Chelsea 0-1 West Brom: Drogba, Cech and Player Grades for the Blues

Things continue to slip away from Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, as his side was undone 1-0 visiting West Brom.

A dull first half had the visitors more often on the back foot. Petr Cech was called on a few times to make some saves in order to keep his team in the game.

Chelsea’s best chance of the first half came on a fast break. Didier Drogba out-muscled the West Brom midfielder and fed the ball to a wide-open Daniel Sturridge, but the English striker was only able to hit it wide.

Both teams would go into the locker room scoreless, but clearly Chelsea felt they had more to prove.

But the second half would get under way with more of the same.

Again Sturridge found himself played through on goal, but the onrushing Ben Foster made him nervous, and he missed the ball completely.

West Brom would finally scored a well-deserved goal off the corner. After Cech parried it away, a scramble in the box allowed Gareth McAuley to tap it in to give the hosts a deserved lead.

The game would end an upset on paper but really never felt like the Hawthornes did not control the game. The real question is will Villas-Boas still be in charge come Monday?

Petr Cech: A

You can rarely say a goalie is the main reason for a deserved clean sheet, but if there ever was an example of that being true, it was today.

Cech was beyond excellent, as his defensive line let shot after shot get to him. He finished the day with six saves, and every one was needed.

He has not always been what we have come to expect this season, but today he proved that he still has it.

Branislav Ivanovic: C-

It was a hard way for the defender to exit the game, sacrificed in need of a goal threat. However, he could have done a bit more to prevent it.

Gary Cahill: C+

Cahill was not terrible today but also did not do enough to make sure of a clean sheet. He will hardly be blamed for the goal, but he was on the defense that gave it up, and that’s enough.

Had they won or even drawn 0-0, this is easily a letter higher, but as always the result weighs heavily in the final judgment.

David Luiz: C-

Another one of those performances that make you wonder when he is going to be the player we are told he can be. He was shaky, out of place, nervous and just plain bad for most of the game.

He did have some good passes and runs as usual, but he is a defender, and until he masters that he will always be suspect.

When will John Terry be back?

Ashley Cole: C+

Not Cole’s best performance by any means. The West Brom winger got the better of him multiple times.

He did come across a few times to make some good tackles and clearances to keep it level, but he also put Cech in some precarious spots more than once.

Michael Essien: B-

Essien seems to finally be finding his feet again after returning from injury.

He was good today in the holding role, sitting just in front of the defense. A few times he may have let shots too easily off from outside the box, but with the other midfielders getting caught upfield he had to backtrack.

It was nice to see some of those volleys from just outside the West Brom box fly. He came close and almost looked like the player we love a few times.

Ramires: C

A decent day, but more was needed out of the Brazilian.

That kind of speed and edge that has made him the most consistent staple of the midfield all season was not on display, and it cost Chelsea.

Frank Lampard: D

Today was not Lampard’s finest hour. All this performance did was give ammunition to the side that want him gone.

He was slow and indecisive. He never really made anything happen on or off the ball. He had a chance to redeem himself at the end but was unable to put away Cole’s cross.

You can blame it on Villas-Boas playing the midfielder without enough players around, but ultimately Lampard is the one that needs to save his own face and deliver.

Juan Mata: D+

I have said once and I will say it again – Chelsea’s success depends on Mata’s play. Today he was not up to the challenge. Teams have begun to figure out how to stop him, and he is going through a bit of a lull in performance.

Villas-Boas moved him all over to try to get him the ball, but it never really worked out.

Yes, he had some times when he looked great, including the pass to Sturridge, but he needs to play like that for the entire game, not just an instant.

Daniel Sturridge: D-

Perhaps he was mentally drained from the midweek friendly for England, but he was atrocious today.

Twice Chelsea caught a break and were on the counter with Sturridge all alone. Mata and Drogba fed him perfect balls, and he made a mess of both.

His youth is really starting to show, as he is having trouble regaining the form in front of net that made him a starter in the first place. Soon Villas-Boas will have to ask that if Sturridge is not scoring, what does he bring to the team?

Didier Drogba: B-

For the Drogba haters out there, he was about the only thing positive in the attack all day. He was energetic, going in hard to 50/50 balls and strong in the air. Nearly every chance Chelsea had, he was in some way responsible.

He did not score, but it is clear that that is not what he is in there to do. He is in there to give the midfield an outlet, be a physical presence and play the ball to the rest of the team. He did that today and continues to prove why he is the best striker on this team.

Florent Malouda (63rd Minute for Sturridge): F

It seems more and more like Malouda does not want to be here. What I can’t figure out is why Villas-Boas keeps giving him a chance.

Fernando Torres (76th Minute for Essien): D

Torres did nothing when he came on. In 15 minutes with a goal needed, he has to produce something in the way of a threat. All he did was go down once looking for a soft penalty.

Raul Meireles (84th Minute for Ivanovic): N/A

Thankfully he was not on long enough to grade.

What Are Your Grades?

This was surely the last thing Villas-Boas wanted to happen. After coming off a good win at Bolton, a victory which now only looks like a big rich team beating up some minnows, West Brom put to rest any hopes that Chelsea could gather momentum.

They now sit three points back of Arsenal, who were able to do today exactly what Chelsea could not—win against the run of play.

So how would you grade the players' performances?

As always, make your comments known below, and thanks for reading!

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