Chelsea v Watford player ratings
Diego Costa returned to form against Watford but Oscar’s late penalty miss meant Chelsea had to settle for a point. Here’s how we rated the Blues players in Boxing Day’s 2-2 draw.
Thibaut Courtois: 7
Blameless for Watford’s two goals – a penalty and a deflection. Produced an important save to deny Troy Deeney in the second half.
Branislav Ivanovic: 6
Still looks a shadow of his former self, with several loose passes highlighting a shortage of confidence, but he has improved in recent matches. Showed some of his trademark eagerness to get forward on the right and played a key role in Chelsea’s second goal.
Gary Cahill: 6
Unlucky when Watford went ahead after Odion Ighalo’s shot took a deflection off him, but he could have been quicker to close down the Hornets striker. Otherwise, Cahill was solid enough but the dropping of Kurt Zouma seemed harsh.
John Terry: 7
Strong and commanding at the back and won the ball in the air in the build up to Costa’s opening goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Unadventurous going forward but did a very solid job defensively.
Nemanja Matic: 5
A ridiculous handball gifted Watford the penalty from which they equalised. Overall, the Serbian again looked well short of his best although he did improve alongside John Mikel Obi in the second half.
Cesc Fabregas: 5
Had a poor first half before being replaced at the interval. Watford had the upper hand in midfield for much of the opening 45 minutes and were able to play around the static Fabregas with ease.
Pedro: 6
A mixed performance. Looked dangerous at times and served up an excellent cross for Costa early on. But he faded from the game for long spells and former boss Jose Mourinho definitely wouldn’t have approved of his lack of defensive work as the Spaniard consistently failed to track back.
Oscar: 6
Bright at times, particularly at the start of the second half. Will want to forget his embarrassing penalty miss though.
Willian: 7
Hardworking as well as creative once again. Involved in both Blues goals, with his corner leading to Costa’s opener and his pass setting up the Spain striker’s second-half equaliser.
Diego Costa: 7
Took his goals really well and looked more like the forward Premier League defences struggled to handle last season. But a late lunge at Craig Cathcart earned a booking that leaves him suspended for Monday’s game at Manchester United.
John Mikel Obi: 7
Made a positive difference after coming on for Fabregas. Neat, tidy and workmanlike in midfield, where Chelsea had been overrun for parts of the first half.
Eden Hazard: 7
Made an immediate impact after coming on for the final 15 minutes. Won the penalty that was missed by Oscar and worried Watford with his trickery and clever movement.
