Watford face challenging opposition this weekend as they lock horns with Chelsea at Vicarage Road.
The two sides are experiencing almost diametrically opposed degrees of success currently, with the Hornets consigned to the bottom of the Premier League table after a winless 10-game start while the Blues are battling for Champions League qualification at the other end.
There was a similar backstory to the encounter which ensued between the two in February 2018. Watford, increasingly threatened by the prospect of relegation, had parted ways with Marco Silva and appointed Javi Gracia to amend their predicament.
His first home game in charge was a daunting assignment, the visit of the then-reigning champions — but the Hornets defied the odds, ripped up the script, and ultimately romped their way to producing a magical night under the floodlights of Vicarage Road.
Hornets edge disjointed first half
The hosts set the precedent for the match in the opening stages. They courageously pressed high, visibly unfazed by the challenge posed by their visitors, with new signing Gerard Deulofeu twice nearly forcing costly mistakes from a tentative Chelsea defence.
Antonio Conte barked at his players for their diffidence, and they did respond initially, fashioning a golden chance for Willian who fired high and wide of the Watford goal. The game gradually began to edge in favour of the Blues.
But their progress was all undone in a matter of seconds as the red mist descended for combative midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko. The Frenchman saw his night of action end just half an hour old, sent off for a second yellow card following an over-ambitious lunge on Richarlison.
Buoyed by the reduction of their opponents to 10 men, the Hornets capitalised. Deulofeu wreaked havoc once again as he burst into the Chelsea penalty area to beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to the ball. He was felled, and captain Troy Deeney powered home the resultant penalty to give his side a much-deserved lead going into the break.
Magical ten minutes secure victory for the home side
Watford continued their ascendency into the second half. They used their man advantage to full effect to pepper the Chelsea goal, with Deulofeu, Richarlison and Abdoulaye Doucouré all coming close to doubling their lead in the space of 20 minutes.
However, the Blues regained their footing once again, and having successfully limited the chances they were conceding at one end, they endeavoured to fashion opportunities of their own at the other.
Their diligence paid off when Eden Hazard picked up a loose drop on the edge of the penalty area and weaved the ball onto his stronger foot before curling past the flailing Orestis Karnezis to even the scores. It was a timely touch of brilliance from Chelsea's solitary shining light on a gloomy evening for the west London outfit.
It took just two minutes for the balance to tip Watford's way again. Daryl Janmaat meandered into the box and exchanged an incisive one-two with Roberto Pereyra before shimmying past Gary Cahill and caressing the ball to the far post with Courtois stranded. The roof came off Vicarage Road — but the Hornets weren't done there.
Fewer than five minutes later, Deulofeu marked a home debut to be wished for when he drove towards goal from inside his own half, used Deeney as a decoy to unravel the Chelsea defence and found the bottom corner with an accurate left-footed shot.
The romp was completed when Pereyra etched his name onto the scoresheet in stoppage time. He latched onto a through-ball from Doucouré, faked a shot to elude the challenge of César Azpilicueta and rifled past the grounded Courtois to erase all doubt that Watford would secure a much-needed victory.
The promise of greater things under Gracia
Doubtless to say this was a perfect introduction to Hertfordshire for Gracia. After an uninspiring goalless draw at Stoke City, the demolition of the reigning champions raised hope and expectations about what his tenure would behold.
Sure enough, it was the first of a collection of impressive results during the Spaniard's time at Vicarage Road. After steering the club clear of relegation in his first four months in charge, he became the first Watford manager ever to survive an entire summer in the Premier League and would guide the club to their highest domestic finish and points return in over three decades, as well as a first FA Cup final in 35 years, in a memorable 2018/19 season.
He bowed out of the job following an abject start to this campaign, but Gracia will nonetheless be remembered as something of an icon for his achievements with the Hornets, and it all began with victory over Chelsea — his successor Quique Sánchez Flores will be hoping for a similar catalyst as he prepares his side to face the Blues this weekend.