Watford vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight
Relive all the action as the Premier League leaders visited Claudio Ranieri’s side at Vicarage Road
Chelsea maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League as Hakim Ziyech came off the bench to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Watford on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were not at their best at Vicarage Road but had enough attacking quality to emerge with three important points and stay ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool.
After a 32-minute suspension while a fan was treated for a medical emergency, Chelsea took the lead when Mason Mount coolly converted after a well-worked move in the 29th minute.
But Watford deservedly levelled before the break through Nigerian Emmanuel Dennis.
Ziyech came on for injured defender Trevoh Chalobah on the hour and struck the winner 12 minutes later with the outstanding Mount turning provider.
Chelsea lead the standings with 33 points from 14 games, with City on 32 and Liverpool on 31.
Claudio Ranieri’s side will take heart from the way they pushed the league leaders but are just one place and three points above the relegation zone.
Tuchel made six changes from the side that drew with Manchester United at the weekend and Chelsea looked disjointed for much of the evening.
Watford were the better team either side of the suspension but fell behind to Chelsea’s first move of quality.
The ball was played to Marcos Alonso down the left and he slipped the ball into Kai Havertz who shifted it across to the unmarked Mount who had time to pick his spot.
Watford responded well and equalised when Moussa Sissoko powered forward and played in Dennis whose shot took a deflection on its way past Edouard Mendy.
The hosts could have been ahead with Mendy making a fine save and Sissoko scuffing a decent opportunity.
The quality on Chelsea’s bench eventually told, however, as Ziyech came on to secure the points.
Mount was played into space down the left and his low cross was met by Ziyech whose powerful first-time shot beat Watford keeper Daniel Bachmann for pace.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
16 mins: Saul hauls down Dennis on the edge of the box and is booked. This free-kick is in a promising position for the hosts...
KICK-OFF! Watford 0-0 Chelsea
We’re back underway at Vicarage Road but most importantly the fan is now in a stabilised condition.
Chelsea were incredibly poor before the stoppage, while the break have helped them? Or can Watford continue their fast start?
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
The PA at Vicarage Road has announced that the fan suffered a cardiac arrest but was stabilised before being taken to hospital.
No matter what happens in the rest of the game, that is brilliant news.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
The Watford and Chelsea players are back out onto the pitch at Vicarage Road.
There will be a five-minute warm-up before the match resumes.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
The fan has now been carried out by medical staff, to applause in Vicarage Road.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
The fan in the crowd has “stabilised”, according to Amazon Prime, and will be taken to hospital.
Vicarage Road is directly next to Watford General Hospital.
Watford vs Chelsea paused due to medical emergency in crowd
The Premier League match between Watford and Chelsea was paused after 13 minutes at Vicarage Road due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
The players left the field after Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso saw members of the crowd calling for help, with the medical teams from both clubs attending to the person in question.
Watford vs Chelsea paused due to medical emergency in crowd
The Premier League match between Watford and Chelsea was paused after 13 minutes at Vicarage Road due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
25 mins: A further update from the TV production says that the players will not be coming back out onto the pitch until they know that the match will continue. Danny Rose, who was set to replace Masina before play was suspended, is out there on the pitch and is continuing his warm-up.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
19 mins: The commentators on Amazon Prime have been told that the players will be coming out onto the pitch in five minutes, before taking part in a short warm-up.
Hopefully that means that the fan in the stands is ok after receiving treatment.
Watford 0-0 Chelsea
13 mins: Both teams have now left the pitch due to the medical emergency in the crowd.
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