THE caretaker has arrived but the problems remain for Chelsea as they continue to look a pale shadow of defending champions.
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| Guus Hiddink was on the bench for the first time in this his second spell at Chelsea |
Guus Hiddink's first match of his second rescue mission at Stamford Bridge ended with a meagre point, despite two goals from striker Diego Costa against an impressive Watford team.
There were none of the jeers of the previous week when the Chelsea crowd booed several players they believed were implicated in the departure of former manager Jose Mourinho.
But there was a pantomime villain.
That was midfielder Oscar, who had the chance to win the match for Chelsea with a late penalty but slipped in slapstick fashion as he connected with the ball and sent it ballooning over the bar.
Defeat would have been harsh on Watford. They might have been hanging on towards the final whistle, but for much of the game they looked the more accomplished side despite the return to form of Costa.
Without the combative Spanish striker, Chelsea would have endured far more misery. "I am disappointed not to have a victory because of the penalty chance," said Hiddink.
"But Watford also deserve a lot of respect. It was a very intense game and I was delighted by the reaction of the players after we went down 2-1 in the second half.
"That was good, especially in regard to what has happened in the recent past."
Watford's defence is famously well organised under the eagle eye of head coach Quique Sanchez Flores, but they were undone in the 34th minute by a Chelsea goal trademarked since the day John Terry came into the team as a teenager.
He won a header at a corner and knocked the ball down for Costa to score with a left-footed volley, shooting on the half-turn.
It was only the fourth goal for Costa this season but this was greeted with unanimous applause from the Chelsea crowd - a sharp contrast to the way they had roundly jeered him the previous weekend.
That didn't seem to matter to Costa. He still wore his trademark angry face as he ran to the corner flag while his team-mates celebrated.
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| Costa looked close to his best as he scored twice |
Watford were undeterred, and by half-time they were level thanks to a penalty. It was a curiously clumsy handball by Nemanja Matic, arms all akimbo at a corner.
Troy Deeney scored calmly from the spot to make it 1-1 at the break.
The visitors continued to be more threatening after the interval. Etienne Capoue had one shot well saved by Courtois, but within a minute Watford had taken the lead when a shot from Odion Ighalo was deflected into goal off Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.
Now there was real concern.
It took 10 minutes and a touch of over-confidence from Watford for an equaliser.
Jose Manuel Jurado was a little too cocky as he raced past Branislav Ivanovic. He lost the ball and within moments Willian had played a clever pass to Costa, running behind the Watford defence, and the striker scored with a lovely clip.
Was the striker offside? Replays showed it was a marginal call.
Eden Hazard came on as a substitute and instantly won a penalty with his trickery. Maybe this was the day for Costa to take the spot-kick and claim a hat-trick.
Instead, Oscar contrived his hapless miss - and Chelsea remain low in the table, still flirting with the relegation zone, while Watford compete for a place in the top four.
"It's amazing for the story of Watford," said manager Flores. "I was very pleased with the performance against such strong opposition."
Angry face of two-goal Costa
masks worries
COUNTING THE COSTA: Diego may have had a hat-trick and a winning goal had he taken the penalty
MAN of the MATCH: Etienne Capoue - A strong presence in the heart of midfield for Watford.CHELSEA: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas (Mikel 45); Willian, Oscard, Pedro (Hazard 75); Costa.
WATFORD: Gomes; Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Holebas; Abdi (Behrami 69), Watson, Capoue, Jurado (Anya 73); Deeney (Guedioura 90), Ighalo.
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