adminJose Mourinho lamented the lack of a killer instinct in his Chelsea team and admitted they did not have the personality required to withstand a West Bromwich Albion onslaught after the relegation-threatened team took a point against his title challengers.
Victor Anichebe scored an 87th-minute equaliser for Pepe Mel’s side but while Mourinho felt Chelsea made a defensive mistake then, he refused to single out David Luiz, who lost the Albion substitute when the substitute met Saido Berahino’s cross.
But the Portuguese was disappointed by his team’s inability to build on Branislav Ivanovic’s first-half goal and score the goal that would have clinched victory.
Mourinho said: “A complete team kills this game: 2-0, goodbye. We didn’t. For 60 minutes only one team [was in the game] and that team couldn’t kill the game, especially in the first 15 minutes of the second half. For 10 minutes the game was poor and for the last 20 minutes only one team [was in it] and that team fought a lot to get a goal and a point. I think they deserved it.
“In the second half we were not strong enough to kill the game. They had a reaction and we couldn’t cope with the reaction. The team stayed back. We started being too deep.
“I was feeling that, even if I put some attacking players on it wouldn’t help because the team were really under pressure and it looked impossible for my defenders to get out of the first third of the pitch.
“We gave them the ball and waited for them to put it in our box and fight against it. But it is not our game. It’s not how we feel comfortable. A lack of personality. We must have the personality to get out.”
Chelsea were without the injured John Terry, with David Luiz deputising at centre-back, and Mourinho suggested his side missed their captain’s leadership.
He added: “We as a team made mistakes. I don’t like to individualise and if John is not here it is not because I don’t want, it is because he can’t. He is a guy with big personality and it could be different.”
Meanwhile, West Ham beat Norwich with two late goals to secure a third successive win and move up to 10th in the Premier League.
James Collins headed home in the 84th minute from Mohamed Diame’s left-wing cross before the midfielder scored himself with a breakaway goal.
Norwich trio Gary Hooper, Robert Snodgrass and Alex Tettey were all denied by Adrian in the first half.
And West Ham went on to keep their 13th top flight clean sheet this season.
After starting last weekend’s round of fixtures 18th in the Premier League, the result continues a rapid but deserved rise up the table for Sam Allardyce’s vastly-improved side.
Since holding Chelsea to a draw at Stamford Bridge on January 29, they have beaten Swansea, Aston Villa and Norwich – all by a 2-0 scoreline.
They enjoyed some good fortune against the Canaries, with Adrian their hero for the first 80 minutes of the contest.- Soccernet.
Online Reporter