Chelsea 4-2 Watford: Michy Batshuayi at the double
Michy Batshuayi came off the bench to score twice as Chelsea fought back from behind to win a six-goal thriller against Watford.
Chelsea were on the back foot for much of this contest at Stamford Bridge but two goals from Batshuayi, either side of an 87th-minute header from Cesar Azpilicueta, snatched the champions a much-needed 4-2 victory.
For a while, Chelsea looked on course for a third straight Premier League loss when Abdoulaye Doucoure and Roberto Pereyra's goals put Watford 2-1 up before Batshuayi and then Azpilicueta instigated the turnaround. Batshuayi added his second in stoppage time.
Chelsea also had the officials to thank after Pedro's opener, a superb long-range strike, came from a corner that should not have been given.
The Blues are on offer at 18/1 with Sky Bet to win the Premier League title for the second season in a row. That's behind Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham in the outright market.
Watford are odds-on at 8/13 to finish in the top half despite the defeat.
Story of the odds
- Two Sky Bet customers were celebrating after backing Pedro to score first in a 4-2 win for Chelsea at 145/1.
- The biggest RequestABet winner was Watford to score 2+ goals, 5+ Watford corners and 20+ Chelsea booking points at 22/1.
Post-match reaction
Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta admitted the come-from-behind Premier League win over Watford was important for the champions.
The Spaniard told Sky Sports: "We had to dig in until the last minute and we showed our spirit.
"It wasn't our best game but we got an important win for our confidence after three games without winning.
"We started really well and had chances to score the second. The confidence was a bit lower because of their second goal but we didn't given up. It's a big win for us.
"We know it's a long season and will have ups and downs but this is the first step to get the confidence up."
Batshuayi added: "I stay focused every day and train and play hard. I came on the pitch to do my job - I scored two goals for the team and got three points. I'm very happy today. It's good for the team."
Blues head coach Antonio Conte said: "We played a team in a good moment. They were above us in the table and I think to come back with this result is not simple - we have played three games in seven days.
"But I think we showed good form. It was a good performance - it's not simple after conceding in the last minute of the first half and then to go down in the first part of the second half. At that moment our confidence was low.
"But my players showed me great desire to fight and change the situation. The commitment is right and now we have to recover quickly (N'Golo) Kante, (Danny) Drinkwater and (Victor) Moses."
Watford boss Marco Silva said: "It was a really unfair result. We were in control most of the time.
"We didn't create a lot in the first half but we controlled the match. In the second half, for 35 to 40 minutes, I saw one team playing.
"We had clear chances to finish the match at 3-1 but they achieved an unfair result. I think everyone saw this on the pitch."
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