Duff's return raises Bridge

SOCCER / Chelsea 4 Watford 0: Chelsea made their recovery slowly, but this was a merry convalescence by the end.

They may now be over that defeat by Liverpool in their last home match and, with Damien Duff back from injury as a substitute, there was a satisfaction to this FA Cup replay. The team now goes to Scarborough in the next round, but the rest of the club's future is a puzzle.

As the rumours of new signings churn around Chelsea each current player must wonder if he is actually an understudy to a star not yet arrived. Throughout all the speculation, though, the team will only achieve satisfactory results if there is at least an illusion of stability.

Nine of the line-up that had started at Leicester City on Sunday were retained here and the other two, William Gallas and Adrian Mutu, had appeared in that 4-0 win as substitutes. Perhaps the manager, Claudio Ranieri, is being seduced by conservatism, hoping belatedly that a little method might emerge to counteract some of the moneyed madness at Stamford Bridge.

The composure did have its limits here. A 2-0 advantage at the interval was not born of absolute control over Ray Lewington's team. The goals, in fact, punctuated a heated and fairly skilful venture by Watford, who had forced three corners in the first 90 seconds alone.

Under the circumstances Chelsea ought to be respected for the economy with which they intruded to score. The opener did have a haphazard element as well - the drive from Frank Lampard in the sixth minute shone with the purposefulness he has added to his game, but the aftermath of Lenny Pidgeley's parry was odd.

Neal Ardley, contesting possession with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, merely nudged play towards the edge of the six-yard box, from where Mutu popped the ball into the net. The linesman flagged for offside but was corrected by referee Alan Wiley's explanation that the key pass had come inadvertently from a Watford player.

If this game could have been turned into the briefest of highlights packages, there would have been a misleading impression of superiority from Chelsea. The lead, for example, was doubled in the 34th minute when Hasselbaink easily slipped away from Marcus Gayle to take a touch on Gallas's pass and smack home a bouncing ball.

The score, though, snubbed the accomplishment of Watford in the opening half hour. They attacked enthusiastically on the wings and found the angles in central midfield with which they could build moves. In the 30th minute they were close to pulling level at 1-1 when Jamie Hand got the break of the ball against harassed defenders and shot against the post.

Chelsea could not be denied their composure indefinitely. In the approach to half-time there was already a marked improvement in the fluency of their passing.

Pidgeley, on loan to Watford by sanction of Ranieri, might have feared he was about to relive the sort of long session of goalkeeping practice these Chelsea forwards used to provide at the Harlington training ground.

Duff was waiting for the opposition to be pacified so he could make a comfortable return from the shoulder injury collected against Fulham on December 20th.

Chelsea do not have quite such a cutting edge without the Irishman and their player was more polished than incisive in the early part of the second half. Joe Cole did crack the ball wide in the 52nd minute after a Jesper Gronkjaer cross was half cleared, but the angle had been testing.

Much as Watford were condemned to pursue and cover as best they could, they were not crushed immediately. They were still intent on attacks and when the ball emerged from a struggle in the penalty area after 57 minutes, Gavin Mahon sent an attempt beyond the far post.

Chelsea scared themselves, too, in the 74th minute when their goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini thumped a clearance against Scott Fitzgerald, but the substitute was not left in any position to finish. Mutu, moments later, had no such difficulty, taming Cole's pass before twirling to fire low into the corner of the net.

Duff could now be let loose and had a part in a lovingly devised fourth that his fellow substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen completed with a firm chip.

Guardian Service

CHELSEA: Cudicini; Melchiot, Terry, Gallas (Huth 82), Babayaro, Gronkjaer, Lampard, Makelele, Cole, Mutu (Duff 80), Hasselbaink (Gudjohnsen 70). Subs not used: Sullivan, Johnson. Goals: Mutu 7, Hasselbaink 34, Mutu 76, Gudjohnsen 84.

WATFORD: Pidgeley; Ardley, Cox, Gayle, Smith, Devlin, Hyde, Mahon, Hand (Doyley 82), Cook (Fitzgerald 58), Dyer (Webber 58). Subs not used: Chamberlain, Brown. Booked: Hand.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).