West Brom 1-1

Independent:

West Bromwich Albion 1 Chelsea 1

Victor Anichebe punishes Chelsea’s dearth of firepower

A game Jose Mourinho's team should have won easily ended with two points squandered by the Premier League leaders
Sam Wallace
They have conquered Manchester City and made a virtue of being the team that has come good late on, but tonight they looked bereft of the killer instinct that served them so well in recent weeks. The old problems came back to haunt Mourinho: the absence of a striker capable of putting opposition away, a critical defensive lapse as they tried to see out victory.
It was not the sleek, bespoke performances that Mourinho’s team turned out to beat City. Instead he was forced to throw on the inexperienced Mohamed Salah at the end to chase the lead having previously adjusted his team to close the game down. Chelsea’s goal came from Branislav Ivanovic and it looked like it might be enough to win the match until substitute Victor Anichebe struck within the last four minutes of normal time.
It is a different Mourinho these days, to the one that considered each and every defeat as evidence that the universe was out of kilter and forces were conspiring against him. Afterwards he blamed his team’s “lack of personality” in allowing themselves to be dominated by an otherwise fairly nascent West Brom team in the closing stages of the match.
“A ‘ready’ team [ie, an experienced team], a complete team kills this game,” Mourinho said. “Two-nil. Goodbye. We didn’t.” He is playing that tune again, the one that says Chelsea are not yet at a stage where they can win the title, and this he claimed was vindication for that theory. He was right in saying that his side fell away badly, but why that was the case was not obvious.
Chelsea are still top but a win for Arsenal against Manchester United tomorrow will restore them to that position and Manchester City can also overhaul them if they beat Sunderland.  Having dominated the first half, Chelsea struggled to put West Brom away and found themselves on the back foot. They needed a telling moment from Eden Hazard or Oscar or Samuel Eto’o but none was forthcoming. Instead there was a strange row between Ivanovic and Petr Cech and then, eventually, the equaliser from Anichebe.
He had been sent on by Pepe Mel to try to give some life to a West Brom attack that looked like it might be flat-lining by the beginning of the second half. His team had done their defensive work well and then they conceded in injury-time at the end of the first half with sloppy marking from a corner.
It does not change the fact that Mel is still yet to win any of his five games in charge of West Brom since taking over, but this comeback was a great improvement on what might have been after a moribund first half. He declared himself “proud” of his players after the game and they are off for a break in Spain which their new manager described as his “pre-season.”
In a drab and unremarkable first half in which Chelsea failed to spark, only Willian, of Mourinho’s attacking four, really delivered and his contribution was more about the running and energy than creativeness.
It was a dreadful goal that West Brom conceded from Willian’s corner on the right. David Luiz angled his run to the front post and flicked the ball on to no-one in particular with his left foot. Breaking from a position around the penalty spot, Ivanovic was completely unmarked – Gareth McAuley’s fault - when he struck the ball on the half-volley past Ben Foster from close range.
Until then it had been Chelsea who had the better of it. But not by much. Hazard was well-marshalled on the left wing, although doing so earned Morgan Amalfitano a booking late in the first half. Really, Mourinho’s team were reduced to a few long range shots, the best from Willian, and one clever turn by Eto’o that left Craig Dawson on his backside. Claudio Yacob got in the way of the cut-back.
Yacob and James Morrison shielded the West Brom defence from the usual Chelsea pressure and by and large they did a good job of it. Albion’s problem was creating anything of note at the other end. Only once in the first half did they really get clear, when Amalfitano deceived Cesar Apilicueta down the right and crossed for Saido Berahino to head the ball down. Thievy Bifouma’s instinct to take his first touch away from goal felt wrong and Chris Brunt’s shot was wide.
Even without John Terry in the side, it required something of quality to breakdown the Gary Cahill and Luiz partnership and, in the first half, the home side did not get close to that.  It took well into the second half for West Brom to get their first shot on target. They lost Yacob to injury and in the early stages of the second half there was no clear idea of how they might get back in it.
It was Thievy who had the first decent chance with around 15 minutes left as West Brom finally managed to apply some pressure. The ball dropped to him in the area in the right channel from a Brunt corner that was flicked on but the striker, on loan from Espanyol, snatched at the ball and dragged it across goal. Brunt did little better minutes later with a chance from the other side.
All they had in their favour was that Chelsea seemed incapable of putting the game away. Hazard dallied on a break down the left side of the West Brom box and failed to anticipate Ramires’ run into the six yard box. With 12 minutes remaining, Mourinho withdrew Oscar and replaced him with John Obi Mikel, making clear his intentions to shut the game down.
Before then he had given Fernando Torres his first run out, as a substitute for Eto’o, since the Spanish striker’s knee ligament injury against Manchester United on 19 January. Mel refreshed his attack with Anichebe and Matej Vydra. West Brom looked at their most dangerous from set-pieces and the more the pressure grew, the more of those they won.
In the build-up to the equaliser, Cahill was injured and had only just hobbled back onto the pitch when Berahino picked up the ball on the left side and angled a ball into the near side of the box. Having dealt with the pressure time and again in the second half, on this occasion Cech came for the ball and hesitated. Luiz allowed Anichebe to get in front of him and the striker angled a fine header past the Cech.
Having originally intended to bring on Frank Lampard and go further into shutdown mode, Mourinho changed his mind and called upon Salah to try to turn the game which had finally opened up. There was a late corner for Chelsea that should never have been given when replays showed that Ben Foster had managed to keep the ball in play. But not for the first time, Chelsea found themselves unable to craft an attempt on goal.

