Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo score as Watford draw at Premier League champions Chelsea

The striker became the first Watford player in history to score in five successive top-flight games to put his side 2-1 up early in the second half.

However, the Blues were soon to be back on terms when Diego Costa netted his second of the game before the visitors had that slice of good fortune all teams need from time to time when Oscar slipped while taking a penalty and fired it horribly over the bar.

Chelsea, as would be expected for the first game under a new manager, made a fast start and their opponents had to remain resolute. They came through that period though, and began to offer an increasing threat, only to go behind when Costa hooked home from close range following a corner.

Watford though, were to back in terms before the interval when Nemanja Matic needlessly conceded a penalty by handling from a Ben Watson and Troy Deeney calmly tucked away from 12 yards.

The draw made it five games unbeaten for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side, a feat last achieved by Watford in the top flight in March and April 1986.

Flores made just the one enforced change from the 3-0 victory over Liverpool and it was Jose Holebas who, perhaps surprisingly, got the nod to start at left-back in place of the ineligible Nathan Ake. It was the Greece international’s first appearance for the Hornets since the 2-0 defeat at Manchester City on August 29 and his first outing since playing in his country’s 4-3 win against Hungary on October 11.

Chelsea came into the game off the back of a first Premier League win in four – a 3-1 home success over Sunderland – and Guus Hiddink also opted for just the one change for the first match of his second spell at the Stamford Bridge helm with Gary Cahill returning for Kurt Zouma.

The home side dominated possession in the opening stages and had the first opportunity in the fourth minute when they attacked purposefully from the back and the ball was worked out to the right. Pedro was given a second bite at a cross and Costa got in front of Miguel Britos to meet it at the near post but he directed his header across the face of goal and wide.

The Blues continued their positive start with Willian seeing a right-footed effort from the edge of the 18-yard box deflected behind for a corner. This led to a second set piece which Costa flicked on at the near post but the ball went behind all his teammates.

Willian then saw a whipped in free-kick from the left deflected narrowly wide of the far post as the Blues’ corner count rose to four in the opening ten minutes before the Hornets were able to gain a period of respite in the opposition half for a spell.

The visitors’ foothold in the contest gathered more momentum as they increasingly began to enjoy some good spells of possession in the Chelsea half, winning their first corner in the 18th minute. Ben Watson’s delivery from the left was initially punched by Thibaut Courtois, but Almen Abdi retrieved the ball on the right and drove it back in, Craig Cathcart flicked it on but the ball was again partially cleared. However, Jose Manuel Jurado fired the back into the area where Ighalo, who was onside, instinctively stuck out his right leg but snatched the opening wide.

Heurelho Gomes had to move very sharply off his line to get down and prevent Costa from latching onto a through ball before Ighalo had his first chance to try and bamboozle Terry with his footwork, but the ball ran away from the striker before he was able to get a shot away.

The contest was much more even now and Watford had another opening in the 23rd minute, again from a Watson corner, when Ighalo headed the delivery from the right down and wide of the far post.

Another semblance of an opening arrived for the visitors when Holebas, who was getting a fair bit of joy down the left, pulled the ball back but Ighalo’s off-target effort hit Deeney and rebounded through to Courtois.

Confidence is not a quality Watford are lacking currently and it showed again in the 28th minute when Abdi tried an ambitious right-footed effort from at least 20 yards that dipped a few feet over the top of the bar.

But just as there were starting to be a few mutterings of frustration from the Stamford Bridge faithful, the home side made the breakthrough in the 32nd minute. The goal originated from a Willian out-swinging corner from the right, Terry headed it down into the danger zone via the back of Cahill and Costa reacted first in the six-yard box to fire past Gomes on the turn to make it 1-0.

The Blues weren’t too far away from doubling that lead seven minutes later when Cesc Fabregas played in the overlapping Branislav Ivanovic on the right. He got the better of Watson before pulling the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box where Oscar spun and fired over.

The Hornets were given an opportunity to test Courtois five minutes before the break when they were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out but Jurado’s effort was deflected a yard or so wide of Courtois’ near post. Watson again took the set piece and Matic clearly handled in full view of referee Andre Marriner, who had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and Deeney confidently did the rest, sending Courtois the wrong way to equalise with his sixth of the season.

Flores’ men then had to defend a dangerous situation at the other end after Britos was booked for bringing down Costa on the edge of the area, but Willian was unable to keep his set piece down. Costa then narrowly failed to connect with a fizzed in delivery from the left as the Hornets deservedly went into the break all-square on the balance of play.

Hiddink made a change at the start of the second half as Fabregas was replaced by John Mikel Obi but the visitors were soon back on the front foot, winning a corner inside the opening two minutes but Watson could only pick out Courtois with his delivery.

Cathcart was then booked for bringing down Costa to prevent him breaking through. But the Blues then won a corner from which they were appealing for a penalty when the ball struck Britos on his shoulder.

Watford were to go close again in the 55th minute when a Holebas delivery from the left was only half cleared to the edge of the area where Etienne Capoue hit a right-footed snap-shot that Courtois had to move very sharply to keep out. But the visitors’ wait to take the lead was to last barely another two minutes.

Jurado, who was again having another effective game, found Ighalo left of centre on the edge of the penalty area and he toyed with Cahill before hitting a left-footed shot which took a wicked deflection off the England international, wrong-footing Courtois at his near post as the Hornets went 2-1 up.

It was the Nigerian international’s 13th goal of the season and the fifth game in succession he has scored in, a feat never achieved before in the Hornets’ top-flight history.

The visitors’ joy was to be relatively short lived though, because in the 65th minute Willian split the visitors’ defence apart with a fabulous pass from off the right flank, picking out the run of Costa who rounded Gomes to equalise.

Flores responded by bringing on Valon Behrami for Abdi and soon after Ikechi Anya replaced Jurado while Pedro made way for Eden Hazard.

The Hornets defence came under more pressure in the 76th minute when Watson tripped Willian on the edge of the area but again the midfielder was unable to capitalise on the chance, firing the free-kick over the top.

But three minutes later the next individual mistake by the visitors should have been punished when Marriner correctly awarded a penalty when Behrami slid in on Hazard and got nowhere the ball. The Swiss midfielder was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief moments later though, because after a slight delay in his run up Oscar slipped as he took the penalty and ballooned it horribly over the bar as the score remained at 2-2.

Watford’s yellow card count rose to four when Holebas and Behrami were booked in quick succession for fouls on Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta as the home side continued to pose most of the attacking questions as the game entered its final stages.

Costa was the next player to be booked after a very late challenge on Cathcart but not before the hosts’ backline had been forced into last ditch action to repel shots from Ighalo and Deeney.

Deeney was replaced by Adlene Guedioura for the last couple of minutes of injury time and he arrived on the pitch to see Mikel fire a yard or so wide from 25 yards out. But it was the Hornets who were to end the game the happier of the two sides after once again proving they can match the big guns of the Premier League.

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas (Mikel 46), Matic; Willian, Oscar, Pedro (Hazard 74); Diego Costa. Not used: Begovic, Zouma, Baba, Ramires, Remy.

Watford: Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Holebas; Capoue, Watson; Abdi (Behrami 69), Deeney (Guedioua 90), Jurado (Anya 73); Ighalo. Not used: Arlauskis, Prodl, Berghuis, Diamanti.

Bookings: Britos for a foul on Costa (44); Cathcart for a foul on Costa (48); Holebas for a foul on Ivanovic (81); Behrami for a foul on Azpilicueta (83); Costa for a foul on Cathcart (88).

Attendance: 41,630 (3,040 away fans).

Referee: Andre Marriner.