Chelsea FC 2-5 West Brom: Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten run ends after Thiago Silva red card sparks meltdown

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George Flood3 April 2021

Thomas Tuchel’s long unbeaten start to life as Chelsea manager is emphatically over after a shock 5-2 thrashing by relegation-threatened West Brom at Stamford Bridge.

The previously miserly Blues saw experienced defender Thiago Silva sent off on his long-awaited return from a thigh injury on Saturday - with that dismissal sparking a remarkable meltdown after Chelsea had initially led through Christian Pulisic, who turned in the rebound after Marcos Alonso’s long-range free-kick came back off the post.

Man of the match Matheus Pereira struck twice in quick succession for West Brom - who threw away a 3-0 half-time lead against the same opposition at The Hawthorns in September to draw 3-3 - shortly before half-time, the first a wonderful lob over goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after Chelsea’s defence had been beaten all ends up a by a long ball from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The second came after a mix-up between the well below-par Jorginho and Reece James on the edge of the hosts’ penalty area, with Pereira confidently slotting home.

Callum Robinson - whose entire haul of Premier League goals have come against Chelsea - piled on the misery shortly after the hour mark with a brilliant volley following Darnell Furlong’s lofted pass and Galatasaray loanee Mbaye Diagne then finished off another incisive West Brom move before substitute Mason Mount’s close-range goal laid on a plate by Timo Werner gave the hosts a brief lifeline.

However, Robinson dinked smartly over Mendy in stoppage time to complete the rout of a Chelsea team that had conceded just twice in 14 previous matches across all competitions under Tuchel - none at home - and kept seven successive clean sheets.

Chelsea’s first defeat since the 2-0 loss at Leicester under Frank Lampard on January 19 means they can now be leapfrogged by both Tottenham and West Ham in the coming days, if their London rivals manage to win at Newcastle and Wolves respectively.

It is also a damaging blow to confidence ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against FC Porto in Seville, with the Portuguese giants no doubt now confident that they can further expose the weaknesses highlighted in Tuchel’s side on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a first victory in four games for West Brom - their first at Stamford Bridge since 1978 - leaves Sam Allardyce’s men seven points adrift of safety with eight matches left to play this term, starting with Southampton a week on Monday.

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