West Bromwich Albion (4-2-3-1): Foster; Reid, McAuley, Dawson, Ridgewell; Yacob (Mulumbu 63), Morrison; Amalfitano (Anichebe 73), Thievy (Vydra 77), Brunt; Berahino.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Azpilicueta; Ramires (Salah 88), Matic; Willian, Oscar (Mikel 78), Hazard; Eto'o (Torres 69).

Match rating 6/10.
Man of the match Willian.
Referee A Taylor.
Attendance 24,327.

================

Guardian:

West Brom's Victor Anichebe strikes late to halt Chelsea title charge

Daniel Taylor at The Hawthorns

For Chelsea it finished as a night of regret, with José Mourinho complaining they lacked "a little bit of a lack of personality". There was an unexpected show of vulnerability from the Premier League leaders in the final quarter of an hour as they were pinned back by a team from the relegation zone, and that came as a jolt given the qualities of endurance that had taken Mourinho's side to the summit in the first place.
Chelsea's carelessness in those exchanges seemed incongruous to the rest of the match but West Brom deserve acclaim for their late adventure, culminating in Victor Anichebe's 87th-minute header and a point that will be of huge satisfaction for the home team. Pepe Mel is still looking for his first victory after five games in the job and West Brom have won only once since Steve Clarke was removed as manager two months ago but they were rewarded for not giving up against the most parsimonious team in the league.
For long spells Chelsea had looked to possess an impenetrable line in front of Petr Cech. Nemanja Matic was a formidable opponent to get past, even to reach Chelsea's back four, and Cech had remarkably little to do for the first 75 minutes. Yet Chelsea did not show enough attacking enterprise to add to Branislav Ivanovic's goal late in the first half and Mourinho made the point afterwards that their inability to increase the lead encouraged the late flurry from their opponents.
This was not a night when Eden Hazard was able to maintain his recent form or Oscar showed his ability to deliver the killer pass. Chelsea had looked in utter control for most of the night, without ever reaching a level of performance that went above six out of ten. Sometimes it dipped below that level and towards the end they looked decidedly ragged.
All the same it was strange to see the sudden transformation. Anichebe had come on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Morgan Amalfitano and his impact unsettled Gary Cahill and David Luiz, both of whom had hitherto been superb. Soon afterwards Thievy Bifouma and Chris Brunt flashed shots narrowly wide from promising positions. Gareth McAuley put a header over the crossbar and Chelsea, missing the injured John Terry, were defending far too deeply by the time Saido Berahino swung over a cross from the left, checking back on to his right foot, and Anichebe's header picked out the corner.
The goal lifts West Brom out of the bottom three and denies Chelsea a four-point lead at the top of the table. Mourinho must wonder, once again, where his team could be if they had a more charismatic centre-forward. Yet the bottom line is they had an off night and Willian's dynamicperformance stood out in part because none of the team's other attackers could match him.
Mourinho brought on the fit-again Fernando Torres and removed Samuel Eto'o but it made little difference and the Spaniard finished the night arguing with the home side's goalkeeper, Ben Foster. Then Ivanovic angrily jabbed a finger at one of the linesmen. Cech tried to calm his team-mate down but Ivanovic, in one of those red-mist moments, is not an easy man to control and it ended with an argument between the two players. From a position of control, it was unusual to see Chelsea lose their way in this manner.
They had taken the lead just before half-time when Willian delivered a corner from the right and Ivanovic provided another demonstration of how dangerous he can be from set pieces. David Luiz helped the ball across the six-yard area and Ivanovic was next to react at the far post, sweeping in a first-time shot.
Chelsea had threatened only sporadically before then, lacking penetration in the telling areas, and the outstanding chance of the first half actually dropped to Bifouma, on his first league start for West Brom since arriving on loan from Espanyol. Berahino's header was cushioned expertly into Bifouma's path, after Amalfitano had eluded César Azpilicueta on the right, but the 21-year-old did not appear to have the self-belief to take on the volley. Trying to control it in a congested penalty area just gave Chelsea's defenders the time to recover and the chance was gone.
That seemed to be the signal for Mourinho's players to shake their heads clear. They had arrived here on the back of seven clean sheets from their previous nine games, whereas West Brom had only one win in their last 16 league matches. Another side in that position might have wilted after Ivanovic's goal but West Brom persevered in a manner that suggests their poor results have not inflicted too much damage on their confidence.
They subjected Chelsea to some intense pressure in that 15-minute spell and will head off for a mid-season break to Spain in a much better frame of mind. Chelsea, two points clear, will consider it a missed opportunity.

