West Bromwich Albion 3 - Chelsea 0

Date:	Monday 18th May 2015
Competition:	Barclays Premier League
WBA: 8.5	Myhill 8.1, Dawson 8.1, McAuley 8.0, Olsson 7.6, Lescott 7.5, Brunt 8.2, Fletcher 8.1, Yacob 8.8, Morrison 8.5 (Baird, 89 6.0), McManaman 7.1 (Gardner, 54 6.3), Berahino 8.6 (Ideye, 79 6.3) Unused subs: Rose, Wisdom, Anichebe, Mulumbu Manager: Tony Pulis 8.4
Chelsea: 5.6
Scorers:	Berahino (47 pen, 9), Brunt (60)
Referee:	Mike Jones (Chester) 7.0
Attendance:	24,750 Home Fans 8.2 Away Fans 7.6

oshawabaggie:

Stunning. Our run in from hell is turning out to be our best stretch of results all season. Well I don't think many saw that coming. Of course some will say Chelsea didn't turn up, were still hung over etc etc, but I half expected us to be the ones relaxing after a stressful relegation battle, so all credit to Pulis for getting the lads up for it.

That was a brilliant thank you to the fans from the players. Mozza again gave it his all and was pick of the bunch for me, but great displays by Yacob, Brunt and Fletcher in midfield. Dawson had a fine game too and of course Berahino showed with his clinical finishing how critical it is we hang on to him. Even a ten man (and it should have been nine) Chelsea playing at fifty percent is still a threat as they showed on occasions, so it was a good team effort to take them apart the way we did.

Let's see if we can finish off well against Arsenal, who may still need the points to finish second. Pulis now needs the support of the owners (whoever they are) to strengthen the squad if we are going to challenge the top ten.

Brendan Clegg:

I've not posted a report for a few weeks - partly because I've had nothing to add to the fair comments from others and partly because in my opinion despite the results we have been awful to watch, difficult to enjoy, anti-football and little entertainment.

But last night we were none of those things. Last night we were absolutely brilliant and despite there being a case for claiming Chelsea were in cruise control - a case I would dispute from their line-up and the efforts of Hazard & co - this was certainly the best performance I've seen from us this season and arguably quite a few seasons before.

Prior to kick-off I was quite pleased Pulis had reverted to what I believe to be our best formation (4-5-1) with Saido firmly up front as the last man, Morrison in his best role as the most forward of a midfield trio and McManaman offering a pacey outlet alternative to the hardworking but benched Gardner.

And from kick-off it looked like the decisions were correct. Berahino proved again that despite his size he can play up front on his own by using his intelligence, movement and ever-improving strength when receiving the ball with his back to goal. Fletcher and Yacob were really solid in front of the back four and were adeptly able to release Morrison, McManaman and Brunt (Brunt!) to carry the ball up the pitch quickly and break with pace. The forward players also pressed very well and very high at the right times, forcing Chelsea to concede possession.

I thought we were the better side up to and beyond when Berahino reminded us all what a special player he is with his magnificent first goal.

Costa was spoiling for an argument to try and con a decision in his favour and who knows what Fabregas was thinking - stupid petulance.

We quite comfortably rode out to half time still looking dangerous on break and keeping the ball very well when we needed to and not just aimlessly punting it - a theme of the evening perhaps because without Ideye or Vic up there there is little temptation to do so.

2nd half we started really quickly again. You'll never see a clearer penalty and who knows how or why Terry remained on the pitch - a blue and white shirt would not have and Sunderland might well have strong rights to complain.

I thought taking off McManaman weakened us a bit when opportunities to break were beginning to come and invited pressure despite the great hit from Brunt for a 3rd. Chelsea began to really pen us in and but for a few millimetres on the post and an unbelievable save from Myhill the game could've ended much closer than it did or worse as there was plenty of time to go. I hope in the cold light of day TP recognises that.

But other than that we managed the game out really well and I was left with a strange feeling of optimism that I might actually enjoy renewing my season ticket and we might actually take the game to everyone at home in this way next season.

Another summer of big change beckons and whatever happens, you have to hand it to JP that on balance his judgements in key moments are proved correct the majority of the time and he has been an excellent chairman for our club.

