The first goal of Jon Harley's short but impressive career condemned gallant Watford to another defeat.

Chelsea's young defender, who won his first England under-21 cap against Argentina on Tuesday, capped a dream week with his 65th-minute header.

It clinched the points for the Blues and sank the Hornets who had battled back bravely after conceding a goal in the second minute.

Marcel Desailly had opened the scoring with a header but Allan Smart equalised before the break for Graham Taylor's team.

Chelsea's championship-winning team of 1955 were at Stamford Bridge to see the team who had started the season with high hopes of emulating that feat.

An indifferent start to the Premiership campaign, which included a 1-0 defeat at Watford, saw manager Gianluca Vialli concede defeat in the title race and fix his gaze on Europe.

The Blues are back in Champions' League action against Marseille in midweek but the Premiership remains crucial to their season. Chelsea could pounce if teams falter at the top and a top three place remains a gilt-edged ticket to more European fame and fortune.

Watford's attentions have been focused at the other end of the table but they arrived in west London boasting an incredible record at Stamford Bridge.

Current form may have been woeful but the Hornets had only been beaten once in the League at Chelsea, on their first visit in 1979.

The proud record looked in danger of taking a hammering when Desailly leapt to meet a second-minute free-kick from Gianfranco Zola and score his first league goal for the Blues.

Chelsea, who bagged five against Gillingham last week, had produced a barnstorming start but the early goal only served to galvanise struggling Watford.

Smart rattled the crossbar, after Nordin Wooter flicked on a Peter Kennedy cross, and Mark Williams turned the rebound against a post.

Vialli's team seemed to have weathered the retaliatory storm and seemed in control when the gutsy visitors did find a way through, six minutes before half-time.

Zola and Dan Petrescu had both been denied by Alec Chamberlain and Gustavo Poyet had headed over when well-placed.

The wastefulness was underlined when Smart put Watford back into the game in the 39th minute.

Williams was shoved forward to meet a long free-kick out of defence and Heidar Helguson latched onto his towering header with a superb volley.

The Icelander did brilliantly to turn his shot on target and it surprised De Goey.

The Dutchman, sprawling to his left, could only parry the ball to the feet of Smart and the Scot gleefully tapped home his second of the season - both against Chelsea.

Kennedy then unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards which was inches too high with De Goey beaten again and Chelsea looking momentarily rattled.

Watford were still fighting after the break, refusing to let their hosts settle into a rhythm and bombarding De Goey's goal with a barrage of corners, free-kicks and crosses.

It was a counter-attack, engineered by Didier Deschamps, which gave Chelsea the luxury of a second goal they barely deserved.

The Frenchman sent Petrescu scampering down the right with a first-time pass. Petrescu lifted a deep cross into the area where Harley arrived in the nick of time to head the first goal of his short but impressive career.

Robert Page denied Poyet with a defensive header and Tore Andre Flo rifled over on the turn.

Fine skill from Smart eked out another sight of goal for the Watford scroer but he dragged his shot into the side-netting.

Teams:

Chelsea: De Goey, Lambourde (Ferrer 58), Desailly, Thome, Harley, Petrescu, Deschamps, Morris, Poyet, Zola, Flo.

Subs Not Used: Ambrosetti, Cudicini, Della Bona, Wolleaston.

Booked: Morris.

Goals: Desailly 2, Harley 65.

Watford: Chamberlain, Palmer, Page, Williams, Gibbs, Hyde, Bonnot (Miller 87), Kennedy, Wooter (Ngonge 80), Smart,Helguson.

Subs Not Used: Day, Robinson, Smith.Booked: Hyde, Helguson.

Goals: Smart 39.

Att: 34,928

Ref: S Dunn (Bristol).