Nigeria striker, Odion Ighalo, scored his 13th goal of the season – his fifth successive strike to help Watford draw 2-2 away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
The 26-year-old continued his superb run of form scoring his12th goal in 14 games to ruin Guus Hiddink’s first game of his second spell in charge of the Blues in front of his home crowd.
Ighalo put the Hornets in front in the 56th minute after his strike was deflected off Chelsea defender, Gary Cahill, looping pass Thibaut Courtois.
The Nigerian dribbled away from goal and had waited too long to shot when he sent the ball goalwards as his options ran out. It should have posed little threat, but instead took a heavy deflection off Cahill and went sailing in beyond Courtois’ reach.
Diego Costa had already scored both of Chelsea’s goals; first giving his team the lead in the 32nd minute and then equalising five minute pass the hour-mark.
Troy Deeney got the first for Watford from the spot in the 42nd minute after Chelsea midfielder appeared to have handled the ball in his own box.
Brazilian midfielder Oscar missed a penalty in the latter stages of the game.
With both teams sharing the spoils, Quique Sanchez Flores team moved to 29 points, 10 more than their host.
Three goals in 11 first-half minutes helped Manchester City sweep aside Sunderland 4-1 at the Etihad but captain Vincent Kompany’s return from injury lasted only nine minutes to take the gloss off the victory.
Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony all struck in the opening 23 minutes before Kevin De Bruyne got in on the act early in the second half when Kompany was still on the bench.
Liverpool striker, Christian Benteke’s first goal since the end of October inflicted Leicester’s first defeat in three months to open up a crack in their armour.
Claudio Ranieri’s side, who failed to score for the first time this season, have profited from a killer counter-attacking game but were nullified until the final quarter, by which time the hosts had already edged ahead.
The 63rd-minute goal came from two players who were far from their best — Benteke started on the bench and benefited from a first-half injury to Divock Origi while Roberto Firmino looked lost for long periods before providing the chance for Benteke.