Myhill - 8 Sign him up. You will not get a better understudy goalkeeper. Has made another huge contribution this year.
Dawson - 8 Another excellent game with the odd Cafu-like raid. Sometimes he looks as incredulous as us when he skips challenges and runs down the wing. Has been an enormous credit to himself and though he'll never look comfortable on the ball you can bet he is out there in training every day working at it.
McAuley - 8 Phenomenal at his age really to come back from really poor outings against QPR and Leicester where you think it might be the end, for him to perform against Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool like he has. Simply a rock and we'd be mad not to give him another 2 years even if we go into the market looking for a younger replacement.
Olsson - 8 Another who has been a brilliant servant and has come back into the team and proven his worth when everyone thought it might be thank you and goodbye time. Defensively excellent today but it was on the ball that he stood out - no aimless punts and at one point he galloped out and nutmegged their midfielder. Another I would keep because replacements of his quality are hard to come by and expensive.
Lescott - 8 Fair to say that overall he has bee an excellent signing and at times a Rolls Royce. Still not convinced he is comfortable at left back but has certainly improved there the number of games he's played. Looks lost when supporting attacks though.
McManaman - 8 Gave us an outlet, won lots of cheap free-kicks and did an excellent unsung job in tracking and doubling up on Hazard whilst being able to match him for pace - I suspect this was the main reason for him started. Let's hope he flourishes next year.
Fletcher - 8 The legs aren't quite there but he has proven to be an excellent captain and his in-game management, strength, reading and experience are more noticeable with every game especially against the bigger sides.
Yacob - 9 His best performance in ages and a reminder to all that in the right system and with a run of games, we thought one of the top four might come in for him a few years ago. He will never have pace but with games comes a sharpness that enables him to get about and always be in the right place at the right time. And tonight he demonstrated again that with the right tools around him he's not just a ball-winner but a player who picks the right pass for a quick break. New deal surely?
Mozza - 9 My player of the year by a mile over the season. Whether out wide, deep lying or, as tonight in his best role as a driving attacking midfielder, he has given his all tacking, hard running, carrying the ball 40,50,60 yards and even when he's not on form has other qualities you can rely on. Set the tone in this game. Must give him one last big contract.
Brunt - 8 Probably the biggest beneficiary of the Pulis era. He does look liberated from having the responsibility of captain removed. His efforts at leftback have been commendable and enabled him to go back to basics but I believe the key change has been telling him to stay as wide as possible and keep running up and down the touchline, whether at left back or on the wing. For too many games he would drift inside or play deeper than the left-back behind him but he's simplified his game and looks to have gained 5 years of youth as a result. Has certainly turned the boo-boys (me included) around.
Berahino - 9 A good performance and a couple of goals. Play him up front! This kid is special and had we played the way we have been over the last few games I'd be thinking it's better for him and us if we sell him but IF we do play like we did last night next season then there is no better place for his development. I'd even contemplate keeping him for 2 years and letting him leave for nothing than banking money now and risk signing a couple of Ideyes over the next 2 summers.

Gardner - 7 Was his usual hardworking, tough-tackling self. I think has been exactly what we knew we were getting.
Ideye - 5 Didn't offer much. Looked half decent for a couple of games when he was super-fit, aggressive and running himself into the ground but hasn't got the necessary quality and if we can move him on we should.
Baird - 5 Loves an appearance bonus and I'm sure he has a 50/50 agreement with Pulis on them. Thank you and goodbye?

Mark Koppel:

Mickey Mouse FC 3 v Chelsea Cheats 0

Not bad for a Micky Mouse Club. This game finally proved to those struggling to know even what a football is when found in their Corn Flakes that Pulis and Berahino are two of our current greatest assets.

As far as arrogant Jose and the arrogant Chelsea fans are concerned, you were not gracious in defeat as you still tried to steal the show. I hope you enjoyed your humble pie on the way back to your various non-London glory hunting homes.

Anyhow back to our Club:

Myhill 8 - He is so cool when under pressure. Based on his recent performances I think Foster is now the under study.
Dawson 8 - Continues to improve in this position. Is this really the same right back who played against Leicester?
Olsson 8 - Total commitment to the cause. Yes I would also keep him next year.
Lescott 7 - Had more opportunity to come forward last night but still a centre back first and foremost.
McAuley 8 - Great to see him stand up to Dirty Costa. As Fletcher said, he doesn't normally lose it. He did have big scratch marks though down his neck from where Costa attacked him.
Brunt 7 - Continues his recent improvement from a period where he kept giving the ball away. Wasted a few crosses first half but great strike for the goal.
Morrison 8 - Great speed and burst forward, Yes he is Player Of The Season.
Yacob 8 - As other posts have said, this is the role that suits him.
Saido 9 - 20 goals now this season. His first goal I think was only his second touch of the game. he made the penalty with a deft turn against an England Centre Half. And too the penalty when injured.
Fletcher 7 - Comfortable on the ball, legs just about lasted 90 mins.
Mac 6 - Took on players with some ease which is promising. As Pulis said though, need to get him fully fit to get the most of him.

