Chelsea FC boss Guus Hiddink tried to inject some humour into affairs after the Blues dropped yet more points in the Premier League.
The Blues drew 2-2 with Watford this afternoon, a result which fairly reflected how the game panned out. Having said that, Chelsea will be kicking themselves after they saw a golden opportunity to seize all three points slip through their fingers.
With the game level and about ten minutes left on the clock, Eden Hazard was cut down by Valon Behrami in the box. Oscar stepped up to take the penalty and sent it flying over the crossbar as his left foot gave way on impact. The slip, although not on John Terry levels, was heartbreaking.
Guus Hiddink thought to see the lighter side of affairs when describing it in his post-match interview.
"He must have had slicks on, when he should have had normal tyres on."
More chelsea fc: Chelsea FC Draw With Watford 2-2 After Oscar Slips Up
It’s not great, but a valiant effort nonetheless. It also has underlying complexities that link the incident with Chelsea’s recently-acquired sponsors, Yokohama Tyres.
Cheers Yokohama.
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Had Oscar converted, it would have all but secured the victory, a much-need one as well. Fortunately, Newcastle United succumbed to a last-minute Tom Cleverley winner to leave Chelsea unmoved in 15th spot. However, the gap to fourth place is now 13 points.
The Blues were still plagued by the same problems as they failed to look reassured through the middle of the park. The defence has come in for a beating this season, but this has largely been due to a lack of cover on behalf of the midfield.
Furthermore, there were some incidents of madness coupled with misfortune that certainly did not help proceedings. The brain inside Nemanja Matic’s head seemingly broke down as he blatantly handled the ball inside the area shortly before half-time. Odion Ighalo’s strike was then assisted by a huge deflection before Oscar fell foul of the surface.
It would be obtuse to pin the dropped points on these events, though. Watford played decent football and Quique Sanchez Flores more than deserved a point from the contest. Chelsea continued to struggle in possession development, seeing much of the ball but doing very little with it. Oscar’s slip just summed it all up.
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The West Londoners will have to refocus and regroup quickly as they travel to Old Trafford on Monday. Louis Van Gaal’s men lost again this afternoon and Manchester United may be managerless by the time kick off arrives. They could just as easily have Jose Mourinho in charge as well.
Given the circumstances, Chelsea should back themselves to get a result from this fixture. They desperately need it.
All quotes taken from The Independent.