===================

Times:

West Bromwich Albion 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea stumble as Victor Anichebe strikes for West Brom
     
Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

It seems that the rarefied air at the top of the Barclays Premier League is causing vertigo. Just as Manchester City and Arsenal have stumbled on reaching the summit in the past fortnight, so Chelsea suffered last night , losing their footing, retreating anxiously and paying the price when Victor
Anichebe equalised for West Bromwich Albion with three minutes to go.
It was no more and no less than either team deserved. West Brom barely got going until the final 20 minutes, but, as even José Mourinho admitted, Chelsea had not done enough to win, either.
After taking the lead through another Branislav Ivanovic goal in first-half stoppage time, Chelsea dropped farther and farther back towards their penalty area and were punished when Anichebe, a substitute, headed Saido Berahino’s cross past Petr Cech.
Mourinho blamed a “lack of personality” for his team’s inability either to extend their lead, as they had done in recent wins away to Southampton and Hull City, or to protect it, as they did to such great effect away to Manchester City eight days earlier. If ever there was an occasion when they missed the injured John Terry, this was it, at least once West Brom switched towards a more direct approaching in the closing stages.
The draw took West Brom out of the bottom three, albeit only on goal difference before this evening’s matches, and provided Pepe Mel with his most rewarding evening so far in a difficult introduction to the Premier League.
That the result was earned after a reversion to more functional approach in the second half —Youssouf Mulumbu in midfield, Anichebe lending some weight to the forward line — demonstrated that Mel is finding a need to be pragmatic as desperation grows among the teams at the bottom.
West Brom have won only once in 17 matches in all competitions since November 2 — a run that includes the final weeks of Steve Clarke’s tenure, Keith Downing’s spell as interim coach and now five games under Mel — and there were times when a lack of belief was evident. Ultimately, though, there was encouragement to be drawn from finding a way back into the game and from the satisfaction that they, unlike so many other teams of late, had found a way to contain Eden Hazard.
“Of course it is the best performance we have had,” Mel said . “It was not a complete performance, but I’m proud of my players. It was good to have different halves: in the first half good defence and only two chances for Chelsea; in the second half good transition, good attack and defence, good mentality.”
Ivanovic’s goal, in first-half stoppage time, followed 45 minutes in which Chelsea took time to get going before building momentum as the interval approached. With Hazard quieter than usual, much of that momentum came through Willian, always looking for the ball, always prepared to try something a little different in his loose right-sided role, helped by Ivanovic’s willingness to join him on the overlap. Midway through the first half, receiving a pass from Ivanovic, Willian shuffled into space and struck a right-foot shot just wide of the near post. There was another Willian shot that flew over the crossbar, but otherwise Mel must have felt that his team had contained Chelsea’s threat comfortably until Willian’s corner was flicked across the six-yard box by David Luiz and driven past Ben Foster by Ivanovic.
In one sense, it was harsh on West Brom, but they had offered little going forward, with a belt-and-braces approach leaving little support for Thievy Bifouma and Berahino. Those two have raw pace and talent, but there was a lack of poise about their attacks. Only once in the first half did the ball drop for either player in the penalty area and Thievy’s touch was a strange one, taking him away from goal, before he set up Chris Brunt, who shot wide.
Mourinho said that Chelsea had the chances to kill the game early in the second half, but, in truth, there was only one, when Willian threaded another clever pass through to Samuel Eto’o, whose shot was well saved by Foster.
Willian had another long-range effort saved, but the outcome looked inevitable until West Brom, having introduced more physical presence in Mulumbu, Anichebe and Matej Vydra, began to ruffle Chelsea’s feathers in the closing stages.
Finally, there was an onslaught of sorts, with Gary Cahill, Luiz and the rest of the back four seeming not to realise that they were playing into their opponents’ hands by dropping to the edge of their own penalty area.
From a series of diagonal balls, crosses and corners, the ball began to drop at the feet of West Brom’s forwards. Brunt threatened twice and Thievy flashed a shot across the face of the goal before the pressure finally told when Berahino’s inswinging cross was glanced past Cech by Anichebe.
It was a goal that delighted the locals, but no doubt there will also have been joy in North London, Manchester and even on Merseyside. It is one thing to get to the top. It is another, evidently, to try to stay there.

