“It’s a really unfair result.” They were Marco Silva’s opening comments as he faced the media after Watford pushed champions Chelsea all the way at Stamford Bridge, but ultimately left empty-handed following a 4-2 defeat.

After Abdoulaye Doucuore had cancelled Pedro’s opener for the Blues on the stroke of half-time, the Hornets blitzed their opponents at the start of the second half and really should have had more than a Roberto Pereyra goal to show for their superb efforts.

But their inability to net a third was to cost them as Chelsea turned the game around in the last 25 minutes through two goals from substitute Michy Batshuayi, either side of a Cesar Azpilicueta goal.

“We didn’t deserve the result,” Silva continued. “Even if we take only one point I think that is unfair on us.

“We started very well, Chelsea scored a fantastic goal and after we reacted well and at the end of the first half I think we deserved that goal.

“In the first 25 minutes of the second half we played really good football, had control of the match and didn’t give Chelsea much chance to counter attack. We scored the second goal, before we had a fantastic chance with Richarlison, and after we scored we had two or three chances to kill the match.

“That moment we score a third goal we kill the match and we had more of a chance to control the game in a different way. But Chelsea, with some fantastic individual players, they start to believe and after they put fresh players on the pitch, like Willian, like Batshuayi, in one moment they can be the difference, but it’s a really unfair result.”

Richarlison spurned Watford’s two best chances to score a third, failing to convert two gilt-edged opportunities either side of Peryra’s goal.

Silva praised the young Brazilian and said: “He deserves all the credit because what he’s done until now is fantastic.

“I’m sure in the next game he will score again, he’s scored really important goals for us in the past, but it’s more important we create the chance and, in that moment, Richarlison was in the right position to score again.”

Although Chelsea’s first goal was a stunner from Pedro, it came from a corner that was incorrectly awarded after Eden Hazard, and not Miguel Britos, carried the ball out of play.

A rueful Silva compared what happened with the controversial penalty his side were awarded against Arsenal in their 2-1 win last weekend, remarking: “After question number 20 somebody asks me about the corner. Last week because of the penalty, it’s the first question the journalists ask me. Of course everybody knows it’s not a corner, everybody knows it’s a goal kick. Sometimes football is not far but I don’t want to use my time talking about this situation.”