Chelsea picked up where they left off in the Premier League, overcoming Ben Foster’s heroics and the officials’ unaccountable buffoonery to defeat Watford 2-1.
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster kept the game from being over by half time, making three top shelf saves to hold Chelsea to 1-0 after 45 minutes. Foster nearly turned a heroic effort in defeat into an delirious draw by heading the final kick of the game towards the bottom corner of Chelsea’s net, forcing a diving save at full stretch from Kepa Arrizabalaga. Arrizabalaga celebrated like the game-winner that he was before hugging his opposite number, cementing the goalkeepers’ bond. But enough about Foster, let’s rate the Blues.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper: 7.5
Chelsea conceded enough questionable goals during their win streak to let some doubts take shape around Arrizabalaga. He only faced two shots from open play against Watford: the first a rather forgettable effort from Roberto Pereyra in the 14′ and the second being Foster’s header. Whatever else you may think about Arrizabalaga in recent weeks, that save alone justified a healthy chunk of his transfer fee.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Right back: 7
Watford sent most of their attacks down Chelsea’s left side, and yet Azpilicueta still had eight defensive actions to Emerson’s three.
Willian’s return to the lineup restored the extra dimensions of Azpilicueta’s offensive involvement, as the two continued to trade and create space through overlapping runs deep in the final third. Both are threats to cross, with Willian usually doing so from a more advanced position (which allows him a good option to dribble in along goal line). This makes them a difficult duo to defend, especially as the opposition can no longer stand off Azpilicueta, thinking of him as “too defensive” to be a pass or two upstream of a shot on goal.
Kurt Zouma, Centreback: 7.5
Antonio Rudiger will have a proper incremental return to the lineup once he is fully fit. The same for Andreas Christensen, although not much has been heard on that front for awhile. Right now, Chelsea’s centrebacks could both use the day off Rudiger or Christensen provide, but neither need much more than that and certainly neither of them are at risk of a return to the bench.
As Watford came into the game early in the second half and then again in the final 10 minutes after the penalty kick, Zouma had the most impact on preserving the win. When Chelsea allowed an attack to develop through the left side of midfield, Zouma led the charge out to squelch the danger and then excoriated his teammates for forcing him into that position. That’s the vocal, angry leadership Chelsea should always have in a centreback. John Terry had it, and Antonio Rudiger was building to it when injuries derailed his progress. It shows Zouma’s confidence in himself, the defensive battery and his place in the side.
Fikayo Tomori, Centreback: 7.5
Chelsea are lucky that Fikayo Tomori is fast enough to clean up after his own mistakes. If he drives forward to meet an opposition player running onto a pass and the player knocks it past him, Tomori will tackle or square up to the player before he reaches the penalty area. If a player dribbles past Tomori, within a few steps Tomori is seeing to it that the player has to dribble past him again.
Tomori’s speed and awareness lets him clean up for the mistakes of anyone else on defence, too. He seems to read not just how the play is developing, but who, where and when a fellow Blue will make a mistake that requires him in reserve.
He is like N’Golo Kante in this regard. On the one hand, this could mean that Tomori is the long-term defensive answer for what Kante’s absence deprives Chelsea’s defensive resilience; and maybe Kante truly will not have a firm place in the XI upon his recovery. On the smarter hand, the two of them together will make Chelsea the defensive juggernaut they always are when they are at their best; and they both have the ability to do it in a way consistent with Frank Lampard’s offence-first philosophy.
Emerson, Left back: 6
Emerson did not look any worse for wear after playing 90 minutes in his first game since September 22. Emerson’s fitness permitted Marcos Alonso a much-needed day off, and his performance justified Frank Lampard’s decision to start him.
Emerson’s performance will also justify Marcos Alonso starting against Ajax on Tuesday and against Crystal Palace next weekend before the international break. Emerson made two good blocks to prevent crosses from entering the penalty area, but he was too easy for Watford’s defenders to beat. As before his injury, his attempts to play up the pitch were not as inventive or productive as Marcos Alonso’s, and he did not start his recovery runs early enough to defend against counters. Mateo Kovacic did more to cover the left side in transition to defence, and several times Kovacic or a centreback would have to come out to meet whichever Watford player made it around Emerson in the box.
This was a serviceable performance off the bench, one that expands Lampard’s options but will not change the depth chart at left back.