Closed West Brom 2-3 Chelsea

[Magic Lamps 11,655]

what problem do people have with fabregas? IMO he was really decent today. played various great through balls but costa was wasteful.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

was i right, or was i right about Pedro... What a debut!

[Nero 1,838]

[the wes 7,212]

www.fullmatchesandshows.com

cheers lad

[Polo7 3,496]

Funny though had it been Costa that got fouled on goal would the defender get a red? This kind of inconsistency with the refs that just make some games infuriating.

[simonez 69]

found it on redcafe.

sorry if already posted

[Jase 43,479]

Positives:

1. WE FINALLY WON AT WEST BROM!

2. Superb debut from Pedro. Displayed all the qualities that we have been crying out for - direct, pace, shooting, workrate, strength all in one player.

3. Costa is looking back to his best again, got better as the game wore on and glad he scored his first goal of the season. Could easily have had a hat-trick though with better finishing/luck.

4. Courtois, Hazard and Azpi all great too (what the hell was Azpi doing up there for the goal?! )

Negatives:

1. Defensively, we were a shambles again...for the third game running! What have we been doing in training? We have conceded 7 goals this season. Only Sunderland have let in more (8)!

2. Where to begin with Ivanovic? Yet another appalling performance where he made the same mistakes again - no awareness of players around him, letting crosses into box, getting beat 1-on-1 way too easily. Would have expected some improvement if Mourinho was going to keep on playing him!

3. Speaking of Ivanovic, his compatriot Matic has gone AWOL too. He's becoming a liability defensively (even worse with Fabregas beside him) and almost Mikel-esque going forward - takes ages to make a simple pass.

4. Why do we keep on making life difficult for ouselves? Got the second red card in 3 games this term, third in the last 5. We're not going to win many games if we keep on pressing the self destruct button

[Special Juan 27,429]

Delighted for Pedro, no brainer that he started and not just that but lets give some credit for our lads digging in and grinding out 3 points.

Fucking get in.

[Thor 2,392]

Our CMs need to wake up, Matic and Fabregas were awful today. Absolutely awful. They're looking like Championship players at the moment. These guys were the best CM pairing in the league last season.

Don't blame Matic for Cesc's shitty play.

I don't blame Matic for not playing as well as he can recently since he has had to do the work of two men defensively. Cesc with his play recently would be lucky to make the starting 11 of WBA.

[chrismada9 1,948]

We're currently the only team in the top half of the table on negative goal difference!

[BlueLyon 9,359]

We're currently the only team in the top half of the table on negative goal difference!

Mou effect.

Seriously we have been absolute shit at defending indeed. I didnt expect that from a team that played defensive football for two years under Mou. I would expect us to improve by now, but its the opposite.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Don't blame Matic for Cesc's shitty play.

I don't blame Matic for not playing as well as he can recently since he has had to do the work of two men defensively. Cesc with his play recently would be lucky to make the starting 11 of WBA.

I'm not blaming Matic for Cesc. I'm blaming Matic for Matic. They're both struggling.

[Azpinator 2,325]

A Spanish hat-trick on the score sheet!

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Mou effect.

Seriously we have been absolute shit at defending indeed. I didnt expect that from a team that played defensive football for two years under Mou. I would expect us to improve by now, but its the opposite.

We played too defensive and our defenders have forgotten how to defend when we don't park the bus

[Nero 1,838]

"Don't care if it's a foul or not. You play for Chelsea, it's a foul!"

[Special Juan 27,429]

Cesc was horrific again but I do not want to be negative on a day where we dug in and ground out a fucking massive win.

Proper proud.

[Sheva. 5,373]

I've been saying on this forum for 2 seasons now how bad Hazard-Oscar-Willian trio was.

You can easily see the difference when you add players like Schurrle and Pedro.

Our attack saved us from yet another shambolic defensive performance. Surely the last season of Ivanovic and Terry.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Positives:

1. WE FINALLY WON AT WEST BROM!

2. Superb debut from Pedro. Displayed all the qualities that we have been crying out for - direct, pace, shooting, workrate, strength all in one player.

3. Costa is looking back to his best again, got better as the game wore on and glad he scored his first goal of the season. Could easily have had a hat-trick though with better finishing/luck.

4. Courtois, Hazard and Azpi all great too (what the hell was Azpi doing up there for the goal?! )

Negatives:

1. Defensively, we were a shambles again...for the third game running! What have we been doing in training? We have conceded 7 goals this season. Only Sunderland have let in more (8)!

2. Where to begin with Ivanovic? Yet another appalling performance where he made the same mistakes again - no awareness of players around him, letting crosses into box, getting beat 1-on-1 way too easily. Would have expected some improvement if Mourinho was going to keep on playing him!

3. Speaking of Ivanovic, his compatriot Matic has gone AWOL too. He's becoming a liability defensively (even worse with Fabregas beside him) and almost Mikel-esque going forward - takes ages to make a simple pass.

4. Why do we keep on making life difficult for ouselves? Got the second red in 3 games this term, third in the last 5. We're not going to win many games if we keep on pressing the self destruct button

I agree with your other points, BUT.... Matic and defensive liability shouldn't be in the same sentence. Really, if not for Matic in our midfield, it could have been far worse for us today. Matic was also brilliant at Man City. Could have been far worse without him there as well. Fabregas is the main culprit in our midfield, it's blindingly obvious. But it only takes a little for some fans to have a go at Matic, while these same people fall over themselves to defend Fabregas. Not directed at you per se, but what's with the partiality for Fabregas in general, when an even better midfielder in Matic gets criticized for far less?

It needs to be said a thousand times that Fabregas has become a total liability in that midfield and he's exposing our back four every time with amazing alacrity. Every game. Every game. Every match. He needs just as much as Ivanovic does. He and Ivanovic have been our worst players this season by far. Our right side is an utter shambles with both of these players there. Virtually all goes conceded this season comes from that side.