west brom 1-2

Independent:

Roberto Di Matteo on the attack over Chelsea’s defence as winless run continues
West Bromwich Albion 2 Chelsea 1

Jon Culley

When does a dip become a crisis? Maybe not just yet, but for the Chelsea manager, Roberto di Matteo, it must be starting to feel like something Carlo Ancelotti, his predecessor bar one, might have described as “a bad moment”.
There is enormous potential, too, for things to get worse before they get better, assuming that they do. On Tuesday, Chelsea go to Turin, where a defeat against Juventus would leave their defence of their Champions’ League crown looking anything but comfortable. Then, a week today, they face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.  All this without John Terry, whose absence yesterday again emphasised the vulnerability of Di Matteo’s defence.
Four Premier League matches without a win now, the Italian is enduring his worst run as Chelsea manager, his worst as anyone’s manager as it happens, since he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion 19 months ago.   He did not need reminding that it was a defeat there last March which persuaded Chelsea to part with his immediate predecessor, Andre Villas-Boas.
Di Matteo’s crisis is not so acute that he need worry about suffering a similar fate in the immediate future but his job prospects will not be enhanced by this result. It is not as if he couldn’t see it coming. Albion, managed so well by Steve Clarke, Di Matteo’s former Chelsea team-mate and that club’s much-admired former coach, were set up to counter-attack and executed their plans superbly, defending heroically and going forward with pace and the confidence that they had enough quality to inflict damage. Their home record under Clarke is five wins from six Premier League matches for fifth place in the table – just a point behind a Chelsea side who led the division by four points little more than a month ago. It is nothing more than Albion deserve.
“We are in a good moment,” Clarke said, with an inadvertently ironic choice of words, as he responded to the suggestion that Albion could now start thinking about the Champions’ League. “If the supporters want to dream they can, but we will keep our feet on the ground. It is a great three points with two great goals and a doggedly determined defensive performance. But all we can do is concentrate on winning the next three points. We cannot look any further forward than that.”
The two goals had Shane Long at their heart, the Irishman scoring the first when he ran in behind David Luiz to head home James Morrison’s 10th-minute cross, then turning supplier with a beautiful delivery for the second, nodded in by Peter Odemwingie six minutes into the second half. In between, Eden Hazard had equalised from Cesar Azpilicueta’s centre in what had been a rare Chelsea attackin the opening half. Long displayed a T-shirt bearing a tribute to his grandmother, who died on Friday, after he scored. “It has been a difficult week for Shane,” Clarke said. “But he wanted to play and there was never a doubt that he would. I’ve run out of ways to describe him.”
Chelsea were more potent in the second half, particularly after a woefully ineffective Fernando Torres had been hauled off, replaced by Juan Mata. Oscar replaced Oriol Mateu in the other influential change brought about by Di Matteo but Chelsea could not take the chances they created. Boaz Myhill pulled off fine saves from Oscar and Daniel Sturridge, who also missed a good chance from Oscar’s flick.
Albion were out on their feet towards the end.  Claudio Jacob and Youssouf Mulumbu never stopped working in front of a back four in which Jonas Olsson and Gabriel Tamas, another called in at short notice to cover for injury, were rock-like.
Di Matteo again drew attention to what he feels are unnecessary demands made on players by midweek friendly internationals and defended his decision to make five changes which reflected that.
“The players I left out were not in a condition to play for 90 minutes,” he said. The Italian was in a black mood, his delayed appearance at the post-match press conference coming after he delivered an audible broadside to his squad in the dressing room after the whistle.
He had calmed down by the time he faced the media but hinted strongly that heads would roll, and conceded that the switch to more attacking tactics might have to be moderated.
“Maybe it is time to think about changes,” he said. “Not so much in individuals but in the way we play. Maybe we need to sacrifice a little bit of our attacking flair and be a bit defensive, to get a couple of positive results to get the confidence back.”

West Bromwich (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Jones, Tamas, Olsson, Ridgewell; Mulumbu, Yacob; Odemwingie, Morrison (Dorrans, 69), Gera (Brunt, 69); Long (Rosenberg, 79).
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Aspilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand; Mikel (Ramires, 79), Romeu (Oscar, 62); Sturridge, Hazard, Moses; Torres (Mata, 62).

