Pedro Rodr guez had a Premier League d but to remember, scoring the opening goal at the Hawthorns for Chelsea FC before setting up Diego Costa for the Blues’ second – helping his side win all three points on Sunday
Chelsea FC fans could not possibly have wished for more from their new signing Pedro Rodr guez, who showed exactly the sort of cutting edge in the final third that the Blues have been so reliant on Belgian Eden Hazard for. The Spanish international looked sharp and lively in attack, whilst displaying the sort of work-rate that his manager Jos Mourinho would have been delighted to see.
Things were not quite so positive at the other end of the pitch, as Mourinho’s men were once again reduced to ten with captain John Terry being sent off for a professional foul on West Brom debutant SalomA?n RondA?n.
Whilst Chelsea FC missed several good opportunities to kill the game – a particularly gilt-edged chance being wasted by Brazilian Willian after excellent work by Pedro – West Brom were guilty of the same, with James Morrison seeing his first-half penalty saved before eventually scoring two goals and giving the Baggies a chance in the match.
Jos Mourinho refuses to comment on Terry red card
The well-documented shortcomings of the Chelsea FC defence were – quite incredibly – once again exposed at the Hawthorns on Sunday, as a ball from inside West Brom’s own half released RondA?n in behind the Blues’ defence; although a red card might have been harsh, Terry did appear to be restricting the Venezuelan’s movement. The Englishman was once again caught out playing in a relatively high line – something Mourinho would quite definitely have noticed.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho is quoted by the Chelsea FC official website as saying: “I prefer to focus on us. To speak about the sending off I have to speak about many other things in the game – some you can see, others we can see, so many things.”
The Portuguese also reserved words of praise for his new signing Pedro, who marked his Premier League d but with a man-of-the-match performance at the Hawthorns. “Hea s a very good player,” the former Real Madrid manager.
“There is always a question mark because of how many top players come to England and dona t perform immediately. We have examples in our club and there are lots of examples at other clubs, so ita s very nice for him to come and straight away perform the way he did.”
Tony Pulis angry at transfer window deadline
Although the Baggies gave the incumbent champions a real run for their money, the questions asked of manager Tony Pulis were unsurprisingly with regards to star striker Saido Berahino, who has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this window. The England U21 international was left out of the squad altogether, with many taking that as an indication of an imminent transfer.
Pulis joined several of his peers in slamming the transfer market deadline, saying the youngster was fine, but had a lot to deal with in his mind. “Why are we talking about Saido [Berahino] today?” the Englishman demanded, speaking to Sky Sports. “We’re talking about Saido because of the transfer window. Everybody here today should be talking about the game and this wouldn’t be an issue. It can be disruptive and has been.
“He is fine, there’s no problems but it’s the transfer window which causes the problems. He needs to be protected, there’s loads of stuff going on in his mind, no just one club but 15 clubs. No-one should have this problem.”
The former Stoke boss also praised his team for their efforts, but admitted that missed chances against a quality side like Chelsea FC were always going to cost his team. “Sometimes you miss penalties… their first goal took a deflection. Sometimes you just need that little bit of luck,” Pulis said.
“They are a good team, and when you get the opportunities against the likes of Chelsea, you have to take them. I thought we played well in spells. Up until their first goal, I thought we were exceptional.
“There was plenty of improvement and things we did well. We have just played the top two teams in the Premier League over the past five years. We knew it would be a tough test.”
With Chelsea FC registering their first win of the season in fairly unconvincing style, and with the defence once again failing to impress, the last week of the transfer window could turn out to be quite exciting for Blues’ fans.
.