On Wednesday night, as the whistle sounded and Quique Sanchez Flores shook hands with his opposite number Guus Hiddink - their respective sides sharing the spoils at 0-0 - the Watford fans in the stands will have known that they had goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to thank for escaping with a draw.
The Watford shot stopper had an impressive night between the sticks, particularly in saving his side from defeat late on with some superlative saves.
Watford hold their own
The Hornets - as had been predicted from their manager - gave as good as they got in a lively affair at Vicarage Road, and it is a sign of how far Flores' side have come this season, not the extent that Chelsea have declined, that means this is far from the most bewildering Premier League result in recent months.
In a competitive - and often fiery, perhaps unsurprisingly with Diego Costa involved - game, Watford went toe-to-toe with last year's league champions and emerged with a hard-fought draw, but Flores refused to be drawn into focusing just on Gomes' performance.
The Spaniard ultimately described the Watford goalkeeper as "amazing," but insisted that it was unfair to "leave anyone out," instead chosing to focus - as he has done all season - on the team effort. Flores, understandably proud of how his players performed, described them as playing as a "collective" and a "block."
"The result is for the supporters"
- Quique Flores
As the Blues pushed for a late winner, it was evident that an exhausted Watford had given it their all, and were perhaps playing on tired legs. Flores was quick to admit that this was the case, saying his team had spent "a lot of energy in [their] formation," but in the end they saw it out - in part thanks to Gomes - and got the result - something Flores says his players work for, "for the supporters."
Something out of nothing
The Watford manager also refused to be drawn on the fracas between Juan Carlos Paredes and Costa, suggesting that "this is football" and there was "nothing between the players," despite the two players tangling and receiving yellow cards during the game. Flores instead pointed to Costa's "aggressive style," saying he is a "competitior, a warrior" and that incidents like these are to be expected.
Flores, as he has been quick to do for the majority of this season, insisted that this game was already out of his mind, and that the Hornets are thinking about Saturday's visit to Tottenham Hotspur. "Watford - Chelsea? It's 0-0, it's finished."