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: Yacob (West Bromwich Albion)
Match rating: 7/10


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Observer:

West Bromwich Albion victory threatens to freeze Chelsea's title bid
Stuart James at The Hawthorns

The ramifications will be nothing like as severe for Roberto Di Matteo as they were for André Villas-Boas, who was sacked after Chelsea lost here in March, but this still felt like a significant defeat for the Italian. It is now four Premier League games without a win for Chelsea – their worst run since Di Matteo took over from Villas-Boas – and there are inevitable comparisons to be drawn with previous seasons, when winter's onset has frozen Chelsea's title aspirations.
Having picked a much-changed team because of the midweek internationals, rather than Tuesday's crucial Champions League game against Juventus in Turin, Di Matteo was forced to endure the sight of West Bromwich Albion, his former club, continuing their remarkable start to the season with a sixth home win in seven matches that lifts them to the dizzy heights of fourth place.
Shane Long was outstanding, the Irishman scoring the opener, when he exposed David Luiz's poor positioning to head in James Morrison's centre, before setting up the second for Peter Odemwingie with a superb cross that the Nigerian nodded past Petr Cech. Eden Hazard had hauled Chelsea level shortly before the interval with a header from César Azpilicueta's deep cross but that was a rare highlight for Chelsea on a day that belonged to Albion.
Long's performance was all the more impressive because he was playing 24 hours after being told that his grandmother had passed away. The striker paid tribute to her by unveiling a message under his shirt after he scored – "Rest in peace Nan" – and he flew back to Ireland immediately after the game for her funeral. "I ran out of words to describe him a number of weeks ago," said Steve Clarke, the Albion head coach who was up against his former club. "Shane produced another fantastic performance in what has been a difficult week for him."
The contrast with the striker leading Chelsea's front line could not have been greater. Fernando Torres once again looked out of sorts and he was predictably withdrawn in the second half, when Di Matteo sent on the cavalry in the form of Juan Mata and Oscar. Daniel Sturridge was thrust further forward and looked much more threatening but the goal that Chelsea coveted never came. The excellent Boaz Myhill denied him with two superb saves before Sturridge drilled a presentable chance beyond the far upright in the final three minutes.
In a final act of desperation, Cech dashed into Albion's penalty area for a corner in injury time but the goalkeeper failed to get on the end of Mata's cross and the game was up for Chelsea. Di Matteo acknowledged that Chelsea's poor form was "a concern", bemoaned the poor defending that Albion ruthlessly punished, and admitted that he could be forced to change the system and abandon the attacking principles that earned so much praise earlier in the season, in favour of a more defensive approach.
"It's a ground where we found it difficult last season and this season again," Di Matteo said. "We know that they're very good at home.
"Giving away goals like we did today, it becomes difficult to win the game. You have to score three goals to win. Our defending was very poor. We didn't concede many chances to them but the ones we did, we had to do better.
"We are playing a little bit different [this season] and we might have to go back a little to be able to win games, to make sure that first and foremost we don't concede. Maybe it's a time where we might have to change a little, in terms of our selection and the way we play. Looking at the set-up of the team, maybe [we need to] sacrifice a little bit of the attacking options to go a bit more defensive."
As well as the Juventus game, which Chelsea need to avoid defeat in order to be sure of keeping their destiny in the own hands in terms of reaching the Champions League knockout stage, there is the small matter of a home game against Manchester City in the Premier League five days later. Chelsea desperately need a remedy for their malaise. "They're two massive games but we've got players with a lot of experience who have been in this position before," Di Matteo said. "For some reason it seems that November is a bad month for our club. It seems the same this year."
The mood at The Hawthorns, however, could not be better. "There was a little bit of everything in the performance – good quality attacking play, two fantastic goals and dogged, determined defending towards the end to make sure we got the win," Clarke said. "It's a great time to be at the club."


