Striker Tammy Abraham scored one goal and created another as Chelsea beat Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster put on a superb display between the posts for the home side despite the defeat.
Abraham latched on to a brilliant defence-splitting pass by Jorginho and lifted the ball past Foster in the fifth minute to join Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero as top scorers with nine goals each so far this season.
Foster bounced back from the concession of that early goal to pull off a string of superb first-half saves from Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount to keep his side in the game.
He made another great stop from Mount early in the second half, but there was little he could do in the 55th minute when Abraham pulled the ball back across the box for Pulisic to slam home from close range to double Chelsea’s advantage.
“I want to make an impact for the team and I am enjoying it a lot. I want to prove every week that I deserve to be in the starting line-up,” Pulisic said after the game.
Watford nearly snatched an unlikely point as Gerard Deulofeu scored a late penalty and Foster almost headed home a late free kick as the Hornets threw everybody forward.
But his opposite number Kepa clawed the ball away as the final whistle went.
“That’s the closest I have ever come to scoring. I can’t believe he saved it but that’s why they spend so much money on a goalkeeper like Kepa,” the 36-year-old Foster told reporters, adding that he thought his side had deserved a draw.
Chelsea’s fifth consecutive league win lifts them to third place in the table on 23 points, eight behind leaders Liverpool and two behind second-placed Manchester City.
Winless Watford remain bottom on five points after 11 games.
