Substitute Cesc Fabregas scored an 88th-minute winner as new Premier League champions Chelsea edged Watford 4-3 in a richly entertaining game at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
John Terry, who will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, crowned his 716th game for the club with the opening goal, but was then at fault as Etienne Capoue equalised.
After Cesar Azpilicueta and Michy Batshuayi put Chelsea 3-1 up, Daryl Janmaat and Stefano Okaka hit back, but Fabregas kept Antonio Conte’s men on course to become the first team to win 30 games in a 38-game English top-flight season.
Conte made nine changes to his starting XI and having kept faith with the same tight group of first-teamers for the vast bulk of the season, it was little surprise their understudies looked a little undercooked.
It was the first time Chelsea had conceded three goals at home since a 3-0 loss to Manchester City in April 2016, but Fabregas’s strike took them to 90 points for only the third time in the club’s history.
With an FA Cup final against Arsenal on May 27 to tune up for, their fans will expect to see a more familiar starting line-up in Sunday’s final game at home to relegated Sunderland, after which they will receive the league trophy.
Walter Mazzarri’s Watford, who had Sebastian Prodl sent off in stoppage time for two bookable offences, have now lost five league games in succession.
Batshuayi was rewarded for his title-clinching goal at West Bromwich Albion on Friday with a first league start in Chelsea blue and it was after he had seen a shot deflected wide that the hosts took a 22nd-minute lead.
From Willian’s right-wing corner, Kurt Zouma headed the ball against Terry, who reacted sharply to hook the ball in off the left-hand post for his first goal since January last year.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate