Chelsea sneak late win against Watford to finish third in the Premier League

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Chelsea ended their Premier League season with a win as they beat Watford 2-1 late on at Stamford Bridge.

Kai Havertz gave the Blues the lead in the 11th minute when he tapped in from a low ball from Kenedy, with the hosts enjoying a lot of the ball throughout the match.

Dan Gosling would head the Hornets level in the 87th minute, only for Ross Barkley to win it for Chelsea in added time towards the end of the game.

The Blues finish the campaign in third and will play Champions League football again next season. Watford’s fate was sealed the other week and their 19th placed finish means they will play in the second tier of English football from the summer.

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Blues in charge at home

Chelsea would dominate the possession from kick-off, with Mason Mount enjoying a lot of the ball down the left of his side’s attack. He soon sent Havertz through with a ball over the top of the defence, but Daniel Bachmann was on hand to save from the striker.

Hakim Ziyech was close to tapping in the opener but Watford were able to clear for a corner. However the hosts soon took the lead.

Kenedy, who made a rare start for the Blues, sent a low ball into the box from the left, which was met by Havertz and the German fired in at the back post. Just moments later Saul nearly made it two, but his effort was hit past the left post.

Thomas Tuchel’s side would continue to put pressure on their visitors, but soon Watford had a decent spell of possession.

As the half hour mark passed, neither side were able to produce any clear cut chances on goal, with the game living up the occasion of a match in which no team have anything to play for.

Mount and Havertz both had the opportunity to net Chelsea’s second but neither were able to get a shot away inside the Hornets’ box. The latter was through on goal again but Bachmann was there to deny him for a second time after some solid defending from the visiting backline.

Seconds before the half-time whistle was blown, Havertz hit the crossbar and signalled the end of the opening 45 minutes.

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Watford leave it too little, too late

In the opening moments of the second half, Watford came very close to scoring an equaliser but Edouard Mendy was able to make a strong save to deny Joao Pedro.

Chelsea would soon find their rhythm once again though, with Ziyech threatening on the right hand side of their attack once again. It grew into an end-to-end battle as both sides were looking to break, but neither could really find that killer ball in the final third.

The Hornets very nearly found a leveller as Thiago Silva and Mendy were caught lacking at the back, but the Blues duo soon recovered the ball and got rid of the danger.

Havertz remained the centre of attention for Chelsea in the attack, with Antonio Rudiger trying to play his fellow German through, only for the centre-back to overhit his pass. That would turn out to be his final bit of action for the club amid his pending summer departure, with Barkley coming on to replace him to make his 100th appearance at Chelsea.

Reece James and Mount both had unsuccessful attempts in front of goal as the hosts continued their search for another goal. Havertz made a good run into the box once again, but he was unable to find his brace for the afternoon.

With four minutes to go Watford found an equaliser through Gosling, who headed into the back of the net unmarked at the back post to give the travelling fans something to cheer for. However, Chelsea restored their lead just minutes later as Barkley.

The midfielder saw his header from inside the box creep into the back of the net as the match entered stoppage time. Ziyech was close to a third as the game approached full-time, but the Moroccan was denied by Bachmann.

Mike Dean, who refereed his final Premier League game, soon brought an end to proceedings, with Chelsea winning 2-1 on the afternoon.

They finished third in the Premier League table on 74 points, with the victory being their 21st of the season in the top flight. Watford concluded their campaign in 19th on 23 points, and they will play in the Championship next season.

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