Chelsea drew 3-3 with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday night in what was a typical cliché game of two halves.  

The home side went into a surprising 3-0 lead inside half an hour in the West Midlands. A brace from Callum Robinson and a Kyle Bartley goal meant The Baggies were 45 minutes away from a famous win. 

An emphatic substitution from Frank Lampard helped his side salvage a draw against the newly-promoted side. Mason Mount got the first, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi the others. The latter came on at half time and had a big say on the comeback. 

What did we learn from the game? The SW6 club need more time to gel, bond together to create the required cohesion to win major trophies. 

  • Same old mistakes 

The goals that the home side scored were either simple mistakes or a lapse of concentration from a Chelsea perspective.  

For the first, Marcos Alonso headed the ball directly to an opponent. This instantly put Chelsea under pressure in their own final third. Robinson eventually scored to break the deadlock. This would have been prevented if the defensive mistake was halted. 

The second was a schoolboy error. New signing Thiago Silva gifted the ball to once against Robinson who raced through on goal to double his tally and his side's lead.  

For the third, Bartley was left unmarked at the back post to make it three with 27 minutes gone. Corners were a constant obstacle for Chelsea last season, and the game last night gave flashbacks.  

What needs to change? It will take time. This saying is very relatable to a lot of clubs, but it is a true statement. Chelsea have scored six goals in three Premier League games so far this season, but they have conceded eight.  

This is the issue. Lampard’s side must become resolute in defence if they are to win major honours in the future.  

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  • The character is there 

Going 3-0 down in a Premier League game usually means the conclusion is zero points. Lampard must have hammered the players at half-time after the awful showing.  

Managing to come away with a point shows their spirit; it shows that they are playing for the manager.

In previous seasons, Chelsea have gone down in games and did not recover. In 2019, under Maurizio Sarri, the London club lost 4-0 to Bournemouth.  

Last night could have been a similar tale under different circumstances. It proves that the players care, they believe in the philosophy. 

You could tell that the players cared about being 3-0 down, they did not want to hide, and they wanted to stand up and rectify their errors.  

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  • The Cobham lads are pivotal 

With the mass spending on Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and more, many questioned how many minutes the academy lads would play this season. 

Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham and Reece James played massive parts in the recovery draw. The former scored a screamer to get his side on the scoreboard for the first time.  

‘CHO’ scored a goal after superb link-up play with Havertz. His neat side-foot finish made it 3-2.  

Number nine, Abraham, grabbed the equaliser with a poacher’s finish. He scored 18 goals last season in all competitions, the club's highest scorer.  

James was an ever-present down the right-hand side. He was the only bright spark from the first half. He was part of a ridiculously small list that could go into half-time with maximum effort from the first 45.  

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