Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Sports Staff

Eden Hazard scores twice as Chelsea beat Watford

Chelsea bounced back from defeat to Leicester with a hard-fought but impressive win at Watford.

Eden Hazard was the Blues' hero scoring twice to cancel out Roberto Pereyra's superb first-half equaliser and earn all three points and keep them in the hunt for the top four.

Here's how they did it:

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Boxing Day Premier League encounter between Watford and Chelsea, brought to you from Vicarage Road.
 
The match kicks off at 7:30pm GMT, with team set to be released at 6:30pm when we'll begin our full build-up towards the match.
 
So, just over an hour to go until kick-off at Vicarage Road in this London derby.
 
But don't forget to follow the game going on currently between Brighton and Arsenal with our very own Nathan Jacobs.
 
Team news for Watford and Chelsea due shortly.
 
 
And here are the sides from the day's late game:
 
 
Abdoulaye Doucoure starts in Javi Gracia's midfield tonight but he is supposedly a target for Paris Saint-Germain.
 
The 25-year-old is said to have agreed personal terms with the Ligue 1 club but the fee is likely to be a sticking point.
 
However, the Frenchman will be looking to steer his side to victory tonight.
Festivities in order both on and off the pitch tonight it seems.....
So, just 15 minutes to go until kick-off on the final fixture on Boxing Day, and here are the results so far today:
 
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
Spurs 5-0 Bournemouth
Man Utd 3-1 Huddersfield
Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle
Leicester City 2-1 Manchester City
Crystal Palace 0-0 Cardiff City
Burnley 1-5 Everton
Fulham 1-1 Wolves
So, the teams are on their way out at Vicarage Road.
 
Who's going to enjoy some festive period joy today? Will Hazard get his 100th goal, or will Watford cause an upset?
KICK OFF
1 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
We're underway at Vicarage Road. Can Chelsea get themselves back into the top four?
5 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
Sharp start from Pedro, who plays a crisp 1-2 with Willian before curling wide with his left foot from just outside the box. 
10 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
The visitors with all the possession so far, and it nearly brings about the opening goal. Hazard feeds Willian, and the Brazilian rounds the keeper but can only hit the post from a tight angle.
 
It isn't so rosy at the other end for the Blues though, as Kepa gives a pass straight to Deulofeu. The Spaniard however cannot find Deeney with his backheel pass.
 
 
11 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
Some concerning scenes for Watford fans at the moment, but he's back on his feet.
 
Christian Kabasele, who clattered into the post when attempting to block Willian's shot, is down, but shows powers of recovery to come back on with Adrian Marriappa stripped.
 
 
SUBS
13 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
It appears there is no Christmas miracle. Kabasele is not able to continue after giving it a go for a couple of minutes, and Mariappa does indeed replace the Congolese-born Belgian.
 
 
20 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
The Hornets have settled into this game a bit more since the injury to Kabasele, and they could have fashioned a chance on top of that, but Ken Sema cannot make anything of a promising free-kick for Watford.
24 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
It's been a bitty half so far, which the injuries and stoppages have not helped. Hazard hasn't changed his game though, making his way past a number of Watford defenders in his unique way before seemingly being tripped.
 
Nothing given by the referee though
29 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
Abdoulaye Doucoure showing exactly why PSG want him.
 
The Frenchman gets the better of his man after collecting a Deulofeu pass, but has his shot well blocked by Jorginho.
32 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
That's not so impressive from the Frenchman though. Deeney holds off Rudiger and plays in Roberto Pererya, who finds Doucoure.
 
Sadly the midfielder's left foot lets him down and he fires over.
34 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
That should have been the milestone goal for Hazard.
 
Cesar Azpilicueta plays in a delightful cross to the Belgian, but the ball does not bounce as high as he expects and he makes a complete hash of it.
38 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
This game is starting to open up and Watford get another chance. Jorginho's mistake allows Deulofeu to make a run before feeding the ball into the path of Deeney, who sees his effort very well blocked by David Luiz.
42 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
Twinkle-toes Hazard is on the move again, and he gets himself into a really threatening position, but a couple of slide challenges from the Watford defence, including a last-ditch tackle from Etienne Capoue, stop the visitors in their tracks.
SUBS
43 min: Watford 0-0 Chelsea
 
It seems Etienne Capoue's challenge has left its mark on Pedro, who has to be withdrawn with a suspected hamstring problem.
 
The Spaniard is replaced by Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has scored for Chelsea in the Europa League this season.

Please allow a moment for the blog to load

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.