Chelsea 2-5 West Brom: Ruthless Baggies end Tuchel's unbeaten record after Silva sees red

Matheus Pereira and Callum Robinson each scored doubles after Thiago Silva was sent off as West Brom secured a stunning 5-2 Premier League win at Chelsea.

The Blues were unbeaten in 14 games under head coach Thomas Tuchel and had not conceded a goal in seven matches, but they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of the second-bottom Baggies at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Christian Pulisic put Chelsea in front, but Silva was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence only 29 minutes into his return from injury.

The clinical Pereira then struck twice in first-half stoppage time and things went from bad to worse for Chelsea after the break, with Robinson and Mbaye Diagne giving Albion a three-goal advantage.

Mason Mount pulled one back, but Robinson applied the finishing touches in injury time as the brilliant Baggies secured a first away league victory over the London club since 1978 to raise hopes they can pull off an unlikely great escape.

Albion started brightly, but Chelsea were in front after 27 minutes, when the alert Pulisic finished from close range after Marcos Alonso's free-kick came back off the post.

West Brom's chances of mounting a fightback were given a major boost just a couple of minutes later, with Silva picking up a second yellow card for catching Okay Yokuslu as he attempted to block the midfielder's shot from just outside the penalty area.

Branislav Ivanovic, who replaced the injured Dara O'Shea, was on the field for only 14 minutes against his former club before he did damage while sprinting to thwart Timo Werner.

The Baggies were deservedly level two minutes into time added on at the end of the first half, Pereira lobbing Edouard Mendy with his left foot after Sam Johnstone's clearance sailed over a static Chelsea defence.

Matt Phillips struck the crossbar with a measured left-foot strike but Pereira capitalised on more poor Blues defending just before the break, tucking a clinical left-foot finish inside the near post to give Albion a shock lead.

Tuchel replaced Pulisic with Mount at the interval and Semi Ajayi prevented Chelsea from equalising by diverting Alonso's scuffed shot against the post.

Pereira was denied a hat-trick by the legs of Mendy as Albion continued to cause the Blues all sorts of problems and they had a two-goal cushion courtesy of a stunning Robinson strike after 63 minutes.

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Darnell Furlong was the architect, delivering an inviting cross from the right and Robinson beat Mendy with a magnificent volley as he burst into the box at speed.

Sam Allardyce's men were cutting Chelsea to pieces and Diagne finished off another devastating counter-attack before Werner set Mount up for a tap-in a few minutes later.

Robinson added insult to injury in stoppage time, dinking over Mendy with a clever finish as Albion sensationally secured only a fourth win of the season in the top flight.

What does it mean? Five-star Baggies not down and out

Albion looked doomed heading into the international break but they produced a remarkable performance here to halt a run of 15 away games without a league win at Stamford Bridge.

The odds are still stacked against them avoiding the drop, but this incredible display moved them seven points behind Newcastle United - who sit just above the relegation zone - with eight games to play.

Chelsea had not lost since going down 2-0 at Leicester City under Frank Lampard on January 19 and this was a setback in their quest to qualify for the Champions League, as they only lead West Ham and Tottenham by two and three points respectively with both London clubs having a game in hand.

Ice-cool Pereira and Robinson give Tuchel the Blues

Pereira was a real menace to a fragile Chelsea defence and could easily have had a hat-trick.

The Brazilian hit the target with four of his six attempts. Pereira also made three key passes in a livewire display. Robinson scored twice in a 3-3 draw with Chelsea earlier in the season and also found the back of the net against them for Sheffield United, so all five of his Premier League goals have come against the Blues.

Nightmare return for Silva

Silva had been out for two months with a thigh injury and Tuchel might have seen this as an ideal opportunity to ease the defender back into action.

The Brazil defender endured a nightmare on his return, going into the book for tackle on Pereira and being shown the earliest red card for Chelsea in the Premier League since Gary Cahill against Burnley in August 2017 (14 minutes).

Key Opta Facts

- Chelsea have conceded eight goals in their two games against West Brom in the Premier League this season, the most they have shipped against one side in a single campaign in the competition.

- The Blues conceded 5+ goals in a home Premier League game for only the second time, last doing so against Arsenal in October 2011 (3-5).

- West Brom netted 5+ goals in a Premier League away game for only the second time, last doing so against Wolves in February 2012 (5-1).

- Allardyce is the first manager to win away at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League with three different clubs (Bolton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, West Brom).

- Chelsea conceded at home under Thomas Tuchel for the first time in all competitions, in the Blues' eighth game at Stamford Bridge with the German coach in charge.

- Robinson is the first player in Premier League history to score at least twice in home and away games against Chelsea within a single season.

 

What's next?

Chelsea travel to Seville for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Porto on Wednesday, while West Brom must wait until a week on Monday for their next match at home to Southampton.