Watford 1 Chelsea 2: Eden Hazard stars to sink Hornets and send Blues fourth

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Vaishali Bhardwaj26 December 2018

Eden Hazard scored twice to inspire Chelsea to a 2-1 win against Watford on Boxing Day as the Blues avoided dropping points at Vicarage Road.

Hazard, who was once again fielded up front for Chelsea, fired in the opener on the stroke of half-time to not only hand the Blues the lead but also secure his 100th goal for the west London side.

Watford, though, responded within two first-time added minutes as Roberto Pereyra saw his stunning volley restore parity.

But Hazard's 58th-minute penalty ensured that Chelsea got back to winning ways, and moved back above Arsenal into fourth spot in the Premier League standings.

Chelsea arrived at Vicarage Road on Wednesday knowing they needed to put in a good performance as well as securing all three points against Watford after the players were criticised by manager Maurizio Sarri following their surprise loss to Leicester on Saturday.

The Italian coach admitted his team showed "mental confusion" and a lack of collective reaction to Jamie Vardy's sole goal at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, which heaped the pressure on the Blues in their charge for Champions League football.

The defeat was Chelsea's third in their last six Premier League games although, going into their clash with Watford, the Blues were handed a boost as Arsenal could only draw 1-1 away to Brighton - leaving the Gunners just a point above Sarri's men.

Yet despite the visitors dominating the possession, it was Watford who enjoyed the better of the first-half chances as Kepa Arrizabalaga's mistake in the ninth minute, in which he sent the ball straight to Gerard Deulofeu but saw his back-heel cleared by the Blues, proved an early warning sign.

Abdoulaye Doucoure saw his shot in the 26th minute blocked by Jorginho before he drove over the bar following a swift counter-attack by the hosts. Troy Deeney then tested Chelsea's defence with his low shot that David Luiz kept out of Kepa's path with a superb block.

But Hazard, starting again in the 'false No.9' role was the first to score after Doucoure was robbed of the ball by Mateo Kovacic, who fed the Belgian right on the stroke of half-time.

Hazard kept calm as he rounded Ben Foster to net his 100th Chelsea goal before he ran to the touchline to celebrate with substitute Cesc Fabregas.

Chelsea's celebrations didn't last long, however, as Watford hit back just two minutes later when a corner kick found Pereyra, whose first-time volley hurtled past Kepa and into the back of the net.

The goal injected Watford with the belief they could inflict a defeat on the Blues as they did back in February when three late goals secured a thrilling 4-1 win for Watford in this same fixture.

Deulofeu felt he should have had a penalty when he went down in the area following contact with Luiz, though nothing was given, and Chelsea made that decision count when they won a spot-kick of their own just two minutes later.

After Foster brought down an advancing Hazard inside the area, the Belgian converted to hand Chelsea the lead once again.

Willian could have taken the game out of Watford's reach but his powerful effort in the 72nd minute hit the ground several times as it flew wide while N'Golo Kante did the same not long afterwards.

Deeney handed Chelsea a late scare when his flicked effort from close range went over, but Chelsea held on to secure a much-needed win in their chase for a top-four spot as Watford dropped into ninth place.

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