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Telegraph:

West Bromwich Albion 2 Chelsea 1
By John Percy, The Hawthorns

Roberto Di Matteo was at the centre of a stormy dressing-room inquest after his side’s fourth successive Premier League match without a win. Several raised voices were heard coming from the Chelsea dressing room in the aftermath of this defeat and on Saturday night the BBC’s Pat Murphy claimed via Twitter that Di Matteo himself had been overheard berating his players, shouting at them: “Call yourselves a Champions League winners’ side and you can’t beat them.”
Di Matteo may have steered the club to that Champions League triumph but, like his predecessors, he seems unable to find a solution to Chelsea’s annual winter wobble.
For the past five seasons, the heat gets cranked up when the weather turns colder and Di Matteo is now the latest incumbent to endure the seasonal malaise that ultimately forced the eventual dismissals of Andre Villas-Boas, Carlo Ancelotti and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
It was a miserable return to the Hawthorns for Di Matteo as Peter Odemwingie lifted West Bromwich Albion to within a point of their former manager’s team on another absorbing afternoon in the Black Country.
After this latest win, Steve Clarke is running out of ways to dampen growing expectations. A record of six wins from seven home games has been bettered only by Manchester City.
Clarke spent nearly two decades as a player and coach at Stamford Bridge before opting to leave what he described as “the comfort zone” and this victory will only make life a little uneasier for Di Matteo.
Only three weeks ago he was top of the league after seven wins from the opening eight games but this mini-crisis only serves to increase the pressure. The abysmal performance of Fernando Torres will also be scrutinised, with the £50 million striker virtually anonymous before he was put out of his misery midway through the second half.
It was almost an hour after the game before Di Matteo faced the press. He said: “We’ve been in this position before where November is a bad month for our club and it seems to be the same again.
“The pressure is always there, it doesn’t help when you don’t win games. We are disappointed with where we are in this moment and maybe it’s time to have a look at it and changes things, like the set-up of the team and maybe sacrifice some attacking options to be more solid.
“It’s a concern for us and for some unknown reason in November we have this dip. We’ve got two massive games coming up [Juventus and Manchester City] but we’ve got the players and experience.
“This is a ground where we found it difficult last season and this time again. Our defending was very poor today.”
It does not promise to get any easier for Di Matteo, with a potentially pivotal trip to Turin in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
After losing most of his players to internationals in midweek, Di Matteo opted to rest Ashley Cole, Juan Mata, Ramires, Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic here but no matter the personnel Chelsea continue to display an alarming propensity to concede soft goals.
Shortly after Ryan Bertrand’s shot was cleared off the line by Liam Ridgewell, the visitors were behind after 10 minutes, following further suspect defending from David Luiz.
The Brazilian continues to polarise opinion and was at fault as he inexplicably lost Shane Long, who headed in James Morrison’s cross at the far post.
It was a bittersweet moment for Long, whose grandmother died last week, and he lifted his shirt to reveal the words 'RIP Nan’. After the game he flew to Ireland to attend the funeral.
Rather against the run of play, Chelsea levelled six minutes before half-time when César Azpilicueta’s cross found Eden Hazard at the back post and his header beat Boaz Myhill after taking a cruel deflection off Billy Jones.
The momentum appeared to have shifted towards Chelsea and Daniel Sturridge tested Myhill three minutes into the second period but Albion regained the lead through Odemwingie.
Clarke will lose Odemwingie in January when he reports for the Africa Cup of Nations and the Nigerian underlined his importance once again by heading in Long’s cross as Chelsea’s defence dithered.
Di Matteo introduced Mata and Oscar just after the hour – with Torres replaced after another completely ineffectual afternoon – and Chelsea immediately became more threatening.
Claudio Yacob and Albion were both fortunate to escape punishment when the Argentine midfielder brought down Victor Moses in the area before Sturridge forced another save from Myhill after he was found by Mata’s sublime chipped pass.
Myhill, who was signed at Albion by Di Matteo and was only playing due to Ben Foster’s groin injury, excelled again to deny Sturridge and the Chelsea striker then wasted a glorious chance three minutes from time as Albion clung on for another deserved scalp on home turf.
Can they stay in the top four? Clarke is already proving adept with the straight bat.
“There is a feel-good factor here. Our job is to keep our feet on the ground but if the supporters want to dream they can,” he said. “The club is in a good moment but I don’t want to look that far ahead. This was a great three points for us and there was a little bit of everything in it for us. It would be wrong to focus on the players Chelsea left out; my players should get all the credit.”