West Bromwich Albion (4-2-3-1): B Foster — S Reid, G McAuley, C Dawson, L Ridgewell — C Yacob (sub: Y Mulumbu, 63min), J Morrison — M Amalfitano (sub: V Anichebe, 73), T Bifouma (sub: M Vydra, 78), C Brunt — S Berahino. Substitutes not used: B Myhill, D Lugano, G Dorrans, Z Gera. Booked: Amalfitano, Yacob, Anichebe.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech — B Ivanovic, G Cahill, D Luiz, C Azpilicueta — Ramires (sub: M Salah, 89), N Matic — Willian, Oscar (sub: J O Mikel, 79), E Hazard — S Eto’o (sub: F Torres, 69). Substitutes not used: M Schwarzer, A Cole, F Lampard, A Schürrle. Booked: Willian, Ivanovic, Luiz, Matic.
Referee: A Taylor.

Chelsea’s past four defeats or score draws have all involved them conceding a decisive late goal, a fate they rarely suffered during José Mourinho’s first spell in charge
How Mourinho’s men are paying the penalty for late lapses
87 Minute Victor Anichebe scored last night to give West Brom a 1-1 draw
118 Minute in which Ki Sung Yueng struck Sunderland’s Capital One Cup winner
90 Minute when Chelsea conceded to Oussama Assaidi in Stoke City’s 3-2 Premier League victory at the Britannia Stadium
87 Minute Mohamed Salah, who has since joined Chelsea, scored Basle’s winning goal against them in a Champions League match in Switzerland

==================

Telegraph:

West Bromwich Albion 1 Chelsea 1

By  Henry Winter, Football Correspondent, the Hawthorns

The little horse had a bit of a mare here. Jose Mourinho may not consider his team true thoroughbreds in the title race, but they could have gone four points clear at the top of the Premier League until some nervous defending cost them dear.
West Brom exploited a collection of Chelsea mistakes to equalise with three minutes remaining, Victor Anichebe cancelling out Branislav Ivanovic’s first-half goal.
Chelsea dropped points because they dropped too deep, partly because they lacked the defensive authority figure of John Terry to push them up, partly because the hobbling Gary Cahill should have gone off, partly because David Luiz switched off, partly because their attackers stopped pressing West Brom with the same alacrity as in the first half but also because of Pepe Mel’s tactics.
West Brom’s head coach, who has overseen draws against Everton, Liverpool and now Chelsea, responded shrewdly to going behind on the cusp of half-time.
His first change was straightforward, the limping Claudio Yacob replaced by Youssouf Mulumbu, who immediately brought some control to West Brom’s midfield. Mel then sent on Anichebe for Morgan Amalfitano and Matej Vydra for Thievy Bifouma, going for all-out attack.
The crowd responded, willing West Brom to press for the equaliser. Then came the Cahill knee injury, triggering a costly train of events. Cahill briefly went off but, typically, insisted in coming back on, although clearly not fit. Nemanja Matic, trying to help out, had dropped almost amongst the back four and made a poor clearance, skewing the ball to Liam Ridgewell, who quickly transferred play to Saido Berahino on the left.
Ivanovic, Chelsea’s right-back, who should have been tight to Berahino, had shifted inside to cover for Cahill. Berahino, having a yard of space, crossed and Anichebe, reacting quicker than Luiz, flicked a header in off the post. It was just the type of situation that Terry would have guarded against.
Mourinho argued that it was a sign that Chelsea are not ready for the title. Chelsea will lose their place at the top of the Premier League should Manchester City defeat Sunderland or Arsenal beat Manchester United on Wednesday night. There will inevitably be further twists and turns in the race. Liverpool, who travel to Fulham, cannot be discounted. This is a four-horse race now.
West Brom’s point took them out of the bottom three, and the second-half performance will give them hope. Berahino, pacy and versatile, showed why he should be starting regularly. Ben Foster made a couple of very good saves. Anichebe’s goal should increase his confidence. Mulumbu’s 27 minutes were a reminder why he should be in the starting XI.
Eventful in parts, this was not a classic game. Before Ivanovic swooped just before half-time, scoring his second goal in three games and the 400th Chelsea have scored under Mourinho, there had been little football of sufficient quality to warm the crowd. West Brom counter-attacked occasionally while Chelsea enjoyed plenty of possession but like the falling snow, nobody really settled.
The sides have fallen out this season, ensuring some tensions on the pitch. West Brom believed that Mourinho accused them of being a “Mickey Mouse” club during the fractious encounter at the Bridge, a claim Chelsea contest.
Ramires’s simulation when challenged by Steven Reid last November was neither forgotten nor forgiven by the West Brom fans who greeted some of his early touches with “he’s going to dive in a minute”.
The temperature was certainly taking a tumble, and even Snow White would have been shivering in the Black Country. As the half closed, Chelsea stepped up the pace. Eden Hazard had a free-kick blocked. Willian shot over.
Then West Brom’s marking let them down badly. Willian swept a corner across from the right, Luiz flicked on and there was the unmarked Ivanovic striking the ball home from six yards. West Brom fans complained that the goal came in the third minute of injury time after only two minutes had been indicated by the fourth official, David Coote, although this is always “a minimum”.
Chelsea seemed in control as the second half began. Oscar beat Ridgewell easily for pace. Willian moved away from Yacob and sent in a powerful shot pushed away by Foster. Having replaced Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres was immediately involved in a move with Hazard and Oscar that culminated in Willian’s shot thudding into Foster’s gloves.
Mel’s changes began to shift the game West Brom’s way. Thievy fired wide. James Morrison went close. Ivanovic, strangely, then boiled over, screaming at the assistant referee, and being cautioned by Anthony Taylor. Petr Cech, Chelsea’s captain, had to intervene to calm Ivanovic down.
Mourinho looked to close up the game, taking off Oscar for John Obi Mikel with 11 minutes remaining. West Brom increased their tempo, placing more and more pressure on Chelsea’s defenders. Luiz almost conceded a penalty when pulling Anichebe’s shirt. West Brom frustration built as they felt Chelsea were engaging in time-wasting.
They booed at Cahill when the centre-half slumped to the floor but he was clearly in pain. It was a surprise to see Cahill coming back on.
Chelsea’s defence seemed disorganised, leading to Berahino’s cross and Anichebe’s finish. Anichebe disappeared down an exit in his celebrations, earning a caution.
Mourinho now had to make an attacking change. He changed his plans for a replacement, sending on Mohamed Salah instead of Frank Lampard for Ramires, who was roundly booed as he went off.
Coote then signalled six minutes of added time, and Chelsea earned a fortuitous corner just before the end when Foster had actually kept the ball in. Forster then did brilliantly to clutch the ball, falling painfully to the ground but retaining possession.
When Anthony Taylor blew the whistle for full time, Mourinho hugged Mel twice. West Brom deserved a point and recognition for their prodigious effort in the second half.

