Match Report: West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Chelsea
Eden Hazard scored two stunning goals to propel Chelsea to a remarkable 4-0 win against West Bromwich Albion. The Belgian star linked up well with Alvaro Morata as the duo out-played its counterparts on every level. Antonio Conte was a happy man but Tony Pulis, on the other hand, seemed visibly frustrated as his side could never come close to launching a comeback.
All eyes were on David Luiz after Conte unceremoniously dropped him for the clash against Manchester United. The player was on the bench once more but Chelsea did not really need defensive reinforcements considering how West Brom never tested them. This marked their 10th win in 12 away league games.
The Blues quickly scored two goals in the first half-hour owing to the brilliance from Morata and Hazard. Marcos Alonso went on to add a third, profiting from Cesc Fabregas’ set-piece before half-time and from then on, the outcome of the match seemed glaringly evident. Hazard completed his brace right before the hour mark which made it impossible for the Baggies to catch up.
The victory has kept Chelsea at 3rd spot in the league table but they are still 9 points behind leaders Manchester City. Initially, West Brom did seem a bit threatening as Rondon’s goal in the first couple of minutes was declared offside. However, Chelsea quickly overcame that potential setback and dominated the rest of the match from then on.
However, Rondon was the only player who posed some sort of threat to the Blues. He continued to battle like a lone soldier after being denied early on. The Blues’ midfield truly dominated the Baggies and the likes of Grzegorz Krychowiak and Claudio Yacob did little to tighten the spaces, which the visitors exploited gleefully.
All in all, it was a flawless victory for Chelsea and it was interesting to see how well the club performed on all fronts. The win against Manchester United before the international break was exactly what the defending champions needed to regain lost ground and it is working for them so far.
The scoreline would certainly have eased any shred of pressure felt by Conte, as the manager completed his 50th game in charge of Chelsea. Indeed, the Blues delivered an impressive win on such an iconic evening for the Italian manager. Next, Chelsea play Qarabag in a Champions League encounter and after back-to-back wins against Manchester United and Leicester City, Conte’s men are likely to be confident enough to secure a positive result.
Twitter was on fire as usual and here’s how the fans reacted to Blues’ win:
Since he joined Chelsea, no defender has scored more Premier League goals than Marcos Alonso's 9 in 43 games.
Not bad.
— Jake Cohen (@JakeFCohen) November 18, 2017
No Chelsea game is complete without Willian coming on and losing the ball at least once. It's like a sacrifice we have to give to the Footballing Gods for winning the game.
— Nawaz. (@BlueNawaz) November 18, 2017
Azpilicueta has played every minute of every one of Conte's 50 Premier League games as Chelsea manager. What a machine #cfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) November 18, 2017
Many won't agree but Conte's most interesting comments were around changing Chelsea tactically from last season. The plan is looking like 3-5-2. Hazard & Morata bring so much threat that they only need two attackers #WBACHE #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) November 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/Habile118/status/931943558747185152
Chelsea win ✔
Clean sheet ✔
Hazard 2 goals and assist ✔
Morata goal and assist✔
Fabregas 2 assists ✔
2nd position for now ✔COME ON CHELSEA🔵 pic.twitter.com/O8rnfX2xhC
— iChelseaTweets (@iChelseaTweets) November 18, 2017