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Times:

 West Brom 2 Chelsea 1: Long punishes rudderless Blues

 Richard Rae

 “WE’RE West Bromwich Albion,” their supporters have taken to chanting with increasing pride, “and we know who we are.” An ironic acknowledgement of the Baggies’ place in the greater scheme of things it may be, but under Steve Clarke, Albion know exactly what they are doing, and it was enough to beat a Chelsea side that seemed to have been picked with a view to Tuesday’s crucial European Champions League match at Juventus.

 It is some achievement by Clarke, whose side sit fourth in the Premier League. Building on foundations originally laid by Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo and England boss Roy Hodgson, the Scot has given Albion an incisive edge that has made them one of the most dangerous sides in the league on the break. It was illustrated against a Chelsea team that dominated possession but, with the likes of Juan Mata and Oscar on the bench, lacked the creative nous to break down Albion.
 By the time Di Matteo brought his playmakers on, the Blues were chasing the game, and though they made more chances as the final whistle approached, they found Albion goalkeeper, Boaz Myhill, in as fine form as his teammates.


 Chelsea were not helped by the fact that most of those chances fell to Daniel Sturridge, who was starting his first league match of the season — and it looked like it.
 “We showed quality in attack, scored two fantastic goals, and were dogged and determined in defence at the end to make sure we got the win,” said Clarke. He said he had run out of words to describe Shane Long, who gave an outstanding performance as the lone striker — the more so as his grandmother, to whom he was very close, died earlier in the week.
 Di Matteo, whose team has gone four league games without a win, admitted his concern. “The pressure is always there but we may have to make changes, to sacrifice a little bit the attacking options, not just for next Tuesday but for the medium term,” said the Chelsea manager.

 The first 10 minutes was all Chelsea. Playing neat, controlled football, they probed the Albion defence and Sturridge and Victor Moses combined cleverly to set up Ryan Betrand for a scuffed shot that beat Myhill only to be cleared off the line by Liam Ridgewell.
 But Albion have become formidably adept at making the most of not very much. Zoltan Gera’s trickery and awareness gave James Morrison the chance to cross, for Long to head past Petr Cech.

 Chelsea’s equaliser, scored shortly before the break, was fortuitous, Eden Hazard’s header being deflected past Myhill by Albion full-back Billy Jones. Chelsea’s unease at the back was evident again at the start of the second-half. Receiving the ball on the right, Long looked up and crossed to the near post for Peter Odemwingie, throwing himself into the gap between Bertrand and Cahill, to head powerfully past Cech.
 Di Matteo sent on Mata (for the miserable Fernando Torres) and Oscar, and Chelsea quickly looked more threatening. Mata’s brilliant flick sent in Sturridge, but Myhill saved brilliantly, and then fired the wrong side of the post after being set up by Oscar.

 West Bromwich Albion: Myhill 8, Jones 7, Tamas 7, Olsson 8, Ridgewell 7, Yacob 8, Mulumbu 7, Odemwingie 8, Morrison 7 (Dorrans 70min), Gera 7 (Brunt 70min), Long 9 (Rosenberg 80min)

 Chelsea: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Luiz 5, Bertrand 6, Romeu 6 (Oscar 62min), Mikel 6 (Ramires 80min), Moses 6, Hazard 7, Sturridge 6, Torres 5 (Mata 62min)


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Mail:

West Brom 2 Chelsea 1: Di Matteo is forced on the defensive after Clarke derails old club

By Malcolm Folley

Roberto Di Matteo cut a subdued, forlorn figure as he promised to make changes ahead of Chelsea’s critical Champions League match with Juventus in Turin on Tuesday.
It was claimed on Twitter that he had read the riot act to his expensively assembled team behind closed doors at The Hawthorns. It was claimed Di Matteo was  overheard telling the Chelsea players: ‘Call yourselves a Champions League winners’ side and you can’t beat that lot?’.
Whatever he said, Di Matteo was clearly angry and mystified at another ineffectual performance from Chelsea.
Eight months ago his predecessor Andre Villas-Boas was sacked after Chelsea lost at The Hawthorns.
While Di Matteo will not meet the same fate this weekend, the Italian dropped his guard yesterday for the first time to articulate his displeasure at Chelsea’s winning a meagre two points from their last four Premier League matches.
Di Matteo comprehends the importance of the next seven days when Chelsea also play Manchester City.
'The pressure is always there and it certainly doesn’t help when you don’t win games,’ he said. ‘We’re playing a different style to last season, but we might have to go back to be able to win games, to make sure that we don’t concede. Maybe, it’s time to change in terms of selection and the way we play. We have two massive games coming up.’