==================

Mail:

West Brom 1-1 Chelsea: Anichebe slams brakes on Blues as Mourinho misses Terry

By Martin Samuel

Man of the match for Chelsea? Quite possibly John Terry.
How there can be any debate over his new contract after this is beyond belief.
The ball, from Saido Berahino, was floated in with four minutes remaining. It was a fine cross from a fine player, but a good centre-half would have had it covered, or at least done enough to disconcert West Bromwich Albion substitute Victor Anichebe in the air.
Sadly for Jose Mourinho, his best man was indisposed, only the second league game he has missed this season.
And so, what should have been an ominous four-point gap at the top became two and vulnerable with Arsenal and Manchester City at home on Wednesday night. Chelsea could be third by Thursday morning.
There was other mitigation. Gary Cahill has just taken a knock and was hobbling, so Branislav Ivanovic was slow to get out to Berahino because he was worried about deserting his centre-half.
Yet the fact is, if David Luiz had got in a position to clear the ball, or tight enough to disturb Anichebe as he rose to head it, Chelsea would have won. And that is just the sort of resistance Terry brings to a team.
It is speculation, obviously, but one imagines with Terry in the ranks, Mourinho's little horse would have been home and hosed here.
Until the final 15 minutes this had shaped up as what might be termed a Mourinho template title-winning performance. One of those displays when Chelsea look utterly assured from the get-go, seemingly in cruise control, untroubled, unhurried, a 1-0 win waiting to happen. Yet one is a slender margin. And it needs a steady back line to defend it.
Chelsea have had just that this season because Terry has been in some of the best form of his life. He makes Cahill better, he allows Luiz to be used as a central midfield player. He directs, he commands; before the win at Manchester City, Terry could even be seen orchestrating matters in the warm-up.
Without a doubt a missed opportunity for Chelsea, they should have won comfortably but credit to West Brom for getting back into it. Emotions were spilling over at the end, with substitute Fernando Torres squaring up to Ben Foster (above), and you start to wonder who is going to win this Premier League title.
It was almost like a boxing match, West Brom were on the ropes and covering up but Chelsea were out on their feet at the end.
Tactically, Pepe Mel has done a number on Jose Mourinho. And when they look back, this may cost Chelsea at the end of the season. Manchester City and Arsenal will be licking their lips ahead of Wednesday night.
Samuel Eto’o was lonely up top for Chelsea and they didn’t commit enough men to win. They were hanging on at the end.
Whatever the size or quality of the mount, in Terry, Chelsea have a top jockey. He gets them home. Luiz dropped the reins and one came up on the rails.
At 70 minutes, West Bromwich were done. They are fighting for their future in the Barclays Premier League but had offered little but a tame, timid surrender. Albion did not threaten, did not challenge and Chelsea were comfortable.
Perhaps sensing a lack of ambition, West Brom began to take the initiative. It was at this point, surely, that Terry would have intervened, taken charge, reorganised. Nobody took that responsibility.
Ivanovic screaming at a linesman over a disputed decision is not responsibility. Petr Cech being called in to calm his team-mate down is merely a distraction. And all the while, Albion grew more hopeful.
James Morrison and new signing Thievy Bifouma shot over, then Chris Brunt  lashed one across the face of goal. There were headers and skirmishes and those previously possessing such certainty in Chelsea's ability to close out a game began exchanging worried glances.
When Cahill went down injured and got up limping it was the fissure that brought the wall down. Lack of ambition played a part, too.
Chelsea had another tilt at West Brom in the first 15 minutes of the second half but after that appeared to lose interest.
Oscar had a shot from 25 yards that curled just wide, and Ben Foster made two excellent saves, but this was Chelsea in energy-saving mode.
In the 50th minute Willian - the best player on the field, and always a threat - found Samuel Eto'o, whose low shot forced a good stop from Foster. Then, in the 58th minute, an effort from range by Willian took a slight deflection and produced the save of the night.
After which, as West Bromwich got busy at last, Mourinho brought on John Mikel Obi to shore up the win. He didn't. Terry would have. That's the difference.
It wasn't much of a match, in the first-half at least. The biggest reaction came when Ramires appeared to turn his right knee under pressure from Thievy, giving the home fans the opportunity to vent some pretty base theories about his personal ethics.
It was Ramires's fall that gave Chelsea a late penalty to equalise when the teams met earlier in the season at Stamford Bridge. Many Albion supporters regard that as the incident that changed their season, precipitating a poor run, the hasty dismissal of Steve Clarke, the drawn-out appointment of Pepe Mel and the slide towards the relegation places.
It is fair to say if Ramires is ever low on petrol passing through the West Bromwich area, he may be advised to chance running on fumes until he gets to Wolverhampton. This time, though, the locals appear to have done the Brazilian a disservice. Replays showed it could have been a nasty injury, and he did well to run it off - even though his every touch thereafter bought fresh waves of booing.
Well, they haven't had much to cheer about, of late. And they didn't here, initially. Albion's only chance of the first half came almost by accident. A cross from Berahino found Thievy in a good scoring position but he was let down by his touch, the ball actually travelling backwards. Thievy then made the best of it, finding Brunt, who drove a low shot wide. It was meagre stuff.
There was a gulf in class here for much of the game and, while not immediately apparent from the scoreline, it was from the action.
Chelsea had control from early and their goal seemed a matter of time; of injury time, in fact. It was in the additional period signalled by fourth official David Coote that Chelsea scored, a set-piece goal aided by some woeful defending from the home team.
Willian took a corner from the right and put it short, as he so often does, where it was flicked on by Luiz. A header? No, this was close to a backheel flick, a low-level assist that was not cut out, or picked up, as if flew across the goal to Ivanovic at the far post.
A lot has been made of Seamus Coleman's goalscoring for Everton this season, but few full-backs have made so many vital appearances on the scoresheet as  Chelsea's right-back in recent seasons.
And there it should have remained. Mourinho said his team were too comfortable, but that is only half the story. They didn't commit in the periods when West Bromwich were there for the taking. Terry usually covers for lapses like that with clean sheets.
They'll miss him when he's gone. A new contract? Have they considered cloning?

=======================

Mirror:

