Batshuayi fires Chelsea back on track

Michy Batshuayi stepped off the bench to inspire Chelsea’s fightback as Antonio Conte’s side eased the pressure on their manager with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Watford on Saturday.

Conte’s position has come under scrutiny after back-to-back Premier League defeats and claims of player unrest over his training methods.

The Italian appeared set for another difficult afternoon when Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and Roberto Pereyra overturned Pedro’s glorious opening goal for the hosts.

But Batshuayi, on for Alvaro Morata, kickstarted the comeback in the 71st minute before completing the win with a second in the fifth minute of added time after Cesar Azpilicueta had restored Chelsea’s lead.

A difficult week would have got a lot worse for Conte had Chelsea suffered a third successive league defeat for the first time since the final months of Jose Mourinho’s second spell in charge two years ago.

Pedro’s 12th-minute effort provided the perfect start for the champions, although Watford were convinced the opportunity should never arisen.

Referee Jon Moss awarded a corner after the ball appeared to go out off the foot of Eden Hazard.

Hazard collected a short corner from Cesc Fabregas and pulled the ball back into the path of Pedro, who whipped in a curling, right-foot shot that clanged into the net off Heurelho Gomes’s right-hand post.

Chelsea should have doubled their lead in the 17th minute when Morata’s cross sent Fabregas clear with only Gomes to beat, but he managed only to chip the ball into the keeper’s arms.

Watford were fortunate to escape, but having survived, they began to gain a foothold in the game.