It is now nine games since Chelsea kept a clean sheet.
‘I will be looking to sacrifice a bit of attacking options to go a bit more defensive,’  said Di Matteo.
This will hardly be music to the ears of owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian obliged Di Matteo with the use of his cheque book this summer to import players of outrageous skill like Eden Hazard and Oscar.
Di Matteo must surely lose patience with Fernando Torres when he picks his team to play in Turin. Defeat by Juventus could prove catastrophic to Chelsea’s hopes of defending their Champions League title.
At the back, Brazilian David Luiz’s place must also be under threat. He was found woefully wanting when West Brom’s Shane Long escaped to head his team in front in the 10th minute.
Long insisted on playing even though he informed Albion manager Steve Clarke on the eve of the game that his grandmother had passed away at home in Ireland. 
Even though John Terry is injured, Di Matteo has the option of playing Branislav Ivanovic as partner to Gary Cahill in the centre. Ashley Cole is set to return, which will allow Ryan Bertrand to play in front of him on the left side.
Di Matteo left Juan Mata, Oscar and Ramires on the bench yesterday after international duty. ‘Players were coming back on long flights from places with a five or six-hour time difference and they weren’t in a condition to start and last the game,’ said Chelsea’s manager.

The month of November has long proved a minefield for Chelsea. Bad results in November two years ago capsized Carlo Ancelotti’s run for the title and cost him his job at the end of the season. Poor form this time last year ultimately caused the downfall of the  Villas-Boas project, too.

Daniel Sturridge might have salvaged a point, or even won the game, towards the end of the match, but that would have been unjust on West Brom.
‘Sometimes, you need to able to win 1-0 and be focused on responsible defending,’ said Di Matteo.
Clarke’s opening months in management at West Brom hit new heights with this win over the club where he spent almost two decades as player, then coach.
His current team reacted with commendable commitment to Hazard’s 39th-minute headed equaliser, to win the game with a near-post header from Peter Odemwingie.
With Albion in fourth place in the table last night, Clarke said: ‘It’s a great time to be at the club.'


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Mirror:

West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Chelsea: Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie fire Baggies into fourth

By Ralph Ellis

So did it really happen?
Did Chelsea really stand defiantly through two games against Barcelona and ­another with Bayern Munich on the way to winning the Champions League?
You have to ask because right now the side that put up a wall in front of the best Europe had to offer can’t ­defend to save their lives.
Defiant, brave, backs-to-the-wall might have been the watchwords back then, but it’s all too easy to score against Roberto Di Matteo’s team now.
It’s nine games since the European champions kept a clean sheet, and it matters because, unless they can do it on Tuesday night in Turin, they could well lose their crown without even getting past the group stages – no holders have ever failed to make the knock-out stages.
Their early season sprint to the top of the Premier League table has slowed into a run that’s now two points from four matches.
And yesterday – for all that West Bromwich Albion’s home form under former Chelsea assistant Steve Clarke has been excellent – they were twice caught by dismal bits of defending.
There were just 10 minutes gone when Brazilian David Luiz switched off and left Shane Long a free header to put Albion in front.
And when Eden Hazard had hauled them back into the game just before the break, the frailties showed up again.
This time, Long was the provider, with all the time he wanted to pick out Peter Odemwingie at the near post for an unmarked header.
“Our defending was very poor,” Di Matteo admitted. “We knew they were on form at home, but if you give away goals like we did, it becomes very difficult to win.
“It’s no good if you have to score three goals to win a game, we have to be better.”
West Brom, built on a shoestring budget, have begun to take a delight in upsetting the side that Roman Abramovich lavishes his billions on.
It was defeat at The Hawthorns last season that cost Andre Villas-Boas his job, and, while this won’t be quite so ­costly, so immediately, for Di Matteo, it still highlighted the problems that Chelsea have got.
He started the season using barely 14 regular players, but now injuries and suspensions are beginning to expose what is underneath – and the ­answer is not too much.
Young full-backs Ryan Bertrand and £7m Cesar Azpilicueta were too often caught out of ­position. In midfield, Oriol Romeu made no impact.
But most worrying of all was Luiz, who still looks like a wonderful footballer, but an awful defender, and Albion punished him.
Long, who flew home to Ireland after the game to be with his family following the death of his Nan, had already taken his chance superbly when James Morrison had time to curl in a cross from the left. Azpilicueta at least showed his attacking qualities, getting forward to set up Hazard’s 39th minute header.
And after Odemwingie’s goal Chelsea brought their big guns from the bench, with Juan Mata making a couple of chances for Sturridge. But mostly Albion stood firm.
“We scored two fine goals, but we defended that lead with a dogged determination,” said Clarke. Maybe he could pop back to the Bridge and give Chelsea some lessons.


