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

Mame Biram Diouf struck late to earn Stoke City a point at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. His 85th-minute header cancelled out Bertrand Traore's first-half opener to seal a 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

The west London hosts led for a majority of the tie, but Stoke's official Twitter account went so far as to say they might have even challenged for maximum spoils on the day:

Stoke started out at Stamford Bridge full of endeavour, but they were made to pay for their inability to convert several gleaming chances in front of goal, until Diouf repaid the debt he owed for missed chances early on.

Diego Costa missed Saturday's clash with a tendon injury, per the club's official Twitter account, while Cesc Fabregas started on the bench as interim manager Guus Hiddink opted for the central-midfield tandem of Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel. Meanwhile, Branislav Ivanovic continued in central defence in place of the injured John Terry.

ESPN FC's Liam Twomey sounded out special praise for Traore, noting Chelsea's priority will be the upcoming UEFA Champions League round-of-16 second-leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain:

Mark Hughes' visitors opened the clash in confident mood and looked the better team for periods, with January signing Giannelli Imbula particularly impressive up against Chelsea's anchors.

Diouf spurned two prime opportunities in the space of 10 minutes: first skying Ibrahim Afellay's cross into the stands, then failing to connect properly with Xherdan Shaqiri's floated ball from the right wing shortly after.

He would come to regret those misses, too, as Matic fed Traore on the edge of the Potters' area just minutes later, and the Chelsea youngster turned onto his favoured left before rasping home a sensational opener.

The 20-year-old collected his fourth goal in five games and scorched a shot inside Jack Butland's left post that stayed hit, leaving the Soccer Saturday crew to remark on his ability to fill in for the absent Costa:

The Blues went in at the break with a one-goal advantage, while Hughes' men could only wonder whether those earlier missed chances would come to haunt them.

Squawka provided a breakdown of the first-half statistics in west London, which showed the guests were far from being counted out of the fixture:

Conceding the first goal was a hefty blow for Stoke, who knew that chasing an equaliser with too much fervour would likely see them pegged back further.

Nevertheless, the Potters continued scouring for their first of the day, but the centre-back pairing of Ivanovic and Gary Cahill stood resolute, despite the best efforts of Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic and others.

ESPN FC's Liam Twomey was full of praise for the travelling outfit, touching on the Blues' need to find a second goal if they were to put the result beyond Stoke's reach:

Those words proved timely, too, as Diouf made up for his earlier missed opportunities with just five minutes remaining, pouncing on a Thibaut Courtois error to head Stoke level.

The Guardian's Sachin Nakrani agreed it was all Stoke deserved for their endeavour throughout the afternoon:

Chelsea duo Willian and Oscar made their best efforts to seal a late winner for the Blues, but substitute striker Loic Remy didn't give Hiddink's side the same reliable presence in attack.

The home outfit were almost made to pay for their late intent, too, after Stoke forward Bojan Krkic ghosted through their defence only to fall at the final hurdle in added time.

A draw means Chelsea remain 10th in the standings after West Ham United beat Everton 3-2, but the west London giants are still unbeaten in 12 Premier League games since Hiddink took charge in December.

The Potters, on the other hand, will be saddened to see their three-match winning streak come to an end at Stamford Bridge, but a point sets them up well for the visit of Southampton next Saturday.

Post-Match Reaction

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Chelsea chief Hiddink had plenty of reason to be upset after seeing his side give way late on in Saturday's game and miss their opportunity to claim all three points against a motivated Stoke outfit.

However, the Blues boss said he was disappointed midfielder Oscar wasn't given a penalty following what he thought was a foul by Potters defender Marc Muniesa, per Sky Sports audioBoom:

Twomey provided further quotes from the Dutchman, who said Costa "should be OK" for the visit of PSG in midweek, meaning goalscorer Traore is likely to drop out of the XI:

Per Twomey, Stoke manager Hughes lauded the efforts of Imbula, who once again stood out for his side, and lifted the lid on one key piece of fortune, per the Daily Mail's Sam Cunningham:

Hughes will leave the capital the happier of the two tacticians, and he'll be pleased his Stoke side remain three points ahead of Chelsea, having now gone unbeaten in their last two trips to Stamford Bridge.