{"id":1087538,"date":"2019-05-05T16:01:06","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T15:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1087538"},"modified":"2019-05-05T16:56:20","modified_gmt":"2019-05-05T15:56:20","slug":"five-things-learned-chelsea-watford-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/five-things-learned-chelsea-watford-premier-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Five things we learned as Chelsea beat Watford 3-0 to all but confirm a top-four place"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chelsea defeated Watford 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon to almost confirm their place in the top-four this season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening stages saw the visitors dominate, with endless chances and high-pressure making Chelsea legs a little uneasy.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7246453-like-a-broken-mirror-man-utd-s-top-knot-curse-lingers-on<\/p>\n

Although Chelsea were unconvincing, they came out stronger in the second half before substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek got his name on the scoresheet to ease the hosts’ nerves.<\/p>\n

Within minutes, it was 2-0 with David Luiz netting his third goal of the season to help put his side within touching distance of Champions League football. A goal from Gonzalo Higuain was the icing on the cake for Maurizio Sarri’s side.<\/p>\n

The score remained 3-0 as Chelsea kept their first clean sheet in the Premier League since the beginning of April.\u00a0The result means that the west London outfit are sitting on 71 points in third with one game left to play while Watford sit comfortably in 10th, three points off eighth-placed Everton.<\/p>\n

Here are five things we learned from Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Javi Gracia’s Watford.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J05bCIwJewc<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Squawka\u2019s Youtube channel here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Top four over Europa League\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The only achievable aim for Chelsea this season was to ensure that they qualified for a place in the Champions League next season.<\/p>\n

Their Europa League campaign is yet to end, with their 1-1 draw away to\u00a0Eintracht Frankfurt last week putting them in a good position to seal a home victory in the semi-final second leg, that would reward them with a final appearance at the\u00a0Baku Olympic Stadium later this month.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ahead of this match, Sarri’s starting eleven made it clear that the west Londoner’s weren’t taking any chances. A strong line-up that involved key-man Hazard up-top and resisted fielding a weaker XI signified Chelsea’s domestic intent.<\/p>\n

Knowing that they had Champions League qualification in their hands, the Blues clearly felt it better to all-but seal their place in next season’s biggest European competition earlier rather than later.<\/p>\n

By winning today, Sarri has lifted further pressure on next week’s semi-final, knowing that they are even closer to confirming Champions League football returning to Stamford Bridge next season.<\/p>\n

2. Kante can’t play his part<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Frenchman has established himself as one of the most effective middlemen in world football, having bagged himself two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and a fantastic World Cup win with France within the past three years.<\/p>\n

Despite Sarri’s persistence of utilising teammate Jorginho in Chelsea’s defensive midfield position over Kante, the 28-year-old is a vital cog to the Chelsea machine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, after just 10 minutes of this fixture, Kante was on the floor and forced off the pitch with a suspected calf injury that will likely rule him out for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n

That means Chelsea will have to face Eintracht Frankfurt without the former Leicester City man and if they progress, their final showing will also be without the Frenchman.<\/p>\n

With Chelsea likely to stick with the same system, it may allow Ruben Loftus-Cheek \u2013 who came on for Kante this afternoon and bagged himself a goal \u2013 the opportunity to finally get some game time and showcase what every Chelsea fan believes he can do.<\/p>\n

3. Half an eye on the FA Cup<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What a season Watford have had. Never mentioned in relegation conversations, often sitting pretty in the top half and, of course, they have sealed a place in this season’s FA Cup final.<\/p>\n

With just one further fixture standing between Watford and their first FA Cup final since 1984’s 2-0 defeat against Everton, perhaps it’s only natural that today’s performance didn’t end in the victory they would have relished at the start of play.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In truth, The Hornets dominated the opening proceedings and looked more likely to secure three points ahead of their counterparts, with FA Cup semi-final hero Gerard Deulofeu causing problems for the Chelsea defence.<\/p>\n

However, Chelsea slowly dragged themselves back into contention and within three quick second-half minutes, Watford gave themselves little chance of picking up any points.<\/p>\n

If would be unfair to say that Watford were distracted by their FA Cup final against Manchester City in a few weeks but their energy levels faltered and their effort turned to consolidation as full-time approached.<\/p>\n

4. Record-breaking Premier League goodbye from Hazard?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Almost every sporting media outlet \u2013 including our good selves \u2013 have reported on the ongoing situation at Chelsea regarding their starman’s immediate future at the club.<\/p>\n

The former Lille man has been heavily linked with a summer move to La Liga giants Real Madrid, who seem to be keen to add the Europa League winner to their ranks.<\/p>\n

Chelsea’s performance today didn’t start in blistering fashion but Hazard was a constant threat to the Watford defence, who regularly tried to get multiple players marking the Belgian.<\/p>\n

\n

\u2713 Eric Cantona (1992-93)
\u2713 Matt Le Tissier (1994-95)
\u2713 Thierry Henry (2002-03)
\u2713 Eden Hazard (2018-19)<\/p>\n

The only four players to score 15+ goals and provide 15+ assists in a single Premier League season. ? pic.twitter.com\/92yuGtPm2o<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 5, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n