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Sun:

West Brom 2 Chelsea 1

By MARK IRWIN

RDM is not quite in AVB territory just yet. But much more of this and the Chelsea boss will soon be looking anxiously over his shoulder.

It was only eight months ago that Andre Villas-Boas was sacked by the Blues following an unlikely defeat at The Hawthorns.

Now history is in danger of repeating itself as Chelsea squandered their 10th point in four league games to fall even further behind the top two.

And defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday will leave Chelsea teetering on the brink of European elimination... and Roberto Di Matteo facing the first crisis of his brief reign.

It was a mere three weeks ago his Blues had the chance to open up a seven-point lead over Manchester United.

But nothing has gone right for Di Matteo since that controversial 3-2 home defeat by United. Now he has to pull his team out of their tailspin before it is too late.

Even the Italian’s bold gamble on resting his key players ahead of the trip to Turin backfired as his wilting team were run ragged by rampant Albion.

Goals from Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie were enough to secure a sixth home win in seven for Steve Clarke’s team and send them soaring up to fourth place in the table.

Irish international Long celebrated his first-half header by revealing a T-shirt which read ‘Rest In Peace Nan’ to commemorate the grandmother who had passed away on the eve of this match.

His proud boss Clarke said: “I’ve run out of superlatives to describe him. He has been absolutely outstanding for us.

“It was another fantastic performance at the end of what has been a difficult week for him.

“I only found out about his grandmother passing away late on Friday night but Shane wanted to play.

“He’s going back to Ireland tonight to be with his family for the next few days.

“It’s a great time to be at this club. This is a very good moment for West Brom and if our supporters want to dream a bit they can, but we will keep our feet on the ground.”

While Long garnered only praise, Chelsea deserved the derision they got for their wayward finishing and comedy defending.
They could have led as early as the seventh minute when Victor Moses teed up Gary Cahill, whose shot was hacked off the line by Liam Ridgewell.

They might even have had a penalty when Eden Hazard’s follow-up shot struck Jonas Olsson on the arm.

But three minutes later they were behind following yet another dreadful piece of defending by David Luiz.

Chelsea have steadfastly stuck by the unpredictable Brazilian international despite the catalogue of costly errors which can be laid directly at Luiz’s door.

Yet even Di Matteo must surely be running out of patience with the £22million centre-half who still shows no sign of adjusting to the Premier League after almost two years in English football.

Luiz’s Brazilian team-mates Oscar and Ramires were both left on the bench following Thursday’s Transatlantic flight from New Jersey, where they had played for their country against Colombia.

But with John Terry ruled out by the knee injury sustained against Liverpool last Sunday, Chelsea had little option but to stick with Luiz. And how they had cause to regret that decision when Long lost his jet-lagged marker with embarrassing ease to head in James Morrison’s cross at the far post.

It was the ninth game in a row Chelsea had failed to keep a clean sheet. And if they defend like this against Juventus on Tuesday, they can kiss their European hopes goodbye.

Long so nearly claimed a second goal when he shrugged off Cahill before shooting inches wide. Then he demanded a penalty after Cahill’s last-ditch tackle as they tangled in the box.

