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As the Premier League entered its home stretch, with no more international breaks to come, West Bromwich Albion produced arguably the most outstanding result of the season by beating Chelsea 5-2 at Stamford Bridge.
There will be a temptation to rework this in memories like 19th– side of the venue, 10 security points before kick-off, taking advantage of the circumstances. Most of Thomas Tuchel’s team had spent the last fortnight in international service and suffered a setback in the 29th minute when Thiago Silva was sent off for a second cautioned offense. With that, a system that he had conceded only twice in Tuchel’s previous 14 games in charge was stretched and then slapped for five. The German coach was always going to lose one eventually, but not in his wildest nightmares would he have imagined something as daunting as this. Loss is a declined opportunity to create distance between themselves and those who are hot on their heels just outside the top four.
However, that shouldn’t underestimate an excellent performance from all counts by Sam Allardyce, characterized by a virtuous departure from Matheus Pereira, who scored two and helped two, who fully deserved his fourth win of the season. The winger change was complemented by a stylish cameo from Callum Robinson, who pocketed a pair himself, with Mbaye Diagne also on the roster to cap off a selfless change from the lone leader.
Victory in the grand scheme of things has simply set West Brom’s hopes of survival to “a little less impossible.” However, it was a good boost for Allardyce, whose position had come under intense scrutiny in recent months. He may not be able to preserve his record of never having experienced Premier League relegation. But here at least, he became the first coach to win at Stamford Bridge with three different clubs after previous successes in West London with Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace.
The objective at the beginning was the fortification on the style. Allardyce’s 5-4-1 three-center lineup with Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong operating as full-backs to cover a Chelsea lineup that was chosen for freshness but still featured players like Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech in three – prolonged attack.
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A slow start at Chelsea gave West Brom an early opportunity to flex their attacking products. Faster and more robust in the middle, they made the first shot on goal of this tie when they gained possession high and created a chance for Pereira that went straight to Mendy.
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Christian Pulisic gave Chelsea the advantage
When that control was yielded, there was a feeling that West Brom would regret having come out of that period without a goal. However, it did bring Silva’s first yellow: Jorginho inexplicably passing directly to Pereira who was about to enter the Chelsea area before the Brazilian defender intervened.
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It was the opening contribution of a trio of mistakes by Jorginho. The second saw Silva: this time turning the ball over under increased pressure from the yellow and green jerseys, resulting in Okay Yokusulu’s goal. The shot went wrong, but Silva’s desperate block to repair his teammate’s mistake for the second time caught the midfielder in his follow-up and saw referee David Coote pull out his red card. The glow of going 1-0 up a minute earlier, when Christian Pulisic followed a Marcos Alonso free kick that hit the post, was extinguished in an instant.
Tuchel readjusted his set-up, replacing Hakim Ziyech with Andreas Christensen to cover the loss. And with the extra man, Allardyce urged West Brom to go a little further.
That meant that when Sam Johnstone pushed the ball forward, there were enough West Brom bodies to distract Chelsea’s backline and allow Pereira to run past them from deep to pick up an advancing Edouard Mendy and put the ball in. 1-1. Similarly, when Jorginho completed his first-half error hat-trick with a lopsided header, Diagne was in position to hold on and unload Pereira, who then used Matt Phillips to protect him as he made his way from left to right in the field. edge of the box. A cutout opened the far corner only for Pereira to slide into the nearest one. In the space of an extra two minutes at the end of the first half, the 1-0 had become 1-2.
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Mbaye Diagne celebrates with teammates after scoring her team’s fourth goal POOL / AFP
Even using two substitutes in the first 37 minutes would work in West Brom’s favor. Philips’ accidental entry of teammate Dara O’Shea saw former Chelsea stalwart Branislav Ivanovic enter the fray. But just 13 minutes after his appearance, a chase with Timo Werner put too much strain on his 37-year-old hamstrings and he, too, needed to be replaced.
The man advantage meant Allardyce went to a back room and brought Robinson in to give Chelsea something else to worry about. And the man who scored a double when these two sides spelled a thrilling 3-3 at the Hawthorns in September was late to face Furlong’s center with a sweet side volley past a static Mendy in the 63rd minute.
Pereira remained a nuisance and should have completed his hat-trick moments before Robinson’s strike. But he was key to the fourth, breaking the gap behind once more, checking and finding Diagne running late to fit into the far corner.
The difference from their previous encounter this season was that West Brom did not fully give up this three-goal lead. Chelsea’s 3-0 comeback storm pushed the second half to its limit with Tammy Abraham equalizing in the third minute of overtime. Here, when Mount had cut the deficit to two, taking advantage of an empty net after Werner had received a center touch from Alonso to eradicate both Kyle Bartley and Johnstone, it seemed like a replay was brewing even if there were only 19 minutes left. to do. that.
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Mason Mount recalls one for ChelseaGetty
Perhaps if Kurt Zouma had converted his half volley from a corner in the 76th minute, this would have been different. But West Brom was able to resist defiantly, rounding out empathetically when Robinson was outscored by Pereira in overtime and produced a classy drink on Mendy to cap off a glorious Saturday afternoon.
Robinson’s five Premier League goals – both in September and one for Sheffield United last season – have met Chelsea. Both he and West Brom will need more of everything starting today to instigate one of the biggest escape acts this division has ever seen. On paper, that doesn’t seem plausible. On the field, however, specifically this one at Stamford Bridge, who’s to say they won’t be yelling if they can tie together an attractive attacking game with some more outlandish lines going their way?
