The game was scheduled to be played on 15th December but was postponed after a covid outbreak in the Watford squad. It was re-arranged for the 18th January but was postponed again because of an outbreak affecting Burnley. As both sides were already out of the FA Cup it was eventually played on the day when the majority of 4th Round ties were held but had the slightly odd kick off time of 6pm.
clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary Goals:1 2 3 4
Remarkable finale sees Watford dismantle Premier League champions Chelsea
Watford boss Javi Gracia reflects on ‘unforgettable night’ after remarkable Chelsea victory
PICTURES: Images from Watford’s memorable win over Chelsea
Watford vs Chelsea player ratings: Gerard Deulofeu impresses on home debut as Hornets down Blues
Troy Deeney: Watford skipper’s Chelsea celebration a response to transfer speculation
https://audioboom.com/posts/6643525-thrashing-the-champions-8-33
We will rarely play worse and still win, which is merely proof that it’s impossible to guarantee that your plans will succeed and, therefore, that you might as well at least try to enjoy the process as well as the product. Gillingham made their own luck, as the saying goes, and it turned out all burnt from too long in the oven. Shame. We owe them, naturally, and I’m sure that the club is preparing a DVD of past encounters for anyone who felt even a slight twinge of embarrassment as Chris Eagles flicked the second into the bottom corner in the last minute. They’d have done it to us, so it qualifies as self-defence.
More games from 5th February at https://oldwatford.com/tag/feb5
BSAD:So I felt like the slippery slope to defeat started at kick off rather than half time. Although we were competing with a somewhat disinterested Villa side, their star players rather subdued, the dire quality of the game seemed to be more a reflection of their lack of motivation rather than our toughness. They settled for forcing endless right-wing corners, doing the same back-post routine with each, just to show us how easy they felt we’d be to beat. Our width was customarily non-existent, neither Easton or Cox looking at all suited to their role. Nothing was actually happening of note, but it still felt like we were slipping behind more and more.
Watford piled the pressure on Antonio Conte as a late flurry of goals secured a thumping 4-1 win over 10-man Chelsea on Monday Night Football.
The Blues played an hour with 10 men after Tiemoue Bakayoko’s red card capped a dreadful individual 30-minute performance – in which he gifted Watford four chances.
Thereafter, profligacy rather spared the visitors until Hazard, whipping in a glorious equaliser that dipped under Orestis Karnezis’s outstretched left hand, made it level. Briefly, tantalisingly, Chelsea dared to consider inducing another late Watford implosion but it would be the champions who unravelled. Janmaat, Deulofeu and the substitute Pereyra would each glide into space to drive home their advantage while the majority inside the arena pinched themselves in the giddiness of victory. “It’s difficult to explain how I feel at this moment,” said Gracia. “We needed the three points badly but for motivation and to believe in our possibilities, in our work, today was very important.”
Watford thoroughly deserved to win; a win that takes them six points clear of the relegation zone and halted the alarming run of results that led to the sacking of Marco Silva as head coach. This was Gracia’s first home game in charge and his January signing, fellow Spaniard Gerard Deulofeu, was outstanding in a rampant performance which Chelsea simply could not cope with.
The route home was slightly easier; Dad dropped me at St Albans, I made the train waiting at the platform, grabbed the only cab on the rank at Bedford, home at not-quite-silly’o’clock. And then lay in bed, staring upwards in the dark. For hours. Completely wired.
Following Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth during the week, I was prepared for the backlash in Javi Gracia’s first home game in charge of the ‘Orns.
