Watford

Chelsea-Watford

Can Watford upset the odds on the road?

The season comes to a close. A Chelsea side sitting in 3rd place welcome 19th place Watford to Stamford Bridge for one last match. The Blues should take to their home turf with confidence, as they defeated the Hornets 2-1 in their last league meeting. A deeper look through the history of this matchup also benefits Chelsea. The Blues have secured at least a point in thirteen of the last fifteen Premier League meetings between the sides.

Chelsea | DWDLD | 3rd | Top Scorer: M. Mount (11)

Chelsea maintain a high-table position, but they have not played as such lately. They've secured just 6 total points from their last 5 matches. The Blues find themselves in a clash of strategy. Their direct style of play with a high long ball ratio might not have success against Watford, who are one the EPL's best in winning aerial battles. They may look to Mason Mount for his creativity, he has been their top setup man this season with 10 assists (3rd in the EPL).

Watford | LDLLL | 19th | Top Scorer: E. Dennis (10)

Watford come in desperate for points after 4 losses in their last 5. Quality goal-scoring chances have been infrequent as of late. Their average xG (expected goals) of 0.8 over the last 5 matches has been 2nd lowest in the league over that span. They may look to Femenía Far for his creativity, he has been a top distributor all season for them with 28 passes into the box. They'll look to Emmanuel Dennis to lead their attack. He's led them with 60 total shots taken this season (28th in the EPL).

Chelsea-Watford Prediction: 4-0

It looks like Watford have their work cut out here, if Chelsea's attack clicks, it could be a whitewash.

Can the Blues keep their point streak going? Will the Hornets pick up a long awaited three points? PokerStars Sports has hundreds of markets, so you can find your perfect bet on the big match.

Chelsea claim last gasp win against Watford.

Kai Havertz got the opener for Chelsea in the 11th minute after being assisted by Kenedy. Watford's Dan Gosling retaliated with an equalizer in the 87th minute. With the scores level, Ross Barkley netted a timely 90th minute goal that proved to be the difference, securing Chelsea all three points.

The Overview

• The Blues saw a lot of the ball with 72% possession and created plenty of chances too, racking up 19 shots, which is 6 shots over the league average.
• The Hornets didn't generate enough chances, only mustering 8 total shots.
• The scoreline could have been more impressive if the Blues had their shooting boots on, their shot accuracy was 42%.
• It was a good-natured game with no players picking up a yellow card.

The Details

In a further display of dominance from the Blues, they completed a massive 455 more passes than the Hornets. For Watford, Femenía Far did his best to create opportunities, but his 6 crosses weren't enough to affect the outcome.

3rd place is confirmed for Chelsea, who will take on the best in Europe in the Champions League next season. Meanwhile, Aside from not ending up bottom, there aren't many positives to draw for Watford fans after finishing 19th.

Top Performers

That's a wrap for another season of Premier League action until the 2022/23 season kicks off on August 6.

Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes star in Leicester win.

João Pedro began the scoring for Watford in the 6th minute. After the first goal, Leicester responded in a big way, with a 5-goal barrage. Watford couldn't muster another beyond that initial score, as Leicester took the dominant win.

The Overview

• Winner of the possession game were the Foxes with 60%, they had it in the right areas too, getting away 13 shots.
• Despite the loss, the Hornets had plenty of chances of their own, getting away 13 shots in the match.
• The Foxes' accuracy paid off well, 54% of their shots were on target.

The Details

James Maddison continually probed down the flank, getting 6 crosses into the box. The Foxes won the passing game, clocking up 525 completed passes to the Hornets' 350.

Watford's mixed form continues. Meanwhile, Leicester make it back-to-back wins and rise up the table.

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Next up, Watford face the challenge of Chelsea on Sunday, May 22nd. While Leicester take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, May 19th. Can the Hornets improve their form? Will the Foxes make it three wins in a row?

Honours even at Vicarage Road Stadium.

Everton were superior on the pitch throughout this one, but squandered numerous chances to breakthrough. Watford struggled to create opportunities, but were ecstatic to secure a point as the teams came to a goalless draw.

The Overview

• In a tightly contested game, the teams had a fairly equal share of the ball with 48% possession for the Hornets and 52% for the Toffees,
• They may have shared the points, but the Toffees will rue missed opportunities, having 16 shots compared to the Hornets' 6 shots.

The Details

While the passing game was fairly consistent, the Toffees had a slight advantage, clocking up 492 completed passes to the Hornets' 479. For Everton, Demarai Gray continually probed down the flank, getting ten crosses into the box, while Michael Keane was one step ahead all game, recording 4 interceptions.

Watford finally get another point on the board. Meanwhile, Everton's run of wins comes to an end.

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Both squads play next on Sunday, May 15th. Watford take on Leicester at Vicarage Road, while Everton meet Brentford at Goodison Park. Can the Hornets build on this result? Will the Toffees continue to climb the table?

Palace claim all three points. 

Wilfried Zaha netted the first goal of the match on a penalty for Palace in the 31st minute. This lone goal proved to be the difference, as Palace took all three points from Watford.

The Overview

• The Eagles converted lots of possession (68%) into lots of chances, with 15 shots at goal.
• The Hornets didn't have many chances, only mustering 6 total shots.
• The scoreline could have been more impressive if the Eagles had their shooting boots on, their shot accuracy was 47%.

The Details

Michael Olise continually probed down the flank, getting eleven crosses into the box. In support of the win, the Eagles moved the ball about nicely, completing 284 more passes than their opponents. For Watford, Tom Cleverley was a bystander most of the game, he only touched the ball 18 times, although Joshua King seemed off the pace defensively, committing 4 fouls in a frustrating game.

Palace make it back-to-back wins and rise up the table. Meanwhile, Watford's woeful losing run continues.

Next up, Palace meet Villa at Selhurst Park on Sunday, May 15th. While Watford have a bottom of the table clash with Everton on Wednesday, May 11th. Can the Eagles make it three wins in a row? Will the Hornets halt their terrible form?

Burnley claim all three points. 

James Tarkowski opened up the scoring early with a dreaded own goal, giving away a point to Burnley in the 8th minute. After going down 1-0, Jack Cork retaliated in the 83rd minute. Josh Brownhill then completed the comeback from the early deficit with a tiebreaking score in the 86th minute, and that's how it ended as Burnley took the win.

The Overview

• In a tight battle for the ball, the Clarets made good use of their possession (53%), generating 17 shots, while the Hornets' managed to get off 13 shots.
• The scoreline could have been more impressive if the Clarets had their shooting boots on, their shot accuracy was 35%.

The Details

Dwight McNeil continually probed down the flank, getting eleven crosses into the box, while Josh Brownhill was one step ahead, recording four interceptions. While the passing game was fairly consistent, the Clarets had a slight advantage, clocking up 389 completed passes to the Hornets' 329.

Watford's woeful losing run continues as they squander an opportunity to move up to 18th in the table. Meanwhile, Burnley extend their winning streak and rise up the table.

Top Performers

Both squads play next on Saturday, May 7th. Watford meet Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, while Burnley have a bottom of the table clash with Aston Villa. Can the Hornets halt their terrible form? Will the Clarets keep their great form going?