Substitute Victor Anichebe scored an 87th-minute equaliser to deny Chelsea a victory that would have taken them four points clear at the top of the Premier League. Here’s how we rated the Blues players in the 1-1 draw at West Brom.
Petr Cech: 7
Composed on the few occasions he was called upon and was blameless for Albion’s goal.
Branislav Ivanovic: 8
Not for the first time his starting position was often so far forward he effectively operated as a winger. As well as scoring Chelsea’s goal he was a constant thorn in Albion’s side.
Gary Cahill: 7
An injury meant he struggled badly in the final minutes, including in the build-up to the late equaliser. He was impressive up to that point and should arguably have been taken off when clearly injured.
David Luiz: 6
Very solid for the most part and was involved in Chelsea’s goal. Could have done better for the equaliser though.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
Neat and tidy without really being tested. Beaten for pace a couple of times – which doesn’t happen often – but was effective and workmanlike as always.
Nemanja Matic: 7
Didn’t have it all his own way in midfield and wasn’t quite as impressive as in his previous recent outings. Competed well though and his passing was again impressive.
Ramires: 6
Sloppy on the ball and struggled to get into the game. On the other hand, he closed down well and worked hard off the ball.
Oscar: 6
Dropped deep to help out in midfield and did an important job there, but little went his way in an attacking sense.
Willian: 8
An excellent display from the Brazilian, who delivered the corner for Ivanovic’s goal, had a couple of attempts himself and was always a threat to the Albion defence. Always runs himself into the ground but also has plenty of quality, as he showed when turning and shooting narrowly wide in the first half.
Eden Hazard: 7
Showed his class in patches but West Brom can feel well pleased with how their defence fared against Hazard compared to other sides.
Samuel Eto’o: 7
Didn’t often look a goal threat, but he worked hard up front and caused problems with his movement and link-up play.
Fernando Torres: 6
Brought on midway through the second half but was unable to make much of an impact as West Brom were very much in the ascendancy.
West Brom
Chelsea feel they should have had the game won by the time Anichebe popped up to score. That said, Albion defended well in the first half and made their pressure count in the second. They could easily have had a penalty and Craig Dawson missed a good chance to level before the Baggies eventually found the net.
Man of the match: Willian
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This post was last modified on 12/02/2014