West Brom 1-1 Chelsea: Victor Anichebe equalises at the death for plucky Albion

By Martin Lipton

And it was no less than the hosts deserved as the Nigeria forward tucked home a late goal to cancel out Branislav Ivanovic's opener
It's a different game when you're the hunted, not the hunter.
Suddenly, instead of chasing the summit, seeking to remind your rivals you are not going away, you have something tangible to defend, something to lose.
And as Jose Mourinho's grim face at the final whistle told its own story, Chelsea lost something precious on Tuesday night. Not only the guarantee of being top at close of business this evening. But, perhaps more crucially, the momentum and expectation they were beginning to build.
Unlike his two predecessors, failing to pick up three points at the Hawthorns will not prove fatal for the Portuguese. Yet the graveyard of Chelsea managers could haunt Mourinho and his players in May, when all the little moments suddenly add up to the biggest sum of all.
Had Chelsea held on for the final moments of a match they had dominated until Pepe Mel's side rubbed their eyes in disbelief that they were still in it and started to have a go, they would now be standing four points clear of the pack.
The heat, undoubtedly, would have been on Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool to respond. Not mind-games, but real pressure.
Arguably, too, had John Terry been playing, marshalling, ensuring they did not fall asleep, Mourinho's men would have closed it out. But Terry was back in Oxshott, after a day in the gym at Cobham.
Instead, when Gary Cahill limped back on after going down inside his own box, Branislav Ivanovic - who had scored with virtually the last kick of a dire first half - was caught in two minds, not close enough to prevent Saido Berahino delivering from the left.
The error proved costly, Berahino putting the ball in the right place, Victor Anichebe too quick and determined for David Luiz - off-key all night - and Petr Cech rooted to the spot as the ball dribbled in.
In that blink of an eye, that moment of sloppiness, two points were lost by the Blues, a massive one gained by Pepe Mel's Baggies. Quite how they got away with it was hard to fathom, apart from that old adage about the need to take your chances.
Not that Chelsea had too many of them in the opening period, although with Willian the stand-out player on the park by a distance, they were clearly better.
As it was, with West Brom perhaps already congratulating themselves for a half-job well-done deep into stoppage time, Ivanovic struck, as he had at City last week. Willian's corner should have been cut out before it reached Luiz, who flicked across goal for the Serb, who left two would-be markers in his wake, to hammer home from six yards.
That should have been the launch-pad and had Chelsea been anywhere near as clinical as potential title winners should be, it would have been over. Then again, the lack of a genuine, top-drawer, world-class striker has looked their Achilles heel all season, something Mourinho failed to address last month.
Samuel Eto'o has scored eight goals this term but despite that hat-trick against Manchester United only has six in the Premier League, the Cameroonian thwarted by Ben Foster when Willian played him in at the start of the second period.
Chelsea kept coming but Foster kept on repelling them, exceeding the Eto'o save when he turned aside a Willian effort which pinged wildly off Craig Dawson.
And when Eden Hazard, leggy all night, spurned the chance to pick out any of the four black shirts waiting for the right pass after scampering into a huge space down the Chelsea left, Albion began to believe.
Slowly at first, Thievy Bifouma slashing across the face of goal as the Chelsea defence suddenly displayed vulnerability. But after Gareth McAuley headed over, Cahill's injury, Ivanovic's hesitation and Luiz' uncertainty were punished as Anichebe did to Chelsea what he had to Liverpool 10 days ago.
At the death, as Chelsea piled forward, they might even have lost it. It still felt like a defeat. When you're top, they do. They might be reflecting on it from third this evening.

=================

Express:

West Brom 1 - Chelsea 1: Baggies leave it late to shock the Blues

