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| Fabregas sees red against West Brom |
No matter how many times you watch the ball that inexplicably left the
boot of Cesc Fabregas and smacked Chris Brunt on the side of his head, two
questions remain. How, and why?
It was struck with such unerring accuracy that it belonged in a coaching
academy, a masterclass in target practice from 20 yards when he hit the West
Brom midfielder’s bonce.
The result left referee Mike Jones with little option but to send off
Fabregas for violent conduct. It was a daft thing for Fabregas to do.
Chelsea were a goal down and a man down after that, on the way to only
their third defeat in the league this season after two goals from Saido
Berahino and a beauty from Chris Brunt confirmed this famous West Brom win.
Fabregas brought back memories of the day when a youth team player at
West Ham’s Chadwell Heath training ground was caught on camera hitting Harry
Redknapp on the head as part of a dare.
The result here was a red card, an act of stupidity that was brought
about by the man boiling up in Chelsea’s No19 shirt following a six game
absence from the team because of a hamstring injury.
Jose Mourinho admitted that Diego Costa had begged him to play, pulling
on the Chelsea for the first time since they were confirmed as champions of England.
Self-discipline is not his strong point.
He was spoiling for a fight here, first with Gareth
McAuley and then with everyone wearing a West Brom shirt in the build up to
Fabregas’ ludicrous dismissal.
This is the first time Fabregas has been sent off since 2006, when he
was shown a red card wearing the colours of Arsenal in a clash against Everton
at Goodison Park.
Chelsea’s twitter feed went into meltdown and it is worth mentioning the
PR guff that followed the dismissal of Fabregas just for the comic value.
‘Fabregas was sent off for kicking the ball in the direction of a group
of players, and it hit an Albion player. #CFCLive’. Seriously, they tweeted
that.
The message from West Brom was loud and clear, taking this game to their
opponents and being rewarded with a goal after just eight minutes.
Berahino ran for the TV cameras when he scored, kissing the lens after
planting a smacker beyond the outstretched left arm of Thibaut Courtois.
His game was full of passion, with the raucous West Brom supporters in
the Smethwick End showering him with love as he celebrated in front of them.
Romance had been in the air before kick off, with Mourinho waiting in
the tunnel to embrace his good friend Tony Pulis before they went their
separate ways in the technical area.
Pulis put the frighteners on this Chelsea team when he was manager of
Crystal Palace last season, recording an important 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park
as he skilfully guided them to safety.
This time he has done it with West Brom, guaranteeing another season in
the Premier League after stitching together a team that plays at pace and
tempo.
They rattle the opposition, knocking them out of their stride with their
robust challenges in every area of the pitch. Joleon Lescott, Chris Brunt,
Gareth McAuley and captain Darren Fletcher can all look after themselves.
The dirty stuff got underway when Fletcher deliberately left a bit on
Costa, letting the Chelsea striker know that he still has a razor sharp mind.
Fletcher’s studs are lethal too.
‘Darren Fletcher, he’s won more than you’ rang out around this stadium,
a tribute to a player who has captained this team with distinction since his
move from Manchester United.
It is to West Brom’s credit that they approached this game like a Cup
Final, preparing for a one-off game against the champions of England with spirit
and organisation.
Last Friday they went out as a collective group, taking the management
with them to sink a few pints together as they celebrated survival. At the
Hawthorns they were alive and kicking.
They snapped and snarled at Chelsea, denying Fabregas, Eden Hazard and
Loic Remy room to operate with their usual freedom. West Brom did a number on
those three little tricksters.
Hazard toiled out on the left, lacking his customary
zest after a season that he will remember for winning the PFA player of the
year award and the FWA Footballer of the Year.
He had Chelsea’s best chance of the opening spell, exchanging passes
with Costa before inadvertently clipping the ball over the crossbar of West
Brom keeper Boaz Myhill.
It looked like West Brom’s night, with their supporters joyfully singing
their song about their 35-year-old central defender Gareth McAuley ‘being
better than JT’ with unnerving frequency. They really love him around here.
There were sarcastic cries of ‘Ole’ towards the end of the first half,
with the home support rising as one to show their appreciation as they walked
into the tunnel.
After the break they finished the job when Chelsea captain John Terry
brought down Berahino just a minute into the second half.
Berahino scored from the spot, beating Courtois with a low drive to the
keeper’s left.
They added another in the 60th minute with a clever set-piece move down
the right. Brunt moved in for the kill and his shot comfortably beat Courtois.
Source:dailymailsport
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