Unlucky Chelsea Win at Watford

According to the Chelsea manager his team are constantly obliged to struggle manfully against the ravages of ill fortune pitted against them and the forces of good fortune which smile upon their rivals – a tragic situation of which Moan a Minute Mourinho considers it his duty to remind us at every opportunity.

So here, for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of football lovers who have long since become weary of his excuses, is a bit of an antidote. It concerns only Chelsea’s Premiership game against bottom of the league Watford at Vicarage Road – a contest which they might reasonably have been expected to win by a cricket score. Judge for yourself how much bad luck Chelsea can cram into a single match.

In the opening exchanges, referee Uriah Rennie graciously declined to award struggling Watford a penalty for John Terry’s handball and Petr Cech brought off a sharp save from Kabba’s goalbound overhead kick. In the 12th minute, Henderson volleyed just over from 8 yards and a minute later, Kabba broke through, beat Carvalho, and shot wide. That adds up to four goalscoring chances for Watford in the first quarter of an hour.

With just 19 minutes on the clock, Rinaldi sliced the ball wide from 22 yards and as half time approached, a Watford free kick from just outside the box was doomed to failure as Mr Rennie thoughtfully permitted Chelsea’s wall to encroach within 7 yards of the ball, which is no more than one might expect of a referee who awards Chelsea a corner for a ball which rebounded off one of their own players.

After the interval, Kabba blasted wide from just outside the goal area and Cech saved twice from Francis, before Kalou’s header from Shevchenko’s cross in the 92nd minute gave Chelsea a last gasp victory.

The tragedy for Watford is that they could have scored six goals but ended up with nothing. Whereas unconvincing and unentertaining Chelsea, who created chances yet failed to take any of them in normal time, left with three points which they didn’t deserve. How unlucky is that?