The London based side was royally humbled by West Brom
In a season riddled with unprecedented results, West Brom’s exceptional performance at Stamford Bridge might have been just another surprising result. However, it were the circumstances the triumph came in which made ardent viewers of the marquee league stand up and take notice of the result.
Scoring just once in their last five matches, West Brom came up against a Chelsea defence which had conceded just twice in its 14 matches under Tuchel. However, the 19th placed side refused to be daunted by that narrative as they came out full throttle on the day to rip Chelsea into shreds.
West Brom Shatter Wimbledon’s Record
Hammering a 10 man Chelsea side 5-2 on the day, West Brom became the first newly promoted side since Wimbledon to score four goals or more at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had last lost to Wimbledon 4-0 at home in 1986 as that 35 year old record went for a toss.
Chelsea also conceded the most number of goals to a club in a season since being hit for 9 by Liverpool in 1990. The 3-3 draw previously with West Brom this term paired with today’s 5-2 defeat saw Chelsea concede a staggering 8 in two matches against the side.
Thomas Tuchel spoke after his first defeat as Chelsea manager and talked about how the club would be looking to bounce back ahead of their next week Champions League affair with Porto.
“If we look at this game in four weeks maybe we look at it was a wake-up call. For me it wasn’t required but I didn’t feel we were overconfident or arrogant.
“We were getting better and better in the game, create good moments on the pitch. Eleven against eleven we had critical ball losses in our own half so I was more concerned with our body positions in the build-up.
“Everything was rusty which I was surprised with after two days of training. But I could except it, I didn’t have the highest expectations because it was after the international break, travelling and more.
“But to give a red card away like this, straight after the goal, maybe we didn’t feel the risk,” the Chelsea manager said.
