A morning of mixed fortunes saw the Baggies come from behind twice at Stamford Bridge in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea that was filled with twists and turns.
West Brom’s hopes were tested early, with James Morrison needing to be substituted inside the first 10 minutes of the match with a hamstring problem. The hosts opened with their confidence on the rise and found the initial breakthrough soon after, when a pass across the face of goal from Branislav Ivanovic left fellow defender Cesar Azpilicueta with a tap-in. The Baggies needed time to find their feet in the match but quickly gained momentum of their own after conceding. Craig Gardner, who replaced the injured Morrison, restored parity just after the half-hour mark with a sublime strike from outside the 18-yard area.
The second-half provided just as much excitement, as West Brom began to control the attacking momentum and forced the ball away Guus Hiddink’s men. Proving they are dangerous for every second on the clock though, Chelsea would regain the lead after the youngster Kenedy looked to have put a Willian cross over the line, yet replays would show it was an own goal from Gareth McAuley. The Blue faithful thought a confidence boosting win was on the way, yet the continuous efforts from Tony Pulis’ side saw James McClean put the ball past a diving Courtois and into the bottom corner in the 86th minute to ensure the contest ended all-square.
Stalemate will not satisfy Chelsea hunger
With the scores level at the beginning of the second-half, the game looked to be slipping through the fingers of the reigning champions, as West Brom seemed more confident and had the better possession. The hosts were given a lifeline through the 73rd minute own goal and although this was against the run of play, more should have been done to protect the lead until the final whistle. There was no sign of the defensive bus as going down for a second time in the match did little to dent West Brom’s confidence, the equaliser from McClean always looking likely.
If any dreams of some European qualification are to be kept alive, single points truly will not get the job done for the Blues in the run toward May. Throwing the lead away at home twice against a club of West Brom’s stature would have been unthinkable at this point in 2014-15, yet this is a very different Chelsea right now.
Chelsea concede 2+ goals for the 12th time in the Premier League this season, conceding a total of 31 goals. pic.twitter.com/SG5pXGXb3l
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 13, 2016
Strikers frustrated at the Bridge
Diego Costa has seen a big turnaround in form since Guus Hiddink took over the team, getting back to the sharp instincts and physicality that led to a 20+ goal season in 2014-15. This morning he was at his finest, relishing a battle with defenders McAuley and Jonas Olsson, who were not prepared to give up an inch to the striker. Costa took three shots on goal, however, the mental pressure he can put on opposition defenders with constant mind games may have been more valuable to the team in this contest.
At the other end, Tony Pulis’ hitmen Salomon Rondon and Saido Berahino were starved for space inside the 18-yard box by a Chelsea backline which is getting back to its best. Rondon took the only attempt at Courtois to come from the West Brom strikers, a long-range hit which went well wide of the post just before halftime.
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Hard work gets proper rewards
Although the Chelsea results had improved in 2016, there was still no lack of belief among the Baggies that they could leave Stamford Bridge with the three points in tow. Once again their efforts were spearheaded by midfielder Darren Fletcher, who at times in the early second-half looked to be turning the tables for his side. The 31-year-old was arguably the best player on the field for either side, covering ground from box-to-box, creating two chances on goal and passing with 82% accuracy. Gardner made the most of his time on the pitch following Morrison’s early injury, also distributing to a high degree and sending three crosses into the box to go along with his first-half goal.
There was little that West Brom did wrong during the game and a share of the spoils was just rewards for Pulis’ determined squad.
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