Individual errors from the defence cost Chelsea two points while attack struggled to create in an eventful night against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
In what was supposed to be an easy victory against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, Chelsea were let down by their backline who continued to make mistakes. At the same time, the attack was not able to create despite featuring as many as six forwards at one point of the game. We were, however, treated to a six-goal thriller as Chelsea snatched the draw in the last minute.
It started with a very calm situation, wherein Albion punted the ball high up in the air in the form of a pass that never met its target. Marcos Alonso was able to comfortably get his header towards the floating ball. Still, his pass, intended for Thiago Silva, was intercepted by Matheus Pereira, who laid it off for Callum Robinson. The Irishman made no mistake as he hit the shot right into the bottom corner.
It's all over! @TammyAbraham rescues a point deep into injury time! ? #WBACHE pic.twitter.com/LAWRjCh1gD
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 26, 2020
After this, Thiago Silva was the victim of poor control, with the ball robbed off his feet by Robinson, who slot it past Willy Caballero with ease. Two minutes later, Reece James and Alonso combined to display an effort of horrid man-marking as Kyle Bartley was left free in the six-yard box to tap in the third quite effortlessly.
Mason Mount started the revival for Chelsea as he hit an absolute belter past Sam Johnstone from nearly 35 yards out. Fifteen minutes later, Frank Lampard’s men scored another through a brilliant combination play between Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Just when both teams were going out of breath, Tammy Abraham popped up free in the box after Mount’s shot was saved by Johnstone to gently poke the ball into the net, thereby completing the comeback. The scoreline suggests a hard-fought response, but in reality, it looked far from it. We now run the rule over Frank Lampard’s men.
Willy Caballero: 5/10
There was nothing Caballero could do about any of the three goals he conceded, as he was on the end of unforced errors made by those in front of him. On the contrary, however, you could argue a save or two would have proven incredibly clutch from the Argentine, just as it did against Barnsley; but he failed to come up with them.
Reece James: 5.5/10
James started on the right and showed enthusiasm throughout the game, continually shuttling up the pitch and then down again to defend. He made several runs from the wing and did what any full-back would have in his situation – spam the box with crosses. He ended the game with 6 key passes but failed to clear the first man with 14/19 of his crosses. Lacking quality, definitely not quantity.
Andreas Christensen: 7/10
Andreas Christensen was arguably the best player on the pitch for Chelsea, which says a lot about the rest of the backline. He was the only one marking players and readily reading the game accurately, and helped clear the danger multiple times for Chelsea. The Danish defender was energetic throughout the game and made up ground from his mistake against Liverpool last week.
Thiago Silva: 3/10
Talk about a debut gone wrong, talk about Thiago Silva. The Brazilian donned the captain’s armband for Chelsea against West Brom, but hardly produced a performance worthy of it.
The worst of his 73 minutes on the pitch came when he was not able to control a simple pass and was dispossessed by Callum Robinson, who eventually scored. But more than that, he won none of his ground duels, none of his aerial duels and was dribbled past twice.
Marcos Alonso: 1/10
There was not a single thing that went right for Marcos Alonso in the game against West Brom, which can only be termed as the final nail in the coffin, with Ben Chilwell set to make the left-back spot his own imminently. For the first goal, he horribly gave up possession in what looked like a comfortable header.
Marcos Alonso’s pace reminds me of those weird dreams in which you’re running but you just can’t seem to move forward.
— Xav Salazar (@XavsFutbol) September 26, 2020
For the third, he completely let go of Kyle Bartley in the box and was left ball watching as the same player scored. The Spaniard contributed absolutely nothing in attack, failing to attempt a single cross, with 2 of his shots being off target. Alonso was also shockingly slow on the overlap, eventually killing the tempo. Chilwell could not come sooner for Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante: 5/10
It was an off day for some of the best players in the world, and that included World Cup winner N’Golo Kante. He started in the double pivot alongside Mateo Kovacic, but failed to make an impact in the game. He could only muster 2 interceptions and 4 tackles during his 90 minutes on the pitch while fouling thrice – one of which was nearly converted.
Mateo Kovacic: 5/10
Chelsea’s Player of the Year last season, Kovacic certainly made an impact in the game, but it was too short-lived to warrant him a higher rating. Before being subbed off at half-time, Kovacic could be continually seen carrying the ball out of lines of pressure and passing with delightful accuracy. But, Lampard was forced to play his hand after being 3-0 down and the Croat was the first victim.
Mason Mount: 7/10
For majority of the game, Mount looked like the only player who was putting in an effort. This same effort paid off later in the second half as he bulged the net with a stunning effort. Not only did he play in 4 key passes, but Mount also essentially created Chelsea’s equaliser after finding space in the box to shoot, with his effort being saved.
That said, the Englishman’s first-half performance was less than satisfactory as he continued to stick to the byline and attempted 8 crosses in the process, only one of which met its target.
Kai Havertz: 5.5/10
German wonderkid Kai Havertz played in his preferred position against West Brom, but was unable to create anything substantial, as Chelsea carried out the game from the wing. As a result, Havertz made very few runs into the box. He did, however, get an assist late in the game playing a give-and-go move with Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The ?-up! ?
? @Calteck10 @KaiHavertz29 ? #WBACHE pic.twitter.com/woWakMwPP7
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 26, 2020
All said and done, Havertz may be new to the club, but he needs to take more responsibility while on the ball and attempt more difficult passes and riskier runs if he wants to succeed at Stamford Bridge. Still early days, though.
Timo Werner: 3/10
Timo Werner was unarguably the worst forward on the pitch for Chelsea against West Brom, although most of it could be trickled down to Frank Lampard, who decided to play the marksman out of position in an attempt to make Havertz and Tammy Abraham click again.
Werner started on the left flank and looked entirely out of his depth with the ball, attempting several things while pulling off nothing. To make matters worse, he missed what was probably Chelsea’s best chance of the game and a chance to make the game 1-1 early in the first half.
Tammy Abraham: 3/10
It is fair to say that Tammy Abraham’s disasterclass was hidden by the late equaliser he grabbed. But, it does not excuse the absence of off the ball movement from him, or the fact that he scuffed two 1v1s in the first half. Moreover, he won none of his aerial duels or ground duels, and gave away two fouls while winning none.
A very late, but very crucial tap-in! ? @TammyAbraham#WBACHE pic.twitter.com/P2F6N96pY7
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 26, 2020
SUBSTITUTES:
Cesar Azpilicueta: 5/10
The introduction of Azpilicueta in the second half for Alonso definitely helped Chelsea out, as they looked steadier and calmer in possession, especially on the left side. The captain did more than Silva could have hoped for as he replaced him as the centre-back, adding the much-needed composure to the backline. Oh, and he got the assist for Mount’s incredible goal.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 7/10
Hudson-Odoi came at half time and was initially deployed as the right-winger, but was unable to find anyone in the box or near it through passes. He came alive after shifting to the left wing and played two passes after that, scoring a goal after a very pleasing one-two with Havertz.
The youngster also put in a shift defensively and was constantly tracking the West Brom wingers, who tried to make a break for it on several occasions.
Oliver Giroud: N/A
One of the relatively uneventful cameos from Olivier Giroud in his career, as he did not touch the ball more than ten times, or play in more than three passes.