With Fernando Torres having yet another of those days when it all seemed to be too much effort, it was hard to see a way back for the visitors.
But find one they did via the unlikely salvation of Hazard’s head. The £32m Belgian crept in unmarked to convert Cesar Azpilicueta’s 39th-minute cross. That should have been the signal for European champions Chelsea to kick on and take all three points.

Yet it was Albion who used half-time to regroup and they were back in front within five minutes off the restart when Odemwingie beat Ryan Bertrand to head in Long’s centre.

It was all too much for Di Matteo, who hauled off Torres and the equally ineffective Oriol Romeu in favour of Oscar and Juan Mata.

No matter how often Chelsea try to rest their little superstars, it is clear that they just cannot function without them. The Blues are a different team when Mata is on the pitch yet even he could not save his faltering chums this time.

He carved out two of Daniel Sturridge’s three blue-chip chances which the striker fatally failed to take.

West Brom: Myhill, Jones, Olsson, Tamas, Ridgewell, Morrison (Dorrans 70), Yacob, Mulumbu, Gera (Brunt 70), Long (Rosenberg 80), Odemwingie. Subs not used: Luke Daniels, Reid, Popov, Fortune.
Goals: Long 10, Odemwingie 50.

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand, Romeu (Oscar 62), Mikel (Ramires 80), Hazard, Sturridge, Torres (Mata 62), Moses. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Cole, Marin.
Goals: Hazard 39.

Att: 25,933
Ref: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

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Express:

WEST BROM 2 - CHELSEA 1: CHELSEA FOLD AS ACE SHANE LONG TURNS IT ON

By Dave Harrison


The Chelsea manager left potential match winners on the bench, presumably to keep them fresh for Tuesday’s vital Champions League game against Juventus.
But defeat to impressive Albion left them trailing in the Premier League title chase with no wins in four games.
Now Di Matteo is on decidedly shaky ground – Andre Villas-Boas was sacked as Chelsea boss after losing at West Brom last season.
But Di Matteo insisted he had no choice but to leave out some of his star names after international games.
He said: “Many of our players were not in condition to start the game. They were travelling all over Europe and the world.
“Our defending was very poor. We conceded too many chances. Maybe we have to change things.”
Albion boss Steve Clarke will have enjoyed the moment against the club he served as assistant manager. He will take pride too in the league table. The win took the Baggies into the top four – just a point behind Chelsea – and Clarke’s prospects look a lot brighter than Di Matteo’s.
The Albion manager inherited a solid crew from his predecessor Roy Hodgson and has moved them forward impressively.
Clarke said afterwards of his team’s Champions League qualifying prospects: “The supporters can dream if they want, but we will keep our feet on the ground.”
Striker Shane Long (right) epitomises Albion’s philosophy. Bought for a bargain £5.5million, he was Albion’s focal point and match winner.
Compare him with Fernando Torres, who cost ten times the price, and you have two players at opposite end of the value-for-money chart.
Albion have bought sensibly and developed patiently. Roman Abramovic take note.
After Ryan Bertrand had an early shot cleared off the line by Liam Ridgewell, Chelsea were in a subdued mood and remained content to keep possession without offering too much penetration.
Albion took the lead in the 10th minute. Bertrand and David Luiz switched off when James Morrison crossed to the far post and that allowed Long to score with a low header.
Albion’s Republic of Ireland striker was often alone and isolated at the sharp end of their attack but he was still a handful for Luiz and Gary Cahill.
Long’s performance was even more praiseworthy as his grandma died last week. He displayed a tee-shirt which read : “Rest in peace, Nan” in celebration of his goal.
Clarke said: “Shane has been outstanding in a difficult week for him. He wanted to play today. He’s going back to Ireland tonight to be with his family.”
Chelsea equalised in the 39th minute. Cesar Azpilicueta picked out Eden Hazard at the far post and the Belgian’s header was deflected in off Billy Jones.
Albion’s efficiency and flare were still not to be denied. Long delivered a cross from the right and Peter Odemwingie’s glancing header took it wide of Peter Cech to restore their lead.
Di Matteo sent on Oscar and Juan Mata, but Albion held on to their lead quite comfortably.

WEST BROM: Myhill, Jones, Tamas, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Odemwingie, Morrison (Dorrans 69), Gera (Brunt 69), Long (Rosenberg 81).

