Chelsea beat West Brom 1-0 in the Premier League on Friday, May 12. Here are all the highlights from the match.
Chelsea knew heading into their Premier League match against West Brom at the Hawthorns on Friday that a win would guarantee them their second title in three seasons. They probably could have predicted Tony Pulis wasn’t going to give up three points without a fight, and so it proved.
The Blues dominated possession in the first half, and had wracked up 14 shots by the interval, but very few of them tested Baggies keeper Ben Foster. The home side reverted to type, setting up with 10 men behind the ball at all times, and with six across the back line out of possession.
Pedro was Chelsea’s most dangerous player, and created several good opportunities around the box thanks to a couple of exquisite touches. His partners up top, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, found the going a little harder, and struggled to find any meaningful space in the attacking third.
West Brom weren’t only interested in defending, however, and sprung forward dangerously on the counter-attack on a couple of occasions. James McClean, in particular, was wasteful, but Pulis must have been pleased with his side’s performance overall.
They got even better in the second half, continuing to stifle Chelsea but creating much more on the counter, partly aided by the introduction of Claudio Yacob and Nacer Chadli of the bench.
But Antonio Conte was determined to finish Chelsea’s title job as soon as possible, and brought Willian and Michy Batshuayi off the bench to try and force the issue. Batshuayi, after spending almost the entire season on the bench, came up with the winner, bundling in after a Cesar Azpilicueta cutback in the 82nd minute.
Highlights
https://twitter.com/PipeSierraR/status/863132257787236352
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Chelsea are champions, and what a season it’s been for the Blues, who are on course now to finish with the second highest points total in Premier League history.