Chelsea had to settle for a 3-3 draw against promoted West Bromwich Albion in the third week of the Premier League at The Hawthorns Stadium, Sunday (27/9).
Chelsea started this match badly. Frank Lampard’s squad conceded West Brom when the game had only been running for four minutes.
Marcos Alonso’s error in heading the ball in the defensive area made the ball captured by Matheus Pereira. Pereira then sent a pass towards Callum Robinson who calmly broke into Wilfredo Caballero’s goal.
The defender’s mistake was again the cause of the Chelsea goal being conceded. This time, Thiago Silva was not careful when trying to control the ball and the ball was taken by Robinson, who without difficulty breaking into Caballero’s goal in the 25th minute.
Chelsea went deeper because West Brom could increase the score to 3-0 just three minutes later. Darnell Furlong’s header at the far post after receiving a corner was converted into a goal by Kyle Bartley.
Behind 0-3, Chelsea tried to be more aggressive in applying pressure. One chance was found through Tammy Abraham but his shot after receiving Reece James’ cross was far from the mark in the 40th minute. The 3-0 score for West Brom’s advantage lasted until the first half ended.
In the second half, Chelsea continued to exert pressure to reduce the score. The effort paid off with a goal from Mason Mount in the 56th minute.
Mount’s hard kick from outside the penalty box slid into the West Brom goal without being able to anticipate by Sam Johnstone.
A minute later, Kai Havertz almost got his name on the scoreboard. However, Havertz’s lob could still be read by Johnstone.
Chelsea managed to reduce the score to 2-3 in the 70th minute. Callum Hudson Odoi completed a one-two collaboration with Havertz with a hard shot into the left corner of the West Brom goal.
The Blues continued to press into the last 20 minutes of the match. The pressure paid off through a goal scored by Tammy Abraham in second half injury time and made the final score 3-3.
Chelsea coach Frank Lampard admits Thiago Silva and Marcos Alonso made a fatal mistake that nearly lost the Blues to West Bromwich Albion
“Mistakes, clearly mistakes. First, Marcos headed the ball into the middle of the field so they could make the transition,” said Lampard as reported by the Express.
“Thiago made a mistake. Then Marcos lost the man he was guarding for the third from the corner,” he continued.
Luckily, Lampard’s men were able to get up in the second half. After trailing 0-3, the West London team was able to force the match to a draw thanks to three goals each scored by Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham.
Even though he could at least bring home one point, Lampard remained calm with the result. According to the Chelsea legend, victory is a fixed price against a team like West Brom.
“We lost two points. It’s not meant to disrespect West Brom. I could praise the character of the team, because we showed character and persistence, but we don’t need it if we do it right in this match,” said Lampard.
This draw made Chelsea start the season with an inconclusive note. Of the three matches that have passed, Chelsea has only collected four points.
