Dominant Drogba in imperious form

14 April 2012
Chelsea 4 Watford 0

Breathe on him and he will blow you away. Touch him and he will take you out of the game. Give him space and he will shoot on sight. How times have changed for Didier Drogba.

Last March he was being hounded out of the Premiership after admitting practising the dark arts of diving. On Saturday, the Chelsea striker continued his rehabilitation with a spectacular hat-trick at Stamford Bridge.

There are still some traces of that loathsome attribute in his game - anyone who witnessed his performance in the Nou Camp on the final day of last month will attest to that - but Europe's leading marksman is changing his tune.

Without a single mention of a move to Milan for at least a month, and with the ink still drying on a four-year contract worth £22million, Drogba has suddenly put the likes of Thierry Henry and Chelsea strike partner Andriy Shevchenko into the shadows.

Although Watford proved to be little more than a Tin Can Alley for a team with aspirations to secure a third successive Premiership title, Drogba was at his devastating best.

After arriving at the near post to despatch Geremi's 27th-minute cross, the Chelsea striker showed his class when he took three players out of the game on the edge of the area, exchanged passes with Shevchenko and poked home his second.

He then set up his strike partner, celebrating the birth of his second son, Christian, on Friday, when he brought down Carlo Cudicini's long goalkick with consummate ease before freeing the Ukrainian to take the ball beyond Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Drogba sealed the hat-trick his performance deserved when he converted another cross from a revitalised Geremi in the 69th minute, but there is no doubt he has changed his game.

Geremi, who has taken his chance at right back after the implosion of Paulo Ferreira and Khalid Boulahrouz at Tottenham last week, said: 'People say Didi was diving, but he has improved a lot since then. Everybody has to learn.

'Now he is not diving and he tries to be strong because that is the way to be in the Premiership. Now he is in his best form. He has learned a lot since he has been in England.

'He knows the Premiership better than ever, but he is doing what he does best and that is to score goals. That is the best thing about him.

'You have to understand he came from France. It is a different league. For some players, it takes time to adapt and gel and that is what has happened for Didi. He is unstoppable.'

On this form, so are Chelsea. Aside from their blip at White Hart Lane, Jose Mourinho's side have been transformed into the great entertainers. Drogba has scored 14 times this season, including two hat-tricks, while Chelsea's latest goal glut stretched their unbeaten home record in the Premiership to 50 games.

They appear to be impregnable at Stamford Bridge, but their indefatigable manager set his sights elsewhere after their comfortable victory.

Mourinho has taken offence at claims of favouritism made by Sir Alex Ferguson after it emerged that the Chelsea manager will meet referees' supremo Keith Hackett to discuss his side's defeat at Spurs last Sunday.

Mourinho, clearly referring to Pedro Mendes' 'ghost' goal at Old Trafford two years ago and the decision to award a penalty to Wayne Rooney in the first minute of United's game against Blackburn last week, said: 'I promise you, if one day I have a ball that is two metres inside my goal and the referee doesn't allow it, I won't speak about referees for two years.

'And, if, in the first minute of a game, I have a penalty to kill my opponent before they have woken up, then I won't speak about referees for another year.

'I was officially invited to a meeting at the start of the season with other Premiership managers. At the end of the meeting Mr Hackett told us to call if we could make a contribution to the game. That is why I emailed him. Every manager in the Premiership has been invited to do it.'

Watford's Aidy Boothroyd is preoccupied with keeping his team in the Premiership and won't be happy his captain, Gavin Mahon, stood off Geremi when he provided the cross for Chelsea to open the scoring and there were some sleepy souls in Watford's defence as the champions cantered to victory.

Boothroyd, whose side earned their first win of the season against Middlesbrough last week, said: 'Chelsea are relentless and ruthless, and that's why they are where they are. They have got lots of strengths, but they do have vulnerabilities - if I knew what they were, we wouldn't have lost 4-0.

'Mourinho's a great guy and, after what's gone on this week, I had to say to the referee before the game, "if you don't have a good game, I want a meeting with Keith Hackett, Tony Blair and George Bush".'

Howard Webb took note because he was everything a good referee should be - seen, but not heard.

CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien, Makelele (Wright-Phillips 76min), Ballack (J Cole 73), Lampard; Drogba, Shevchenko (Robben 65). Subs (not used): Hilario, Boulahrouz. Booked: Ballack.

WATFORD (4-4-2): Foster; Doyley, DeMerit, Shittu, Stewart; Smith (Bangura 70), Francis, Mahon, Bouazza (Powell 62); Young, Henderson. Subs (not used): Lee, Mackay, McNamee. Booked: Doyley.

Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire).

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