Fabregas strikes to restore order for
I was suffering during the game. To eat something, that would be good.”
Chelsea do not get the trophy until after Sunday’s final league game of the season against Sunderland and Conte already has an eye on the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
“You must have a plan in your mind, in your head,” said Conte. “I think the FA Cup final, you don’t play that on Saturday. You start to play the final 10 days before. For this reason, in my head, I have a plan to try to arrive to play the final in the best condition.”
Conte’s changes did at least allow John Terry to start his Stamford Bridge goodbye, albeit with mixed results as the Chelsea captain scored and then gave a goal away in less than a minute.
Terry was not the only culprit on what turned into a chaotic night, as Chelsea also surrendered a twogoal advantage in the second half before substitute Cesc Fabregas struck a late winner to condemn Watford to a fifth successive defeat.
Terry’s first league start since Sept 11 looked to be going perfectly when he gave Chelsea a 22ndminute lead from a Willian corner.
Kurt Zouma headed the ball against Terry and the 36-year-old reacted quickest to poke it into the net for his 67th Chelsea goal and the celebrations began.
But quicker than any Chelsea fan could mutter ‘maybe we should have given him another year’, Terry gifted Watford their first goal away from Vicarage Road since January.
Terry headed what looked like a routine clearance straight into the path of Étienne Capoue, who nodded the ball over stand-in goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for the equaliser. The mistake had come just 36 seconds after the goal.
Terry was one of nine changes from the Chelsea team who defeated West Bromwich Albion to clinch the title last Friday night.
The biggest surprise was perhaps the inclusion of Brazilian Kenedy, whose only previous league appearance was for Watford in September before his loan move was cut short. Eden Hazard was one of the few first-team regulars who started and the Belgian made and squandered a great chance after Capoue had equalised.
Chelsea did not have to wait too long to regain the lead, as César Azpilicueta scored his first league goal of the season nine minutes before half-time.
Daryl Janmaat headed Hazard’s corner out to the edge of the penalty area and Azpilicueta struck a perfectly driven shot that gave Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes no chance.
Conte buried any theories that he may have been taking things easy after the title success by celebrating Azpilicueta’s goal wildly with his staff in the home dugout.
For once, however, Conte was not the most animated coach on the touchline, as Watford’s under-pressure manager Walter Mazzarri ranted and raved his way through the game – even manhandling a member of his own staff.
Mazarri’s mood darkened considerably just four minutes after the restart, when his side conceded a third goal that should have killed the game.
Michy Batshuayi was rewarded for scoring the all-important goal at the Hawthorns with his first league start for Chelsea since signing for £33million from Marseille and the Belgian was on target again.
Willian had a shot saved by Gomes and, from the resulting corner, Kenedy’s effort was deflected into the path of Nathan Aké who squared for Batshuayi to deposit the ball into the net.
That should have been the start of the procession, but Chelsea once again conceded almost immediately after they had scored. This time, a mistake from Zouma let in Janmaat, who raced into the area and danced around Aké before curling the ball into the corner of the net.
It was a sloppy goal to let in and Conte turned towards his bench in anger. The Italian’s summer shopping list may have got a little longer. Batshuayi and Azpilicueta