Cesar Azpilicueta’s goal underlined Chelsea’s goal-scoring depth

Cesar Azpilicueta scored his first Premier League goal of the season in Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Watford. Each of the Blues’ regular XI now has a league goal this season, illustrating Chelsea’s goal-scoring depth.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s second goal of the season was less spectacular than his first, a rocketed volley in the EFL Cup against Leicester. His goal on Monday was another long-range drive, and while it will not be a contender of the season it sealed another noteworthy mark for this title-winning side.

With Cesar Azpilicueta’s goal, each of Chelsea’s regular starting XI have scored in the Premier League this season. Chelsea are the only team in the top six to have every outfield player with over 1700 league minutes (i.e., half of the total season) on the score sheet.

Chelsea’s minimal squad rotation throughout the season contributes to this statistic. The Blues have fewer players with over 1700 minutes, making it easier for them to achieve the mark. However, Chelsea still have more goal-scorers and are significantly less dependent on their top producers than their “closest” rivals.

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Fourteen Chelsea players scored in the Premier League this season. In addition to the usual XI, Cesc Fabregas (5), Michy Batshuayi (3) and John Terry (1) scored on fewer than 1500 minutes each. Tottenham, who will finish a distant second and without any trophies, only had 11 goal scorers. Liverpool has 12, Arsenal has 13 and Manchester United has 14 goal-scorers. Only Manchester City has more – 17 – but Pep Guardiola used more players in more frequent rotation than any other club.

In addition to having the fewest goal-scorers, second-place Tottenham are the most reliant on their top players. The three highest-scoring scoring Spurs account for 69% of their goals, and the top five make up 85% of their output.

Chelsea, by contrast, look to Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Pedro for only 54% of their goals. When Willian and Gary Cahill enter the mix, the top five Blues account for 50% of the scoring. This is a more distributed scoring pattern than Tottenham, Arsenal or Manchester United; and is on par with Liverpool. Manchester City’s scoring distribution is flatter, again due to Guardiola’s rotation.

Chelsea are also the only club to have a defender in their top five goal scorers. Gary Cahill leads the Premier League’s back-liners with six goals. Marcos Alonso also has a career-high six goals as Chelsea’s wing-back.

Antonio Conte relied on his regular XI more than most managers. Those players, though – in testament to his training and tactics – played more versatile and balanced football than the other top clubs. For a team that does nothing but sit back and counter, as Jose Mourinho would have you believe, Chelsea sure have a wide variety of offensive options.

Next: Chelsea win showed need for depth, rotation to achieve 2017/18 ambitions

All stats from whoscored.com.