Chelsea player ratings vs. Watford: Lampard’s anniversary gift

Willian (Right winger): 9

In his post-match press conference, Lampard confirmed that talks about Willian’s new contract are still ongoing and that he would love for him to stay at Chelsea. Keeping in mind Willian’s performances since the restart of the Premier League, it would be impossible not to agree with Lampard. Pulisic ran the show for the most game, but Willian showed his class in that 20-minute period where he switched to the left wing. He is a relentless runner and continues to show just how good he is at carrying the ball. In the absence of designated penalty taker, Jorginho, Willian stepped up once again for the second game in a row, slotting the ball into the goalkeeper’s left this time.

Olivier Giroud (Striker): 8

Giroud not only makes the players around him better, but is also able to dominate opposition centrebacks in a way that Tammy Abraham cannot. He is arguably the best target man in the world, making him an important player in games where the opponent’s game plan is to sit back and defend deep. His link up play was impressive as always, and he also forced a couple of really good saves from Ben Foster.

Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 10

Man of the Match once again, despite not getting on the scoresheet. Pulisic’s skill and ability on the ball are second to none on this Chelsea team. He had to come deep to receive the ball several times due to Watford’s compact defensive shape, but once he got on the ball and was able to turn towards the goal, he was unstoppable. Something I want to highlight from his performance today is his phenomenal off-the-ball movement. Every time he releases the ball he’s always on the move, darting into the box looking to get on the end of a cross. The most dangerous thing about Pulisic is that it is impossible to predict which way he is going to go. Capoue fell victim to Pulisic’s box of tricks, and how he was not awarded a second penalty is beyond me.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (Right winger): N/A

Hudson-Odoi got some extremely important minutes under his belt as he entered a football pitch for the first time since February. He tried hard to get into the game and take defenders on, but he seemed off-the pace which is justifiable. Hoping to see him get more minutes in the coming games.

Tammy Abraham (Striker): N/A

Abraham was on the field for over 15 minutes, but failed to get involved in the game at all. Abraham had only five touches in that time and is clearly lacking confidence. He is an extremely talented player, but he must find his feet quickly for both his and Chelsea’s sake.

How would you rate the Blues’ performance? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!