What a day for Big Sam’s Baggies
● Relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion secured a stunning 5-2 win over 10man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday to hand Thomas Tuchel his first loss as the London club’s manager.
West Brom, second-bottom of the table, moved seven points from the safety zone.
Chelsea were looking to record an eighth consecutive clean sheet but Thiago Silva’s sending-off for a second yellow card after a reckless challenge opened the floodgates as West Brom ran riot.
“There’s no need to concede five goals when you have our quality,” Tuchel told BBC Sport after Chelsea’s worst home defeat in nearly 10 years.
“We could not adapt to the situation, which is a surprise as we were leading. We’re normally confident enough to defend but we were sloppy and kept making big mistakes. We were punished hard and it’s tough to digest.”
Chelsea took the lead two minutes before Silva’s red card when Marcos Alonso’s free kick came off the post and Christian Pulisic scored from the rebound, the American winger’s first goal under Tuchel.
West Brom used their numerical advantage to good effect as Matheus Pereira scored
two goals in quick succession in first-half stoppage time — which included an assist from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone — to put the visitors ahead at the interval.
They struck twice on the counterattack five minutes apart in the second half, with Callum Robinson volleying home a Darnell Furlong cross before Pereira turned provider for Mbaye Diagne.
Chelsea pulled one back to make it 4-2 when Timo Werner set up Mason Mount for a simple tap-in but West Brom scored their fifth in stoppage time when Robinson chipped on-rushing keeper Edouard Mendy.
“People will always look to the fact they went down to 10 men but I thought we created chances. I thought Thiago Silva was lucky to stay on after the first foul,” West Brom manager Sam Allardyce said.
In two of the later games yesterday, Leeds United winger Jack Harrison netted in the first half and his cross led to an own goal in the second as his side moved into the Premier League’s top 10 with a 2-1 win over bottom side Sheffield United.
Pressing high up the pitch, Leeds took the lead in the 12th minute when Harrison scored with a simple tap-in.
Harrison could have had a second when Blades defender George Baldock thundered into Tyler Roberts and deflected his attempted pass into the Leeds winger’s path but this time he steered his shot wide.
The visitors levelled before the break as Ben Osborn popped up at the far post to steer home Oliver McBurnie’s deflected shot.
Leeds killed the game off four minutes into the second half when Harrison’s low cross was put into his own net by Phil Jagielka.
Manchester City did what was necessary by beating Leicester 2-0.