Chelsea clinched the Premier League title in Antonio Conte’s first season as the manager as substitute Michy Batshuayi scored the all-important goal against West Bromwich Albion to give his side the three points they needed.
After long periods of frustration, Chelsea finally found a way to get past a defensively strong Albion, as Batshuayi got on the end of Cesar Azpilicueta’s cutback to beat goalkeeper Ben Foster and seal the win that saw them officially crowned Champions of England.
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Here are the talking points from the encounter at the Hawthorns:
#1 Michy Batshuayi, the unlikely hero
With Chelsea seemingly resigning themselves to a point against a stubborn West Bromwich, they game needed some energy off the bench to inspire a final push for that elusive goal that would surely guarantee them the win and with it, the title. On came Belgian Michy Batshuayi for a relatively ineffective Eden Hazard.
The expensive summer signing, who has hardly started a Premier League game this season and last scored in August, was in the right place at the right time to meet man-of-the-match Cesar Azpilicueta’s cutback and bundle the ball past a desperate Fraser Forster. That goal sparked massive celebrations not just amongst the players, but also the coaching staff, led by their ever-charismatic and passionate manager Antonio Conte.
It was the deserved reward for a long endeavour in front of a hostile Hawthorns crowd and the timing of which the goal was scored will have made the taste of Premier League success all the more sweet.
Batshuayi has had a tough debut Premier League campaign and scoring the goal that won them the league will be his biggest highlight of the season.
#2 Sturdy West Brom frustrate Chelsea with defensive setup
Tony Pulis’ teams are renowned for their discipline at the back and against Chelsea on Friday, it was no different. On a mission to wrap up the Premier League title, Antonio Conte cut a frustrated figure in the technical area as the Baggies fielded a back six – with wingers James McClean and Chris Brunt’s heat maps dominating the defensive third, either side of the nominated back four.
The set-up meant that it was difficult for Eden Hazard and Pedro to dance their way into the penalty area and Cesc Fabregas was not able to churn out space to thread a pass through the middle. Diego Costa was well marshalled by Gareth McAuley and was given no room to get a shot away.
Chelsea’s quality was such that the likes of Fabregas and Pedro managed to get shots away, but they were narrowly off target. It was a performance typical of a Tony Pulis team and it was only in the last ten minutes when Chelsea were finally able to get the better of Ben Foster in goal.
#3 James McClean fortunate to stay on the pitch?
One of the duels of the game saw winger James McClean come up against the pace and power of Victor Moses. As Chelsea attempted to find a way through the Baggies backline, Moses looked the most likely to achieve that objective, sliding the ball past McClean and being blocked off unfairly by him multiple times.
After a couple of warnings, referee Michael Oliver dished out a yellow card to the Irishman. However, McClean repeated the same offence at least a couple of times post the booking, finding Moses’ pace too much to deal with, being more of an attack-minded player.
The referee decided not to give McClean the second yellow card on either occasion despite his continuously angry reactions to conceding fouls. On any other day, with a different referee, McClean may well have received his marching orders and can count himself fortunate to stay on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes.
#2 West Brom wasteful in attack
They may have been behind the ball for the majority of the game, but West Bromwich Albion certainly had chances to score themselves during the course of the match. A looping Solomon Rondon header from a fantastic Darren Fletcher pass was tipped over by Thibaut Courtois, before a couple of Baggies’ corners were delivered long.
McClean could not send Rondon clear on goal from a counter-attack, while David Luiz had to make a last-ditch clearance to prevent the Irishman’s low cross from finding its way through to Rondon.
Rondon’s lack of pace let him down when he was one-on-one against Courtois midway through the second half. Substitute Nacer Chadli also narrowly missed the target from an acute angle with only the Belgian keeper in his way.
The Baggies haven’t yet secured the eighth place with former Champions Leicester City breathing down their neck. A draw or a win here could have helped them strengthen their current position.
#1 Conte’s good problem – Fabregas or Kante?
A slight injury to N’Golo Kante meant that playmaker Cesc Fabregas took his place in the starting line-up. While Kante, the PFA Player of the Year, has won plaudits all over the footballing world for his tireless energy in midfield to dispossess the opposition and break attacks, Fabregas’ vision to provide inch-perfect long balls into the path of advanced players – Diego Costa, in particular – is a trait very few modern footballers possess.
Against West Bromwich Albion, Fabregas displayed his class from the centre of the pitch, attempting to slice open the defence with the final pass while also getting into shooting positions himself in an attempt to break the shackles. Nemanja Matic, on the other hand, resorted to defensive duties, something which Kante would have done had he played.
Whoever out of Kante or Fabregas plays ultimately influences the role of Matic. Kante’s presence in the middle of the pitch gives Matic the license to move forward, whereas he must stick to holding responsibilities when Fabregas starts alongside him.
With none of the three players showing any signs of deteriorating, Conte has a good problem to deal with in midfield for next season – whether to field two players who have out-and-out contrasting roles or to tinker with the position of Matic by choosing either of them.
