EPL: Chelsea ease past Watford, move up to third

Chelsea have moved up to third in the Premier League table and given their top-four hopes a major boost courtesy of a 3-0 win over Watford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues were forced to withstand some heavy pressure from the visitors during a goalless first half, but took the game away from them with goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and David Luiz inside the first five minutes of the second half.

Gonzalo Higuain then wrapped up the scoring as Chelsea marked their final home game of the campaign with a win which takes them to the brink of Champions League qualification next season.

The Blues now sit five points clear of both Arsenal and Manchester United – the latter of whom drew with Huddersfield Town this afternoon – and will be guaranteed a top-four spot if the Gunners fail to beat Brighton & Hove Albion.

Pedro twice came close to breaking the deadlock in the final 10 minutes of the half – first curling one shot narrowly past the top corner and then lashing another off target from range after a quick one-two with Higuain.

Despite their positive end to the half it was Chelsea who may have been more relieved to reach the interval still goalless, although that all changed at the start of the second half as the hosts scored twice in the opening five minutes.

Hazard was the creator for both goals to take his assist tally up to 15 – more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues – but he almost got his own name on the scoresheet even before that when he drilled a shot towards goal from a tight angle which Foster needed to tip behind.

The resulting corner was played short and then whipped into the box by the Belgian for Loftus-Cheek, who held off his marker, to steer a downward header into the bottom corner.

One quickly became two as Watford were again undone from a set piece, this time Luiz escaping his man to be left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box and powering a header past Foster.

Foster was by far the busier keeper in the second half, but he could do nothing to prevent Chelsea’s third when it did arrive 15 minutes from time, with Higuain expertly dinking his finish over the Watford man after latching on to Pedro’s through-ball.

It was that cutting edge in the final third which ultimately separated the two sides, although Watford did deserve a consolation goal and almost provided it three minutes later when Holebas clipped the top of the crossbar with only the keeper to beat.

Chelsea’s win lifts them above Tottenham Hotspur into third after Spurs were beaten by Bournemouth on Saturday, while United’s shock draw with Huddersfield Town.