Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over Watford has been overshadowed by the performance of new signing Mount. The Brazilian made his debut in January and was a key player in helping Chelsea secure all three points at Vicarage Road, earning 9/10 from Match Review. Pulisic disappointed as he failed to manage any shots on target or goals for Dortmund in their defeat against Wolfsburg.
The “pulisic news” is a story that has been circulating the internet. It tells of how Chelsea’s Mount earned 9/10 for saving Watford trip; Pulisic’s 6/10 disappoints.
Chelsea maintained their Premier League lead with a 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road, but they were pushed all the way by a tenacious Watford side on a difficult night for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
In the early exchanges, the much-changed Blues appeared disjointed, before play was momentarily halted owing to a medical issue involving a fan who became unwell, with members of both teams’ medical staff aiding the paramedics in the bleachers. Tuchel used the opportunity to instill a sense of urgency in his players, and Mason Mount took the lead from close range after hitting the woodwork minutes earlier.
The hosts equalized with Emmanuel Dennis’ corner kick, but champions always find a way to win when they’re up against it, and Chelsea accomplished just that. Mount was involved once again, this time teeing up Hakim Ziyech, who scored a superb goal to stun Watford.
2 Related
Positives
The most encouraging aspect of the evening had to be the medical professionals’ quick reaction to the situation in the stands.
Negatives
Chelsea had no response for their tenacious hosts, who had their opponents in all sorts of problems from the start. For long stretches, the Blues were second-best all over the field, and they can’t afford to have too many evenings like this if they want to win a trophy in May.
Managerial evaluation
Thomas Tuchel, 6 years old — It was obvious after six modifications. Even the top teams must know when not to play out of the back, but his squad did not do so. Managers are assessed on their outcomes, and Chelsea delivered in the end, thanks to some clever replacements.
Those are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best and players inserted after 70 minutes receiving no rating.
GK Edouard Mendy, 7 years old — The Chelsea goalkeeper certainly didn’t expect a touch in the opening minute, but he was his team’s busiest player from the start, making a flying save to keep the Blues in the game before stopping Danny Rose from close range.
DF Trevoh Chalobah, number seven — With Vicarage Road on the verge of erupting, the 22-year-old kept his cool under pressure and was in the right position at the right moment to divert a dangerous sweeping attempt beyond of goal. Prior to his departure, he put up a good show.
DF Andreas Christensen (5 years old) — Chelsea needed early treatment after a severe collision with Joshua King as they failed to get out of their own half. After Mendy had denied Rose, he was on hand to knock the ball away to safety, but he always seemed vulnerable.
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DF Antonio Rudiger, 5 years old — Mistaken clearances may be seen all around the park. Dennis beat him too easily, shooting between his knees and into the corner, but with a clever, scooped ball out to the left, he initiated the onslaught that made it 2-1.
MF Cesar Azpilicueta, 5 years old — Under pressure from Joao Pedro, survived a heart-stopping moment when a whipped cross from Kiko Femenia cannoned off a knee and had to be knocked away by Mendy. Struggled to keep up with a fast-paced Watford onslaught.
MF 6 — Ruben Loftus-Cheek Chelsea failed to pull together a quality sequence of passes in the first half, and the agile midfielder had little influence. After a tremendous rush forward, he intelligently released Christian Pulisic.
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Mason Mount, FW, 9 — When his sweetly-struck attempt from a close angle rattled the left post, he came within inches of opening the scoring against the flow of play. That was before he scored a close-range goal for Chelsea and crossed for Ziyech to complete the comeback.
FW Christian Pulisic, 6 years old — In the first 45 minutes, he tried his hardest to give an outlet, but he was unsuccessful. After the interval, he had a lot more fun, but he lost his balance at the crucial time when he appeared like he was going to score. At the end of the night, he was playing right wing back.
Kai Havertz, FW, 7 — For approximately a half-hour, he was completely isolated, but he got himself an assist when he generously placed the ball on a plate for Mount to drill home. When he shook his marker after the break, he had the hosts scrambling, but his tempting low pass was well-defended.
Substitutes
DF Thiago Silva, 6 years old — Chalobah pushed into midfield in place of Niguez at halftime, but he didn’t do much until the last seconds, when he helped his team withstand a wave of late pressure.
MF 7-year-old Hakim Ziyech — Tuchel was forced to reshuffle the pack after replacing the injured Chalobah at the hour mark. He received a yellow card less than five minutes later, and his passing was less than great, but his thunderous crash home stole the show.
6 — FW Romelu Lukaku Tuchel went all in when he substituted Azpilicueta, tasked with salvaging a terrible situation, but it was in his own box that he had the most impact, alleviating the strain with a thunderous header.