It wasn’t easy, but Chelsea managed to pull out the three points when they needed to! The defensively oriented West Brom did their everything to prevent Chelsea from scoring, but an in-form Diego Costa was simply too much to handle for Tony Pulis’s men.
The visitors didn’t really contest at Chelsea’s end though, and Thibaut Courtois kept his gloves clean throughout the ninety minutes thanks to some solid work by Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta.
From below, you can see how all Chelsea players performed on today’s ninth successive Premier League win which has taken the Blues back on top of the league!
Starting XI:
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois – 6 – Did well to take care of all West Brom’s half-chances, but was well covered by the defensive line and wasn’t put to a test in any case.
Defence
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8 – Solid game from the Spaniard, did well to chase down Phillips’s pacey runs and win Chelsea a corner on the second period.
David Luiz – 6 – Good game, but was lucky his first-half mistakes didn’t prove to be costly. Salomon Rondon got the better of him slightly too often. Had a try from three Chelsea free-kicks with just one on target. Did well with a minor knee injury though.
Gary Cahill – 8 – He was a rock at the back today saving Chelsea twice from a threatening position. Brilliant comeback performance to his own goal last game.
Midfield
Victor Moses – 6 – Played a few good-looking crosses into the West Brom box and was solid at the back. Subbed off for Cesc Fabregas after 74 minutes of play.
Nemanja Matic – 7 – Was chosen ahead of Fabregas for his strength and defensive awareness. Did great job alongside Kante. Booked.
N’Golo Kante – 7 – Yellow carded as well, but did important defensive runs up and down, intercepting a few important West Brom counters. Now one booking away from an automatic one-game ban.
Marcos Alonso – 6 – Was good overall. Important figure for the Chelsea side today, once again.
Attack
Pedro – 6 – Struggled against West Brom’s physical defenders and wasn’t given much space to operate. Subbed off for Willian after 63 minutes. Could be dropped ahead of Crystal Palace next weekend.
Diego Costa – 9 – Once again, Man of the Match material! When you have a problem, it’s better to call Costa. Many thought he’s not going to make it against Tony Pulis’s physical men but he proved them wrong. Quality goal and work-rate throughout the game. Class mentality.
Eden Hazard – 7 – Had a few scoring chances and nice dribbles until being nastily tackled by West Brom’s McAuley. Suffered a knock which might have been the reason behind his substitution on the 79th minute.
Subs:
Willian – 6 – Came on for Pedro and did better. Could’ve set Chelsea in a three-on-one counter at the end but failed the crucial pass. Got 30 minutes on the pitch.
Cesc Fabregas – 7 – He and Costa simply have something unique between them. Once again the assistor of the opening (and winning) goal with a brilliant link-up. Conte subbed him on to add the needed creativity, and that’s exactly what he got from him.
Branislav Ivanovic – 6 – Didn’t have too much time to get into the game after being subbed on ten minutes before the end of the game.
