Chelsea 2-2 Watford: 5 talking points

Honours even at the BridgeGuus Hiddink saw his second stint as the Chelsea manager get off to a whimper as the Blues were held to 2-2 draw by an impressive Watford in an entertaining clash at the Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. Striker Diego Costa bagged a brace on either side of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo's strikes for the visitors, whilst Oscar spurned a glorious chance to win it for his side as he blasted a late penalty into row Z.Having only restored some confidence following their 3-1 success over Sunderland last weekend, the embattled defending champions failed to build on it as they stumbled yet again in what has been a cataclysmic Premier League season.The stalemate leaves Chelsea 15th in the standings with 17 points, whereas Watford continued their impressive run on their return to the top tier with another sparkling display, and climbed their way up the charts to 7th.Let’s look across some of the major talking points from the game.

#1 Change in the dugout, but not in the performance

Dutch head coach Guus Hiddink may have replaced Jose Mourinho in the Chelsea dugout, but the side continue to walk on shaky ground. The Blues were still vulnerable at the back and couldn't hold the visitors by their throat as they so gleefully did to the Black Cats last weekend.

Chelsea took some time to walk their way into the game and it was only after Costa’s goal after the half-hour mark that simmered down the tensions. Though not for a long time as Watford spurred themselves on and began to dominate the proceedings.

The hosts were well beaten in the midfield battle and their defence lacked any resolve. Oscar’s clumsy tumble to the ground while taking the penalty summed up Chelsea's struggles for the evening.

There may have been a change in the Stamford Bridge dugout, but that hardly reflected on their performance.

#2 Costa returning to form?

In the thick of another mediocre outing for Chelsea, their target man Diego Costa shone the brightest. The Spaniard was always in the right place at the right time and managed to save some grace for himself and his team with a brace.

The former Atletico Madrid hitman got his first of the game when John Terry's effort took a deflection off Nemanja Matic to fall into his path, and Costa made no mistake, whipping a searing drive high into the net. Just minutes after Ighalo's goal in the second half that put Watford ahead, he levelled the matters by latching on to a wonderful through ball by Willian to bag his first double of the season.

Just like many of the Chelsea players, Costa too has stuttered this season. The man who took the Premier League by storm in his debut season just a year ago appeared to have forgotten where the goal was. The cracks that developed in his and Mourinho's relationship towards the fag end of his reign did no good to his cause.

So in the light of the matter, his brace today comes as a breather. The yellow card he picked at the end that now keeps him out for the visit to Old Trafford on Monday was the only blot in an othwerise convincing evening for Costa.

#3 No room for young blood

Guus Hiddink did not entertain many young players in his team selection

Whilst Jose Mourinho was criticised for his reluctance to field younger players, his replacement Guus Hiddink too, turned a blind eye towards the young talents despite beaming about his interest in bringing in players from the U21 set-up in the pre-match conference.

The Dutchman’s first team selection comprised of 9 players who were above 25, whereas Kurt Zouma was dropped to the bench. What was more surprising was that the likes of Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy and Ola Aina were not deemed good enough to even feature on the bench.

The experienced lot amongst the Chelsea squad have been excruciatingly disappointing this season, so it may be the time to inject some fresh vigor within the side by drafting in the young guns.

#4 Fabregas comes a cropper yet again

The assist king of last season, Cesc Fabregas, has disappointed for much of this campaign and pulled another stinker of a game today. The Spanish international was a mere pedestrian in the first 45 minutes and was put out of his misery early in the second half by getting subbed off.

Fabregas is no longer the creative force he used to be and his creative genius has worn-out. He was a soft target for The Hornets, who bullied him in the centre of the park and restricted him to just short passes and nothing much.

Performances like these not only blemishes a player's credentials but also dwindles his first-team chances. And Fabregas is well on course for the same.

#5 Deeney and Ighalo critical to Watford project

Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney: The twin battering rams for Watford

Watford have been impressive on their return to the Premier League. The Hertfordshire outfit have been one of the biggest surprise packages of the season along with Leicester City and their fine run of form places them seventh in the standings heading into the final league fixture of the calendar year, thanks in no small part to the dynamic duo of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo up front.

The Watford attacking duo were once again central to The Yellow Army's strong display, and also shared the goal-scoring exploits. Together, they pressurized the Chelsea defence and their every surge into the box looked highly dangerous for the hosts.

The Hornets' ambitions are to stay afloat in the top tier for as long as possible. But if this prolific duo continue to fire on all cylinders, they can hope for much more than that.

Edited by Staff Editor