A double blast from Diego Costa wasn’t enough for Chelsea on Guus Hiddink’s return to Stamford Bridge.

The interim manager will have to wait until Monday for the chance to claim his first three points since heading back to west London after being held to a 2-2 draw by Watford.

Costa had given the champions the lead before a Troy Deeney penalty and an Odion Ighalo strike turned the tables on Hiddink’s boys.

The Spanish international got them back on level terms but Chelsea were cursing a missed Oscar penalty which would have seen them grab victory in the final 10 minutes.

Here’s a few things we learned from the Bridge as Hiddink made his return to the dugout...

Guus goes with experience

Guus Hiddink, manager of Chelsea sits on the bench with his coaching staff

Jose Mourinho was heavily criticised for his reluctance to field Chelsea’s young guns and the appointment of Eddie Newton to the first-team coaching staff was thought to be a step towards promoting the club’s highly-rated talents.

Hiddink spoke positively about such players this week, insisting he was open to the possibility of dipping into the U21s setup, however there was no space for any young blood in his first team selection since making his return to the club.

Kurt Zouma dropped to the bench, replaced in the starting XI by England international Gary Cahill in the heart of the Blues defence, and there was no room in the dugout for the likes of powerful midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, winger Kenedy or Ola Aina.

Hazard still not ready

Eden Hazard was among the seven names named as substitutes at Stamford Bridge as he continues to make his recovery from an injury sustained in Mourinho’s final game in charge of the Blues at Leicester City.

Hiddink revealed Hazard had returned to light training at Cobham on Wednesday morning, working on his fitness away from the rest of the group, and the Belgian’s hip problem was not sufficiently cured in time for the Hornets game.

His return to the squad was a welcome sight for Chelsea fans though as they hope the departure of Mourinho, who Hazard appeared to have lost patience with in recent weeks, can see the wing wizard recapture the form that made him PFA Player of the Year last term.

He came off the bench and won the penalty which Oscar missed in the final 10 minutes.

Moving on from Mourinho?

Now gone: A banner supporting Chelsea's Portuguese Manager Jose Mourinho

There wasn’t a single picture of Mourinho in the Chelsea matchday programme last weekend just a few days after his sacking and now it would seem the Special One is gradually disappearing from Stamford Bridge too.

The Jose Mourinho: Simply The Best banner was missing from the Matthew Harding stand for today’s visit of Watford, however there was still one banner left flying in west London as the ‘One Of US’ tribute was still proudly displayed.

Chelsea fans are also still greeted by Mourinho’s smiling face when entering the ground as part of a team photo on a wall outside the stadium. Roberto Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory, was airbrushed out of a similar image following his sacking.

Not afraid to make changes

The score-line was level at the break but Hiddink showed he isn’t afraid to make bold decisions as manager by hauling off Cesc Fabregas and replacing him with Nigerian anchorman John Obi Mikel. The was no apparent injury, it was purely a tactical change.

It’s the sort of thing Mourinho became known for, tearing up the game-plan and starting again after a half-time re-think, brave management that either makes the man at the top look like a genius or goes the other way and spectacularly backfires.

Fabregas, booed by Chelsea fans last week, didn’t do himself any favours with his first-half performance here and may well face a battle to win his place back. He needs to win a few friends back in SW6 after failing to reach the heights of last season.

Costa back on the goal trail

Diego Costa of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's second goal

Costa was another player to come under fire in the wake of Mourinho’s departure but he put smiles back on faces against the Hornets with a much-needed brace - the first time he’s scored more than once for the Blues since the 5-0 thrashing of Swansea in January.

Costa has looked a shadow of the player who led the charge to the Premier League title in 2014-15, typified by that double at the Liberty Stadium at the start of the year, but he had only netted four times in more than 20 appearances before kick-off at the Bridge.

This was much more like the Costa of old, using his aggression in the right way, tormenting the Watford defence and most importantly, sticking the ball in the back of the net. More performances like this from him and he’ll finally start to climb the scoring charts again.

Not on Monday at Manchester United though as a late booking saw him suspended for that trip.

No quick fix to Chelsea’s problems

Oscar misses a penalty

Hiddink warned supporters his arrival would immediately signal an end to all of the problems that have seen Chelsea go from Premier League champions to Premier League strugglers in the space of a crazy few months under Mourinho.

He said this week: “It is not easy to fix as sometimes after a championship you might relax a bit as a team and then you get a wake-up call from somewhere in September, but the situation is that they were down last week to one point off the relegation zone, which was frightening for everyone inside the club. It is not easy to say 'I am here and tomorrow the problem is solved'."

hey hadn’t had the luck under Mourinho this season and when Oscar was presented with the chance to settle it from the penalty spot it seemed back-to-back wins were on the card. A slip from the Brazilian was crucial though and it finished all square, leaving Hiddink with plenty more work to do.

poll loading

Will Chelsea still make the top four?