Soccer: Chelsea aces send defiant message

Chelsea 4 Watford 0

Adrian Mutu scored twice, while Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen were also on target as Chelsea completed a routine FA Cup third round replay victory against Watford at Stamford Bridge.

And the trio can only hope that Abramovich was paying close attention.

Four leading forwards might seem enough for one club but, especially with Hernan Crespo injured for six weeks, the Russian may not be able to resist the temptation to enter the transfer market again.

Whether it is eventually Louis Saha, Christian Vieri, David Trezeguet, Adriano or anyone else who now arrives at Stamford Bridge still remains to be seen.

However, the pressure was always set to grow even further on Hasselbaink, Mutu and Gudjohnsen after the apparent interest in Saha had been revealed.

It was just as well, therefore, that Mutu, who ended a 13-game goal drought at Leicester, struck again after just seven minutes against Watford, with Hasselbaink taking his season's tally to 13.

While Mutu scored again late on, there was also the added bonus of Damien Duff making his long-awaited return from injury as a substitute as he set up Gudjohnsen for Chelsea's late fourth.

Chelsea had fallen behind just five minutes into the drawn tie when Heidar Helguson's header was wrongly adjudged to have crossed the line.

Referee Wiley, who had also officiated in that game, nevertheless took just seven minutes to make amends at Stamford Bridge.

When Frank Lampard's shot was parried by Lenny Pidgeley, who is on loan from Chelsea, Hasselbaink contested the rebound with Neal Ardley and, when the ball fell to Mutu, the Romanian striker converted from close range.

Referee's assistant Bernard Baker flagged Mutu offside, but Wiley correctly ruled that Ardley and not Hasselbaink had, in fact, played the ball to Mutu and therefore awarded the goal.

Chelsea were two up with 33 minutes gone, Hasselbaink controlled Gallas's long-ball with his instep before sweeping his shot past Pidgeley with the same foot in the same effortless movement.

Watford refused to give up and on the restart Gavin Mahon curled the ball just past the post after Lee Cook's initial effort had been blocked.

But again, after 76 minutes, Watford were quickly given a lesson in finishing, this time by Mutu, who adeptly controlled a high-ball before curling his shot around Cox.

Gudjohnsen was nevertheless not to be outdone and after Duff had replaced Mutu, the Irishman set up the Iceland international to finish with aplomb into the top corner.

The message to Abramovich could not have been more unequivocal. Not that even four goals for the second game running may be enough to persuade him to put his cheque-book away just yet though.

CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Gallas (Huth 82), Babayaro, Gronkjaer, Lampard, Makelele, Cole, Mutu (Duff 80), Hasselbaink (Gudjohnsen 70).

WATFORD: Pidgeley, Ardley, Cox, Gayle, Smith, Devlin, Hyde, Mahon, Hand (Doyley 82), Cook (Fitzgerald 58), Dyer (Webber 58).

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).