Premier League 2019-20, Watford 1-2 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points

#2 Chelsea’s defence held firm under pressure

Chelsea's defence - including Fikayo Tomori - looked tremendous today

After scoring their goal, Watford threw everything they had at Chelsea. And while there were some scares – most notably from Ben Foster’s effort in the dying seconds of the game – the Blues’ defence held firm.

In fact, they held firm under all the pressure the Hornets put on throughout the game, restricting the hosts to just three shots on target.

There have been plenty of questions around Chelsea’s defence throughout this season. Eyebrows were raised when Frank Lampard sold David Luiz to Arsenal in the summer, and things didn’t look good when they conceded four goals against Manchester United on the opening day of the season.

Since then, however, the Blues’ back-line has improved dramatically, even without the experience of the injured Antonio Rudiger.

Both Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori performed admirably today at centre-back, with numerous blocks and clearances to go alongside their willingness to pass the ball out of danger. In fact, with the form they’re showing, it’s hard to see Rudiger regaining his first-choice spot when he does return to action.

Sure, Chelsea will find trickier tests than Watford in the upcoming weeks. But it does appear that Lampard has found a way to turn a negative into a positive this season – and we’re only three months in.