CHELSEA: Cech, Azpiliceuta, Luiz, Cahill, Bertrand, Romeu (Oscar 63), Mikel (Ramires 80), Sturridge, Hazard, Moses, Torres (Mata 63).

Ref: M Oliver Att: 25,933

MAN of the MATCH: Shane Long – was often a lone ranger for Albion but he scored one and created one and his strength and work rate were ideal for Albion’s counter attacks.


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Star:

WEST BROM 2 - CHELSEA 1: DAVID LUIZ DOES ROBERTO DI MATTEO NO FAVOURS
November has been a bad month for Chelsea in the last two years and now it’s ­happening again

By Harry Pratt

DAVID LUIZ is the Jimi ­Hendrix of the Premier League.
He has the crazy, wild hair and, like the late, great hippy guitarist, you never know quite know where he is heading next.
But, whereas Hendrix had every right to strum free-style, Luiz most certainly does not. He is a defender, a £22million one at that. His role is to stop goals from going in.
You would not have guessed it ­yesterday, though, as the ­haphazard Brazilian centre-half delivered ­another joke display at the back – and helped to put a major dent in Chelsea’s title ambitions.
Luiz was totally at fault for Shane Long’s opener for high-flying West Brom – and also contributed badly in the build-up to Peter Odemwingie’s second-half strike.
And, despite the best efforts of Eden Hazard to single-handedly haul the stuttering Blues back to life, Luiz’s inept display was enough to giftwrap the Baggies a sixth home win this term.
But if that left their boss, former Chelsea favourite Steve Clarke, ­celebrating a great win, the ­picture in the Chelsea dugout could not have been more different.
These are worrying times for Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo, who was returning to the club who sacked him 20 months ago.
His one-time league leaders have picked up just two points from the last 12 on offer and are seriously struggling to stay in touch with the Manchester clubs at the top.
The Italian said: “I am very ­disappointed. November has been a bad month for Chelsea in the last two years and now it’s ­happening again.
“To give away goals like we did today is not good enough. You can’t always score three to win.
“In the short-term maybe we have to sacrifice our attacking ­options to tighten up.”
As for his own position, the Stamford Bridge boss added: “There’s ­always pressure if you don’t win games. We have two massive games coming up but we have the experience to come through this period.”
Things could be about to get a whole lot worse, too, with a crunch ­Champions League trip to ­Juventus on Tuesday then a vital visit to Man City next weekend.
West Brom used to be a happy hunting ground for all the big guns – Chelsea had won eight of their last nine games here.
Now, however, three points at The Hawthorns is a statement of a team’s title ambitions – as Man City demonstrated last month by ­winning at The Hawthorns.
Albion were already enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign – and underlined why by grabbing the early lead.
Luiz looked half-asleep while ­letting Long slip past him and head in James Morrison’s cross. Great finish, ­pathetic marking.
Long, with his deceptive pace and ability to maintain possession, ­became a nightmare to a Blues ­defence who look lost without their crocked skipper John Terry.
The Irish star celebrated his goal by revealing a t-shirt with, ‘R.I.P. Nan’ on it.
Baggies chie Clarke hailed Long, saying: “I’ve run out of words to ­describe just how good Shane is.
“He’s put in another fantastic ­display at the end a difficult week. His gran died on Friday but he still wanted to play.
“I thought everyone was brilliant. It was a real team ­performance.”
Only Gary Cahill’s last-gasp ­tackle stopped Long doubling the lead and then he was inches wide with a low drive.
Had either gone in, it would have been game over. At the other end, Fernando Torres might as well have not been on the pitch.
But with the talented Hazard around there is always hope and it was the former Lille ace who hauled the visitors level before half-time.
The Belgian ace switched play ­superbly before getting on the end of Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross. His header seemed to lack the power to beat Boaz Myhill until, that is, Billy Jones diverted it past his keeper.
That should have been the signal for Chelsea to take control. Instead, the Baggies regained the initiative.
Luiz should have stopped Long’s 50th-minute cross but failed – and Odemwingie glanced home.
That led to a frantic finale in which Daniel Sturridge wasted three great ­chances – but it is now four league games without a win for Chelsea