Sunday People

‘They’re gving me grey hairs’ jokes Lamps as his Blues kids equal record GOOD TAMS ROLL

- By TOM HOPKINSON at Vicarage Road

TAMMY ABRAHAM and Christian Pulisic fired the goals as Chelsea’s kids made Watford look like doddery old men.

But Blues boss Frank Lampard j oked t hat management is certainly ageing him – after a nervy finale as Watford pulled one back with a penalty from Gerard Deulofeu.

Lamps said: “I think we had got too confident just before they got the penalty. Things like the last 10 minutes are giving me grey hairs!”

Abraham set the Blues on the path to victory with a fifth-minute effort that owed much to the vision and skill of Jorginho – plus a fair amount to Abraham’s fine finishing.

He then turned provider 10 minutes after the break with the teasing cross from which Pulisic turned the ball home.

Those two will rightly take the plaudits for their goals,

Chelsea’s seven away wins on the bounce in all competitio­ns equalled a 30-year club record.

And win No. 7 was engineered largely by Mason Mount. The Blues playmaker produced a stunning performanc­e and was a joy to watch once again.

Poor Nathaniel Chalobah, who knows Mount from their days together in the Chelsea academy, might beg to differ.

He had a front-row seat, and time and again his head was spinning as Mount turned him every which way and back again. Victory moved Lampard’s men up to third and Abraham’s goal, his ninth in the top flight, took him level with Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero at the top of the scoring charts.

Watford’s fortunes are at the opposite end of the scale with the Hornets rock-bottom and still without a league win all term.

Manager Quique Sanchez Flores was subjected to chants of, ‘ You don’t know what you’re doing’ when he hooked Daryl Janmaat and sent on Kiko Femenia in the second half. There has been little improvemen­t since he returned to the club to replace Javi Gracia in September.

Watford’s only consolatio­n was Deulofeu’s 80th-minute spot-kick after VAR ruled he had been fouled by Jorginho.

They had a decent spell towards the end of the first half after a tactical switch from four to five in midfield but, for the most part, Chelsea easily had the hosts’ number.

The Blues were ahead in a matter of minutes – and what a gem of a goal it was.

Mount played a little ball to Jorginho and you will struggle to see a better pass all season than the one the Brazil-born star drifted perfectly into Abraham’s path.

It took out four Watford players and dropped tantalisin­gly between the striker and Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster. No contest – Abraham did the rest.

There was nothing Foster could do after the break when

Willian fed

A b r a h a m, and his cross in turn was tapped home by Pulisic – fresh from his hat-trick against Burnley.

Wat f ord f ans were buoyed when VAR Mike Dean awarded them a penalty for Jorginho’s infringeme­nt, and Deulofeu sent Kepa Arrizabala­ga the wrong way from the spot.

It was unlikely that a side which has managed just six goals in 11 games was going to find another one – but it did require a good save from Kepa to keep out a header from Foster, who went up for a last-gasp glory free-kick.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom