Chelsea's multinational millionaires had a taste of English football in the raw today when they had to battle for a 2-2 draw against first division Watford in the third round of the FA Cup.
On a muddy, bobbly Vicarage Road pitch, Chelsea, third in the premier league, twice had to come from behind to force a replay against a team fifth from bottom in the first division.
Watford went ahead in extraordinary circumstances when Heidar Helguson's fifth-minute looping header bounced down from the crossbar onto the goalline but was wrongly declared by the linesman to have crossed the line.
Watford's 19-year-old goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley, on loan from Chelsea, brought down Jesper Gronkjaer and Eidur Gudjohnsen stroked in the resulting penalty to put the premier league side level after 32 minutes.
The home side restored their lead less than two minutes later when unmarked Gavin Mahon capitalised on some poor Chelsea defending to head home from point blank range, only for Frank Lampard to level again from the edge of the box four minutes before halftime.
In other early kickoffs, first division Tranmere drew 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers after Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, with his eye on premier league survival, rested most of his leading players.
Sheffield United, beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners Arsenal last season, beat Cardiff City 1-0 away in an all-first division clash.