Subs

Ideye 4- Did little in little time
Baird 3 - Did even less in even less time
Gardner 6 - Tries hard but a little off the pace yesterday.

Didcot Baggie:

What a great and unexpected end to the home season! Every starting player deserves full marks - this was a serious Chelsea side and we outplayed them. Wow. The work ethic and organization are exceptional - every player knows his role and does his job. That's the Pulis effect.

My only disappointment last night was to see only a limited number of players do the lap of honour/thanks. Suggests to me that me that we won't see Mulumbu, Big Vic and Sess next season, amongst others.

Mozza is the player of the season but Boaz, Foster, Big Mac, Dawson, Lescott, Gardner, Fletcher, Yacob, Brunt and Saido have all done their bit over the last few months and made me proud to be a Baggie.

Kev Buckley:

Seen the whole game now. Berahino's goal got better in seeing more of the lead up to it, as the movement in the space between the two banks of four that gave him the space to get the shot off was excellent. Not clear, had he been up against Albion's 4-1-4-1 that Jacob would have let him have so much space.

If a 4-1-4-1 is to be our "attacking" formation next season, then, in a similar vein to the question of what we do with four centre-backs should we bring in proper full-backs, you'd surely wonder how the centre-mid four, Jacob, Mulumbu, Morrison and Fletcher (and I suppose you could throw Gardener in a fifth, as surely his "out wide" days will be over next season when we get proper width) will take to only having three slots to aim for. Little less chance of feeling unused than two of the back four, but enough to have someone want away to get a regular start?

Obviously a pen, and obvious now why Brunt was over on the right: he'd taken a corner that the highlights hadn't shown before getting the ball prior to the thumping shot. Maybe with the extra man, the defending side can double-team the corner but once we had worked the space, he made full use of it. And so the legend continues, with even the Chelsea TV commentators seemingly surprised every time his left peg didn't live up to its fabled quality.

Still don't think the Fabregas event was a ending off, although Fletcher's "reaction" was very much an "old school ManU" intimidation of the ref by proxy (there's probably a syndrome name for that?). Rush across to, and scwean and scweam and scweam into the face of, an opponent, whilst the rest of your team-mates surround the ref, baying for blood.

If anything, I think Fabregas was probably getting bored with the time it was taking to wipe the froth off the foaming mouths of the pack of Albion players who had been surrounding the ref in respect of the original incident. I somehow doubt we've seen the last of such behaviour.

What could have been sendings off were the penalty - I don't think the "covering" defender would have prevented a shot being made, not least because the attacker was running out of room in which to do something, and the yellow that Costa got could have been a straight red because it was hand into the face, albeit after the usual pushing, pulling and shoving that we're told are all part of the game and which football celebrates as a skill.

We seemed to throw a lot of balls in towards Berahino but in reality, the chances of him getting to the most of them were minimal on three counts: too many didn't even reach him; too many went too high or past him and, finally, he's simply not tall or big enough to profit from the balls he did have a chance of getting something on.

Oddly enough, given that we once again deployed the four centre-backs, presumably to counter the height of Costa and Hazard, and so did have the aerial presence that Berahino lacks, I was surprised to see that we made so little from the set-pieces we had early on, when, because of our early pressing gaining us dead-ball situations, we might easily have caught Chelsea cold.

Would have been interesting if the Chelsea shot that hits the inside of the post at 2-0 goes in, but it didn't and after Brunt's piledriver, it wasn't..

Seems a shame that Albion couldn't have planned to use this game as a way to get some of the "kids" on, in the way that Mourinho gave a couple of run outs to his younger players so that "they could say they had played as champions". Will Baird really have taken anything away from his, by now ritual, end of game, time-wasting sub's appearance.

Biggest disappointment on the night was not hearing a chant of "you should have stayed at a big club" when Izzy Brown finally got a run out for Chelsea, ahead of probably going on to be a loan out from Chelsea, in his next season with them. I wonder if we'd consider upsetting Berahino by taking another Chelsea striker on loan?

Just seen that Arsenal, by only drawing with Sunderland, would now appear to have something to play for, although, as they only need a point to finish in the top three and not fourth, maybe it'll be us having to break down a side playing for a draw on Sunday!