WEST BROM showed they were no joke as they took a point in their battle for Premier League survival against high-flying Chelsea.

By: John Wragg

Despite their domination Chelsea could not stop the Baggies from scoring a late equaliser Despite their domination Chelsea could not stop the Baggies from scoring a late equaliser [GETTY]
The Baggies are fighting at the opposite end of the table to the title-chasing Blues but answered the jibes thrown at them by Jose Mourinho.
This was not Mickey Mouse, it was more Desperate Dan as West Brom stood toe-to-toe with Chelsea and fought back from a goal down to earn a draw with a late strike from substitute Victor Anichebe.
The equaliser, after Branislav Ivanovic’s first-half strike, lifted West Brom out of the bottom three.
Mourinho did not have to look far to find reason to be aggrieved, though, as his defender Gary Cahill had picked up an injury just before the goal was scored.
Mourinho had labelled West Brom a “Mickey Mouse” club after Albion were denied victory by a controversial late penalty at Stamford Bridge three months ago when.
The Baggies’ objective had to be to prove Mourinho wrong, even though a disastrous run of one win in 15 league games, dumping them into the relegation quagmire, would seem to suggest he was correct.
Chelsea on the other hand had stormed to the top of the table with 26 points from the past 30 on offer, a 10-game unbeaten run in direct contrast to Mourinho’s claim they cannot win the league.
West Brom manager Pepe Mel had the memory of beating Mourinho’s Real Madrid when he was in charge at Real Betis two years ago to fall back on, and his side were content to smother Chelsea as best they could, relying on the speed of Thievy Bifouma, making his full debut, and Saido Berahino on the counter-attack.
Willian threatened for the visitors with a 25-yard drive that sailed wide and, when Albion’s contain-and-hit policy was employed to effect, Bifouma was presented with a chance but failed to control the ball and get a shot on target.
Mourinho’s argument about not being able to win the league is born from the absence from his side of strikers to score the goals. It was a point validated somewhat by the way Chelsea played one-twos in front of West Brom’s defence with little penetration in the first half. West Brom’s Craig Dawson needed to slide in to quell some danger, but Chelsea were generally tepid.
Willian tried again with a long-range volley four minutes before half-time that went over the crossbar and frustration looked likely to be Chelsea’s companion in the dressing room.
But just seconds before the break, Albion’s concentration was lost and they were suddenly a goal down. Willian took a corner, David Luiz got a little touch, and Ivanovic was allowed to storm in and get his shot away for his third goal of the season.
Albion’s problem was now to get back into the game, simply defending deep was not enough. It meant the Baggies had to open up a little – and that gave Chelsea more scope, as Willian showed in the 50th minute with a cute pass to Samuel Eto’o.
Eto’o’s drive was powerful but Albion keeper Ben Foster, not at all busy in the first half, made a good save at his near post.
Willian also brought a good save out of Foster eight minutes later, but the Baggies would not surrender.
They resolutely kept to their game plan and Chelsea were still severely restricted in what they were able to create, giving Albion the continual hope that they might, deservedly, snatch something back.
Bifouma had a superb chance to make a name for himself in the 75th minute with a shot across Chelsea’s goal and Chris Brunt did the same a couple of minutes later, but was not was anywhere near as close. It all got a bit much for Chelsea, who were under a lot of pressure, with Ivanovic having a row with a linesman and being booked and his keeper, Petr Cech, coming out to appease him.
Further problems arose when Cahill limped to the sidelines with what looked to be a calf injury but then returned to the fray as Chelsea attempted to see the game out. But they finally cracked in the 87th minute with Anichebe getting in front of Luiz to head in Saido Berahino’s cross.
And it could have been even worse with Brunt going close with a shot from distance as West Brom set their sights in on an unlikely win.

