put in fine efforts, and even Cahill did alright minus the breakdown on the goal. But Ivanovic’s mobility, or lack thereof, really showed Saturday afternoon as he was unable to close down the space multiple times and prevent crosses.
Zero production from the right side
Willian was out with a slight calf injury, forcing Pedro into action. The Spaniard didn’t provide much from the right wing – the same position that was a glaring hole in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over West Ham on Monday night.
I’ve hammered on Ivanovic enough, but he regressed this weekend and clearly showed that he and Pedro aren’t comfortable working together on the right. Pedro was eventually swapped with Hazard before the Spaniard made way for Victor Moses in the 71st minute.
Romelu Lukaku has apparently made the decision to stay at Everton for another season — so if we were going to spend some money on the attack, why not shift the funds towards buying a new right winger? Or, at the very least, give Moses a look on the right side.
Batshuayi proving his worth
Batshuayi has came on as a sub and transformed the way Chelsea played in each of the Blues’ two games this season. After assisting Diego Costa’s winner against West Ham, ‘Batman’ picked up the tying goal – a goal scorer’s goal – on Saturday. Batshuayi has again proven his chemistry with Diego Costa, and definitely gives Conte options in the future.
Fabregas was the difference-maker
Fabregas was again on the bench to start the match. N’Golo Kante was superb again, Oscar had a solid match as well but Matic took a minor step back. Matic’s lack of offensive creativity slowed Chelsea down a gear in the opening half and for much of the second half too. Many fans and media members thought that Fabregas would make an appearance after halftime, but Conte held the Spaniard off until the 78th minute.
Fabregas’ impact was clear from the start, exploiting the open space in the middle of the park and raising Chelsea’s tempo. Fabregas found Eden Hazard in open space in the 80th minute, and Batshauyi’s gobbled up the rebound from Hazard’s shot to tie the game.
Seven minutes later, Fabregas picked up the assist on Costa’s game-winning goal. If there was anything for Fabregas to prove to convince Conte to keep him, then we can look forward to seeing Fabregas in blue this season.