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Chelsea travelled to West Bromwich Albion looking to make it two wins out of three and were expected to bounce back strongly after a 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool in the Premier League last time around.
Frank Lampard's men registered a resounding 6-0 win over Barnsley in their EFL Cup fixture in midweek and were the favourites to grab three points from this clash at The Hawthorns but the hosts' brilliant first-half performance ensured that the visitors returned with just a point from the game.
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Chelsea players looked tired from their midweek win and were slow to react to the Baggies, who only needed four minutes to make the net bulge as Matheus Pereira and Callum Robinson wasted no time in punishing Marcos Alonso's poor header.
Robinson was at the right place at the right time to capitalise on another Chelsea player's mistake as he charged through on goal and beat Caballero with an emphatic low drive after veteran defender Thiago Silva lost his concentration and let the ball run under his foot.
Chelsea were 3-0 down just a couple of minutes later as Kyle Bartley sidefooted an effort into the corner after being played onside by James. The first half completely belonged to the hosts.
It was only after the play resumed that Chelsea offered any threat going forward as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Cesar Azpilicueta came on. Mason Mount opened the scoring for them in the 55th minute, and Hudson-Odoi reduced the deficit to one goal in 70th minute while Tammy Abraham pulled Chelsea back into the game with an injury-time equaliser.
It was a game of two halves in which both clubs played to their strengths and delivered one of the most entertaining games of this season.
Let s now take a look at the player ratings for the Chelsea players.
Chelsea player ratings
Willy Caballero: 6/10
The 38-year-old goalkeeper was not helped by his defenders at all and was beaten at the far post for the first two goals. He was once again helpless for the third goal as it was a mess from the corner kick that led to Kyle Bartley scoring from six-yards out. He did not make a single save throughout the game.
Reece James: 7/10
The young defender, who was given the first-team place over César Azpilicueta at right-back, justified his inclusion in the squad by providing a lot of width from his flank. He delivered some crisp crosses into the box in the first half but they were in vain as the forwards were wasteful in front of the goal.
He completed six key passes in the game, more than any other player on the pitch, and maintained an impressive 95.7% passing accuracy, which was again better than any other player. He was unfortunately at fault for letting Bartley onside for the third goal.
Andreas Christensen: 6/10
Andreas Christensen was one of the two defenders who did not commit an error against West Bromwich but apart from that, there was nothing special about his performance. In a pretty routine display from him, he made four interceptions and two clearances. He helped provide some stability at the back in the second half with a decent performance.
Thiago Silva: 4/10
For a defender as experienced as him, the mistake Thiago Silva made in the 25th minute, leading to West Brom doubling their lead, was completely out of character.
The 36-year-old, who was captaining Chelsea, did not lead from the front and did not contribute much to the game even in the second half as the Blues mounted a comeback. As a result of his poor display, he was substituted out for Giroud in the 72nd minute.
Marcos Alonso: 4.5/10
Marcos Alonso had arguably the worst performance of his Chelsea career against West Bromwich. He was completely out of sorts when the game began, and his poorly headed clearance gifted Matheus Pereira with possession in the fourth minute, ultimately leading to the hosts' first goal. His passing was also questionable at times, and he ended the game at 83% pass completion rate.
He was partly at fault for the third goal as well because he did not track his man when the corner kick was taken, and that allowed Furlong to head it to Bartley for a simple finish.
Mateo Kovacic: 5/10
The midfielder was anonymous for the first 45 minutes. Apart from his few brilliant moments on the ball, he failed to distribute the ball to his forwards promptly. He was dispossessed on a few occasions and did not help out much defensively. He was taken out after a dismal first-half performance.
N'Golo Kante: 5/10
The midfielder was uncharacteristically quiet in the midfield and was slow to react to the developments around him on the pitch. We did not witness any of his well-timed tackles, and he lacked the drive to win the ball back as well.
The Frenchman did not have any impact on the outcome of the match, though he visibly improved his game in the second half.
Mason Mount: 8/10
Mason Mount was crucial to Chelsea's second-half comeback as he scored his side's first goal from 25 yards out in the 55th minute. His goal set the tone for the rest of the game as Chelsea came back from three goals behind in an away game for the first time in their history.
He created a few chances in the first half as well, including a precise pass for Timo Werner, who hit the crossbar. He had three shots on target, created four key passes in the game and had a 90.6% pass success.
Kai Havertz: 5.5/10
The hat-trick hero from Chelsea's EFL Cup win, Kai Havertz, flopped again in the Premier League. He struggled a bit against the physical West Brom defenders and did not see much of the ball during the first 45 minutes. His lovely assist for Hudson-Odoi was his best piece of action from the game.
Also check out: Updated EPL Table 2020/21
Tammy Abraham: 6/10
The striker missed a sitter early in the game and after that, he did not see much of the ball as he only recorded 34 touches in the 90 minutes. He struggled to link up with Werner, Havertz and Mount at times but came in clutch for the injury-time equaliser as he scored with his only shot on target.
Timo Werner: 5/10
Like Abraham, Timo Werner missed a great opportunity to pull a goal back in the first half as he connected poorly with Mount's cross to hit the crossbar. He showed great energy and pace but lacked that edge going forward. Giroud's introduction pushed him on the flanks, and he did not get into the final third much after that.
Substitutes:
César Azpilicueta: 6/10
César Azpilicueta came on in the second half in place of Marcos Alonso and added stability in the defence. He was more solid defensively and in attack than his compatriot and even grabbed an assist for Mount's opener.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 7.5/10
Despite only coming on in the second half, Callum Hudson-Odoi offered the biggest threat going forward for Chelsea and lifted their overall game with his liveliness. He helped push West Brom on the backfoot after Chelsea got their first goal by running at the defenders and scored a beauty in the 70th minute to cap off a wonderful performance.
Olivier Giroud: N/A
Did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
Also check out: Complete EPL Fixtures 2020/21