===================

Star:

West Brom 1 - Chelsea 1: Victor Anichebe puts a dent in Chelsea's title bid

CHELSEA'S grip on top spot slackened after they were hit by a late Victor Anichebe equaliser.

By Dave Armitage
Yes, they extended their lead by a further point but with their rivals playing tonight their stay at the summit is likely to be brief.
And it could have been a whole lot worse for Jose Mourinho’s men who were lucky to survive a late barrage from the home side in a niggly encounter.
Up to substitute Anichebe’s 86th minute strike, Chelsea were hanging on to a Branislav Ivanovic goal right on the stroke of half-time.
But their failure to get the all-important second ended up costing them as The Baggies stormed back with a ding-dong finish.
And Anichebe was the hero, literally finally escaping the clutches of David Luiz to rise high and head home a cross from Saido Berahino.
Luiz had been getting to grips with the big striker from the minute he came on and was booked for shirt-pulling.
It all got fractious at the end, just as it had in the clash at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.
Then players had to be separated in the tunnel after Chelsea’s controversial stoppage time penalty equaliser.
This wasn’t quite as bad but several players were going eye-ball to-eyeball as they left the pitch quarrelling.
Ben Foster and Fernando Torres were going at it and Ivanovic and his own skipper Petr Cech were also at it hammer and tongs.
Chelsea’s frustration was understandable because Albion could easily have won it with a nail-biting assault on the Chelsea goal for the last 20 minutes.
After the Battle of the Bridge encounter Mourinho labelled West Brom a ‘Micky Mouse club.’
But that came back to haunt him as the struggling Baggies really made him sweat.
Ivanovic looked to have fired a killer blow for the title pace-setters with a goal right on the stroke of half-time.
The defender showed the positional sense of a top marksman when he surged in at the far post to fire Mourinho’s men in front.
This was always going to be a potentially tricky clash for Chelsea given the fiery encounter between the two sides in London.
Though it was Chelsea who dictated the early pace of the game, they were given occasional reminders that they couldn’t afford to leave themselves too exposed at the back.
Willian was the main source of threat for Chelsea and he went much close with a scorching 27th minute effort which only just cleared the angle of bar and post.
Four minutes before the break it was Willian again who threatened to break the deadlock with an angled drive flew narrowly over.
But right on the stroke of half-time Chelsea eventually breached the dam when Ivanovic steamed in at the far post to blast them into the lead.
The defender cashed in when David Luiz casually flicked Willian’s corner across the face of the six-yard box.
And there was Ivanovic, perfectly placed to smash the ball in and suddenly put a completely different complexion on the game.
Chelsea wouldn’t have needed reminding that they had lost on their previous two visits to The Hawthorns and anything less than a win this time around was the last thing they needed.
This game had come on the back of a fantastic weekend which had seen them go to the top of the table for the first time this season, courtesy of their 3-0 win over Newcastle and a couple of other helpful results.
Foster made a number of good stops to keep Albion in the hunt - one a great diving save to beat away a fiercely struck drive from Samuel Eto’o.
But all the action was at the other end in a grandstand finish and Anichebe, continually tugged back by Luiz, struck with four minutes left.
He rose high to meet Berahino’s cross and diverted it into the corner of the net to deliver a hammer blow to Chelsea’s hopes of continuing to set the pace at the top


==================