Chelsea ease past Watford to stay in the FA Cup hunt

Kurt Zouma, centre, is congratulated for his goal during Chelsea's 3-0 FA Cup third round victory over Watford on Sunday.

Chelsea powered into the FA Cup fourth round as second-half goals from Willian, Loic Remy and Kurt Zouma ensured a 3-0 win over Watford.
The first half finished goalless and, with the Championship visitors enjoying moments of promise, tension was beginning to build at Stamford Bridge.
But the interval arrival of Willian and Diego Costa from the bench had the desired effect, with the Brazilian plundering the opener and the Spaniard involved in two of the three goals.
The Premier League joint leaders played most of second half with strikers Didier Drogba, Costa and Remy on the pitch and the fire power eventually told, with Watford's defence cracking for the first time in the 58th minute.
Remy and Zouma put the result beyond doubt to keep understrength Chelsea in the hunt for silverware on four fronts and, for all Watford's endeavour, there was a gulf in class between the teams.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho conceded his side did not have everything their own way.
"It was difficult. In the first half we didn't play well and Watford were well-organised defensively," he said. "The second half was different, we gave a different dynamic to the game. We created and we deserve to win.
"I don't need to be angry to try to change things.
"I did the changes that I thought could help me change the dynamic of the game. Diego Costa and Willian played very well and in the second half the team followed them.
"If I don't have on the bench players which can help me change the game, probably I don't win. A tired Diego, with 90 minutes of Southampton and 90 minutes of Tottenham, changed the game."
Watford coach Slavisa Jokanovic was proud of his team's effort, despite the scoreline.
"I can't be happy because we lost the game, but my team made a good performance," he said. "We had good organisation, we played many minutes without the ball. We expected Chelsea to have possession of the ball.
"The arrival of Willian changed the speed and we started suffering more and this player scored a fantastic first goal.
"At the end, I must be happy with the performance of my players. We try, we made some half-chances and tried to play some fast counter-attack."
The underdogs barely touched the ball as Chelsea made a brisk start, almost taking the lead in the seventh minute only for Gary Cahill to stab Andre Schurrle's free kick over the crossbar.
The one-way traffic continued to flow unchecked into Watford's half, with Ramires tumbling beneath a well-timed tackle as he darted into the area.
Chelsea were unable to create any clear cut chances as the third-round tie neared the half-hour and there were even occasional signs that Watford were warming to the task of claiming a high-profile cup victim.
Sharp reflexes from Jonathan Bond kept Drogba out as he sought to nod home Remy's cross and home fans chanted Jose Mourinho's name after he had stalked down the touchline to demonstrate over a clumsy challenge on Ramires.
The imposing figure of Drogba continued to cause Watford's defence the greatest problems, but it was at the home end that panic reigned at the end of the half after Odion Ighalo pulled a low shot inches wide.
The Championship team surged out of the blocks after the break, with burly captain Troy Deeney making his presence felt. It was Deeney's shot that Filipe Luis almost turned into his net as Chelsea were opened up by an incisive attack.
Bond, though, could do nothing to prevent Willian's thunderous 58th-minute shot from the edge of the area after Costa and Remy had set up the Brazilian playmaker, who picked his spot and drilled the ball home.
Watford's hopes were as good as over 11 minutes later when Costa's blocked shot fell for Remy to blast past Bond and all nerves were dispelled soon after as Chelsea added their third, Zouma heading home Ramires' pinpoint cross.
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