Chelsea fans showed support for John Terry at Watford but the skipper and his side endured more frustration at Vicarage Road.
The Blues were held to a goalless draw in Hertfordshire on a night that saw the campaign to keep the captain, leader, legend at Stamford Bridge began in earnest.
Banners were held up, chants rang out loudly and applause greeted the Chelsea legend but he won’t have been happy to see the points shared.
Guus Hiddink’s side never really got going until it was too late and Diego Costa once again came under the spotlight for his on-the-field behaviour.
There was some play acting on the part of the Hornets but Costa was booked and the striker carried on his protests into the tunnel.
He probed late on but Heurelho Gomes was up to the task and shut out the forward’s route to goal to earn his side a draw.
Here’s a look at five things we learned from the stalemate on Wednesday night...
New signings must wait for bow
Alexandre Pato and Matt Miazga were both registered in time for the Vicarage Road clash but there was no sign of the pair on the team-sheet in Hertfordshire.
Pato and Miazga trained at Cobham yesterday but are not yet match fit and it is hardly surprising given the lack of football both have played and their limited time spent bonding with the group.
There were four changes to the side that crushed MK Dons as Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, John Mikel Obi and WIllian came in for Baba Rahman, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Chelsea fans united in support of Terry
There was one name greeted by a bigger cheer than any other when the Chelsea team was read out by the stadium announcer in Watford and that man was John Terry.
Terry this week revealed he expects to leave the Blues in the summer after being told by his agent that no new contract offer was forthcoming from the west Londoners.
Going public with his displeasure has put Chelsea chiefs under pressure and the reaction from the club’s fans to their captain has only piled it on even thicker.
Oscar playing with real freedom
Jose Mourinho is known for keeping a tight leash on his players and Oscar, a creative force when given the chance to express himself, looked to be suffering under the Special One this season.
But with Mourinho gone and Guus Hiddink now in charge, the Brazilian magician has rediscovered some of that stardust that he seemed to have lost under to Portuguese’s strict regime.
Oscar was the hat-trick hero in Milton Keynes and wasn’t short of scoring opportunities in Hertfordshire as continually pushed up the field and joined in attacks with Diego Costa.
Mikel remains Hiddink’s chosen one
Mikel has been arguably the biggest beneficiary of Mourinho’s Chelsea exit as he has gone from bench warmer to one of the first names on the teamsheet.
The Nigerian international was used as a safety net by the Special One whenever he felt the need to park the bus in the final few minutes, coming on and shutting up shop in front of the back four.
But having been given the night off against inferior opposition on Sunday, Hiddink once again turned to one of his old favourites and reinstalled the midfielder alongside Nemanja Matic.
However, while the pair add steel, there was a clear lack of creative spark for large parts tonight and it wasn’t until Hazard’s introduction that they started to grow stronger.
Costa can’t resist a bit of handbags
If Costa channelled all of his energy into his attacking play rather than spending some of it on unnecessary nonsense with opponents he might have had a few more goals to his name this season.
There’s no doubting that the fiery Spanish international can have a positive impact with his streetfighter style but he has to learn to tone down his temper at times and use if effectively.
Juan Carlos Paredes’ horrendous play acting got him booked but Costa needs to make sure his aggression doesn’t spill over into anger. When it boils over it only ends badly for him and Chelsea.
