West Bromwich Albion 1 - Chelsea 1

Summary:

Albion picked up what looked like another unlikely point in their fight against relegation thanks to a late equaliser from Victor Anichebe. Pepe Mel made four changes with Morgan Amalfitano, Saido Berahino, Steven Reid recalled and Thievy Bifouma making his full debut.

Albion held out against a first half of Chelsea pressure but conceded at the very end of time added on when Branislav Ivanovic turned David Luiz's flick-on past Ben Foster. But Albion improved after the break and won the point when Anichebe headed home a cross from Berahino.

The point lifts Albion one place and out of the relegation zone on goal difference with Sunderland, although they still lie only four points above Fulham at the foot of the table.

oshawabaggie:

It's becoming clear that to play well, we need to be up against a top team (and often down a goal). How the F*** do we put in the kind of performances we have against Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and Man U, and yet turn in crap against the Cardiffs, Norwiches and Palaces?

This (last 30 minute) display SHOULD give the team confidence to see off Fulham - but will it??

Anticipating a drubbing tonight, I was preparing to talk about all of the reasons why our season has turned sour, but our performance in the last third of the game has restored some hope, so I will save it for another time. Let's hope it never sees the light of day.

Kudos tonight to Pepe, who was not afraid to start with an attacking line up (even though I would have found a starting spot for Mulumbu) and the much maligned Anichebe, who scored another huge goal for us.

One question for Pepe: Why don't we put a defender on the back post for corners?

Mark Koppel:

Subject : Mickey Mouse FC 1 v Chelsea Cheats 1

Probably the most enjoyable equaliser since Paul Robinson against The Vile in 2005.

Not only was this sweet revenge for the Stamford Bridge injustice, but today Mourinho and his Chelsea team demonstrated all that is wrong with Premier League Football.

They are all blessed with far too much money, were constantly using gamesmanship, and trying to cheat the Ref throughout the match.

• Foster 8 - Kicking apart, very proactive performance from him tonight. Really strong hands against several powerful shots,and nice to see him stand up to Nasty Torres at the end.
• Reid 7 - Considering he now lacks the pace required at this level this was a very positive performance. Even got fouled towards the end after beating his man.
• Ridgewell 3 - Oh dear,should have been taken to the Cleaners a lot more by the Chelsea Cheats tonight. Number One target for next summer, a new Left Back.
• Dawson 6 - After a nervy start, grew into the game. Put in some timely tackles.
• McAuley 7 - Mr. Dependable and a fantastic header across their box in the second half, pity Anchiebe was not on the pitch at that point.
• Yacob 7 - Got stuck in today without too many silly fouls. Hope he is not injured for too long.
• Brunt 6 - I can understand why he gets a lot of stick but most of the time he is trying his heart out I think. Nearly scored a dramatic winner at the death.
• Morrison 7 - Centre midfield is his best position and tackled better than ever today. If only he could recapture his shooting boots of 2 years ago.
• Thievy 7 - Chelsea Cheats found him a bit of a handful. Has got pace, strength, and confidence on the ball. Did not combine too well with Berahino.
• Amalfitano 4 - I'm afraid he is not strong or fast enough for the PL. Lucky to get back into the team, lost the ball many times when in possession, and correct that Pepe took him off.
• Berahino 7 - Best game since signing the new contract. Looked interested tonight and was strong on the ball. Need to try and get him more in on goal though.

Subs:

• Vydra 5 - Not much impact again. Needs to learn how to get into dangerous positions facing the goal.
• Mulumbu 7 - Would have got an 8 if he hadn't given the ball away in injury time. Apart from that, added the necessary drive from midfield. Also one superb tackle on Torres when chasing back.
• Anichebe 8 - Not only scored the goal but once again changed the game when he came on. When he plays with another striker we cause opposition defences a lot more trouble.

West Brom Fans 10 - The deserved stick given to Ramires and Mourinho worked to galvanise the Mickey Mouse FC and pressurise the Ref in the second half to give us a better share of his decisions. Pepe and The Team need all the help in the world for the rest of this season from us Fans.

Bobby Hope:

Well that was much much better! Credit where it's due that was a team performance to be proud of. Gutsy, hardworking, determined, focused - all the essential elements that were not so apparent last Saturday. With a bit of luck we could have won it too! Not bad for a Mickey Mouse club!

We were a little too 'excited' when we had opportunities to score - Chevvy in the first half, Brunt and Morrison in the second - but that is being overly critical so I'll shut up. Very committed defending supported by some very good work by Fozzie. Great support from the fans too.

It was a perfect performance to take to Spain and I am certain that everyone will bond more out there and Chevvy will settle in more and Pepe will get closer to everyone. So that all bodes well. Let's hope we put the same effort in against Fulham and get the right result. I also fancy us against the Mackems and the 'second team' in Manchester. I expect Dozza to feature soon - he will come strong before the end of the season.

Paul Gainham:

Well, the much anticipated drubbing did not happen for which we can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Curiously, the way we performed in the last 20 minutes we could have won it but overall a draw was probably a fair result. Blimey, even Mourinho in his post match interview said the same.

This was not a great game, despite Chelsea having their full strength side out we did manage to mostly stop them playing ? yes they had possession, yes they looked as though they might open us up at any time but the reality was they did not. Their single biggest threat and a player I have the highest admiration for, Hazard, was kept mostly quiet by a combination of Reid and occasionally Amalfitano. On their other flank, Willian always looked dangerous against Ridgewell but again mostly failed to deliver, leaving Eto?o and Later Torres to feed mostly on scraps.

It looked as though on balance our game plan worked well and got event better when Anichebe and Mulumbu came on. I have called for Berahino to start the game as the single main forward which he did last night but alas he was mostly ineffective. When Anichebe came on and he took that role with Berahino moving wide, we looked a different prospect and began to really take the game to them from which a lovely Berahino cross and well taken header from Victor earned us a valuable point. Kudos to Mel for making the right changes at the right time.

Midfield did mostly OK albeit we were up against one of the best midfield packs in the country. Mulumbu really added some new drive and energy when he came on.

Putting the costs of their players to one side, the one thing they do have in abundance and we need to build back into our team is pace. Probably only Thievy out of our starting line up had the pace to match and yet as we know to progress in the PL it?s a vital ingredient.

Player Marks

• Foster 7 Did well with what he had to do, distribution occasionally wayward
• Reid 8 Great performance against one of the worlds best midfielders, kept him mostly quiet.
• McCauley 7 Solid both in defence and when forward for corners
• Dawson 6 Did OK, still not convinced by him.
• Ridgewell 5 One moment where he let a pass run across his body and out of play sums him up ? he remains a true liability
• Yacob 7 Worked hard but occasionally struggled against the pace and movement of their midfield
• Morrison 7 Ditto Yacob, got forward but often found himself running into cul-de-sacs and having to go backwards
• Amalfitano 5 Some nice tricks but did not have the pace or power to really trouble them
• Brunt 7 Overall a good performance, i still think we should push him to LB and drop Ridgewell altogether
• Thievy 6 Reminds me of the Dutch kid we had (name?) looks pacey but not sure he has the touch, time will tell.
• Berahino 6 Disappointing up front on his own, looked much better when moved out wide with Victor in the middle

Subs

• Mulumbu 7 Added new drive and urgency in the middle
• Anichebe 7 Have to hand it to him, he scores when we really need it
• Vydra 4 No impact