Chelsea were given a brutal reality check and reminded of just how far they still have to go under Thomas Tuchel in Saturday’s stunning defeat by West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
The shock 5-2 setback ended the Blues’ 14-game unbeaten run under the German manager, and painfully underlined that securing Champions League qualification will be anything but a formality.
Having previously conceded just two goals since Tuchel took charge in January, Chelsea were expected to have little trouble keeping a clean sheet against a side sitting 19th in the Premier League table.
Thiago Silva was issued a red card just before the half-hour mark. The 36-year-old defender was booked twice for two rash challenges.
It summed up what was already a sloppy display from the hosts, even though they were 1-0 up at the time of Silva’s dismissal, with Pulisic having tapped home a rebound after Marcos Alonso’s fine free kick had come back off the post.
What followed was a stunning collapse, with Matheus Pereira scoring twice in first-half injury time, as Chelsea’s 12-hour run without conceding a goal went up in smoke.