Watford vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten run under interim boss Guus Hiddink but were held to a goalless draw by Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Wednesday.

The Blues rarely looked like scoring for much of the contest, though Watford 'keeper Heurelho Gomes made several important saves in the later stages.

Meanwhile, the Hornets put in a fairly strong performance themselves and battled well throughout, fully deserving of their point.

Both sides showed desire to get forward early on, but Chelsea were guilty of a couple of poor final passes, while Watford got the ball into the visitors' area without causing them too many problems.

Diego Costa was putting in a typically aggressive showing, making his presence felt in the early exchanges:

Watford continued to grow into the proceedings and enjoyed a spell of pressure. Odion Ighalo should have scored but mistimed his attempt to connect with a magnificent cross from Jose Holebas, while Sebastian Prodl powered a header straight at Thibaut Courtois.

The Belgian was called into action soon after to deny a vicious effort from Etienne Capoue when the Frenchman found space down the right. Journalists Dan Levene and Matt McGeehan noted Watford's improvement and the Blues' subsequent struggles:

Chelsea were able to absorb the pressure and apply a little of their own as Costa saw an effort deflected wide and Oscar almost found himself free in the box, but their attempts to get forward lacked quality in both ideas and execution.

Tempers flared at the end of the half with Costa and Juan Carlos Paredes involved in a tussle. Levene summed up the action neatly:

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The second half started in electric fashion as Chelsea broke forward and Gomes had to scramble to keep out a deflected effort from John Obi Mikel, while at the other end, Troy Deeney fired wide and Holebas whipped a shot into the side netting.

Neither side could sustain the frantic pace, though, and the game largely fizzled out.

Chelsea were largely reduced to efforts from distance, as Nemanja Matic connected well with a volley but directed his shot straight at Gomes, and the Brazilian was equal to countryman Oscar's curling strike.

Per Levene, the Blues perhaps flattered to deceive when they routed MK Dons 5-1 on Sunday:

The next clear-cut chance did fall for the visitors, though, when substitute Eden Hazard found Branislav Ivanovic in the area with a pull-back, and the Serb forced a strong reaction save from Gomes.

Hazard continued to get involved but was guilty of wasting a golden chance to score after being picked out by Willian, but the playmaker's heavy touch allowed Gomes to rush out and smother the ball. The Brazilian stopper was instrumental once again to claw out a late header from Costa.

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Chelsea kept plugging away in the dying minutes but were unable to find a way through.

The Blues remain unbeaten under Guus Hiddink but have now drawn five of their eight league games under the Dutchman, which is hindering their ability to climb the table. They host a somewhat revitalised Manchester United in their next match, and with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial firmly back in form, Chelsea will have to step up their game on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Watford's solid showing will stand them in good stead when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in the coming weeks, though one would expect the Lilywhites will provide much more of a threat than Chelsea mustered.  

Post-Match Reaction

Per BBC Sport's Gary Rose, Hiddink claimed Costa was deliberately provoked by Paredes, but called for the forward not to react in future: 

"

It was clear and in front of our eyes. Costa was punched in the back and then he stumbled and brought his hands to his head. I was trying to protect my player because he was provoked.

 

This league is physical. When you see our central defenders and our opponent's central defenders. He [Costa] likes to go physical but he must do within the rules. Some times players get physical and he has to get used to that.

"

Meanwhile, per Rose, Watford boss Quique Sanchez Florez was pleased with the draw:

"We're happy. We've shown we can get points against the big teams—you see it against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham. The competitive level of the team is very high."