West Brom came from a goal behind to end Chelsea’s 15-match unbeaten streak with an emphatic 5-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.
The Baggies fell behind through a Christian Pulisic goal but valiantly fought back following the dismissal of Thiago Silva. Matheus Pereira’s quick-fire double gave the visitors the lead just before the break and their advantage was further extended in the second half thanks to goals from Callum Robinson and Mbaye Diagne.
Mason Mount managed to pull one goal back for the hosts but it proved to only be a consolation goal as Robinson doubled his tally in the dying embers of the match.
The win sees the Baggies close the gap to safety to seven points having played a game more than their relegation-rivals Newcastle who sit in 17th position.
While defeat for Chelsea puts them at risk of dropping out the top four once again with West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur both able to leapfrog the Blues with victories this weekend.
Sam Allardyce sets targets for survival
Sam Allardyce has never been relegated as a manager and his team became the first side to defeat Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side after 15 matches in charge.
However, the 66-year-old knows there is still a lot more work to be done to secure safety.
Allardyce said: ‘I am really pleased and satisfied with how my players applied our tactics today.
‘We set out to control Chelsea’s attacks and then see what we could do in possession of the ball. We were so good on the ball on so many occasions and our finishing was the best since I’ve been at the club, which gave us a thoroughly deserved victory.
‘Our chances of staying up are a little better after three points but there is a long way to go for us. I said we needed six victories out of nine and now it is five out of eight, we may even need a draw too and then we might have a chance.
‘We’ve started on the track of trying to get an undefeated run and trying to get more wins in the last eight games than we’ve had all season. It’s been done before this is a good start but there is still a long way to go.’
Sloppy Start for the Blues
Chelsea started sloppily and a poor pass from Jorginho allowed Pereira to race in on goal and his Brazilian compatriot Thiago Silva was fortunate to avoid a red card after bringing down the winger on the edge of the box.
The Blues looked to have settled down after the 20-minute mark and their main threat Marcos Alonso was at the heart of the opener as his curling free-kick struck the post before Pulisic pounced to turn the ball into an empty net.
However, the game turned on its head just two minutes later after more sloppy play from Chelsea allowed the visitors to steal the ball on the edge of the box and in attempt to block Okay Yokuslu’s effort Silva picked up a second yellow card which saw the hosts reduced to 10 men.
The red card sparked West Brom into life and Pereira’s deft lob over Edouard Mendy brought the Baggies level in stoppage time of the first half.
However, the Baggies didn’t settle there and once again Chelsea overplayed in their own half allowing the visitors to steal the ball and Pereira showed great composure to turn before doubling his tally on the brink of half-time with a tidy finish into the bottom corner.
Following the break, the Blues attempted to chase the game but they were punished down the other end when Robinson arrived onto Darnell Furlong’s low cross and his sensational volleyed effort flew past Mendy to give the Baggies breathing room.
West Brom started to express themselves and just five minutes later added a fourth goal as Diagne arrived onto Pereira’s pull back to slot the ball into the bottom corner.
Chelsea managed to pull a goal back in the 71st minute after substitute Mount passed the ball into an empty net from Timo Werner’s lay-off, giving the hosts hope of a comeback.
However, it proved to just be a consolation as the Baggies sealed victory in style in the 91st minute when Robinson and Pereira combined before the Irishman chipped the ball over the onrushing Mendy to add a fifth goal to complete their tally.
