Chelsea manager Frank Lampard leapt to the defence of Thiago Silva and lauded the impact of Callum Hudson-Odoi, while urging his team to cut out the mistakes after the comeback 3-3 draw at West Brom.
Chelsea found themselves 0-3 down after 27 minutes against the newly-promoted West Brom, Callum Robinson scoring the first two goals after individual errors from Marcos Alonso and Silva. Kyle Bartley added the third after some poor marking by Alonso from a corner.
The Blues started their fightback 10 minutes into the second half when Mason Mount lashed home a long range effort, before substitute Hudson-Odoi finished off a fine move.
Tammy Abraham rescued a point for the visitors in the last minute of added time, tapping into an empty net after West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone parried Mount's low shot into the striker's path.
Chelsea dominated in every statistical department, enjoying 76 per cent possession and producing 22 shots with 10 on target. West Brom, meanwhile, scored with all three of their shots on target - all created from Chelsea errors.
While managing to avoid defeat, Lampard admitted he is viewing the result as two points dropped instead of one point gained.
"There were clear mistakes that led to their goals, which in a game like this in the Premier League always makes life difficult,’ Lampard said.
"It’s not a tactical moment, it’s a turnover in possession which we spoke about before in the sense that West Brom would approach the game waiting for transitions but when moments like that happen on the pitch, you can get punished and we were with a three-goal mountain to climb.
"The lads did show great character to overcome that but at the same time it’s not a position when you come somewhere where the team are organised and want to make it difficult for you and we gave them three goals so I’m left with mixed emotions.
"I was happy to see my team fight to the last minute to get the goals back but I have to go back to beginning and not be happy with the fact that we conceded three goals from three shots on target."
There was plenty of focus on Brazilian defender Silva in the immediate build-up to the game, particularly after he was handed the captain's armband on his Premier League debut.
Signed on a free transfer to bring some experience and leadership to the Chelsea defence, the former Paris Saint-Germain skipper had a debut to forget after his miss control led directly to Robinson's second goal.
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West Brom v Chelsea player ratings
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WEST BROM RATINGS: Sam Johnstone – 6. Conceded three goals under constant Chelsea pressure but also kept out a fair few chances. Reuters -
Darnell Furlong – 7. Lovely headed flick-on for Bartley’s goal and stood up to Chelsea’s wide attacks in the first half. Hudson-Odoi made his task tougher in the second 45. AP -
Semi Ajayi - 6. Burst of pace past Alonso prompted a booking for the Chelsea defender, who did not make it past half-time. Stood firm against Abraham's strength. AP -
Kyle Bartley – 7. Scored West Brom’s third and kept Chelsea’s attacks at bay for almost an hour. EPA -
Dara O'Shea – 6. Dealt well with Chelsea’s onslaught up until the visitors found a breakthrough. Getty Images -
Conor Townsend – 6. Pegged back and couldn’t get forward in his wing-back role as West Brom ceded most of the possession. Reuters -
Matheus Pereira – 7. Fine pass for Johnstone’s opener and produced a delightful flick which, if there was an award, would win touch of the season. A good performance. PA -
Jake Livermore – 7. Provided plenty of bite in midfield during a first half when Chelsea failed to create any rhythm. PA -
Romaine Sawyers – 6. A quiet game as Chelsea kept the majority of the ball. Reuters -
Grady Diangana – 6. A player with plenty of skill and talent but neither were on full display on this occasion. Getty Images -
Callum Robinson – 8. Well taken finish to open the scoring for West Brom before pouncing on a Silva mistake to double his side’s lead. AP -
SUBS: Hal Robson-Kanu (66’) – 6. No real impact. Reuters -
Matt Phillips (74’) – 6. No real impact. Getty Images -
Sam Field (90’) – N/A Getty Images -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Willy Caballero – 6. Not at fault for any of West Brom’s goals but hardly inspires confidence. The sooner Edouard Mendy is ready to start, the better for Chelsea. EPA -
Reece James – 6. Got forward all game and provided crosses aplenty. Caught out defensively at times and was partly at fault for West Brom’s third. Reuters -
Andreas Christensen – 6. More reliable than his defensive partner but hardly rock solid. AP -
Thiago Silva – 5. Improved as the game went on but his miss control for Robinson’s second was a critical mistake. Not the Premier League debut he would’ve hoped for. EPA -
Marcos Alonso – 2. Nightmare display. Weak header led to Robinson’s first goal and minutes later was booked. Set the tone for a disastrous 45 minutes before getting hooked. Apparently, the pitchside photographers didn’t believe Alonso’s performance even warranted a photo, so here he is against Liverpool. PA -
N’Golo Kante – 6. As expected, plenty of energy from the Frenchman but struggled to impose himself on the game. Getty Images -
Mateo Kovacic – 5. Uncharacteristically off the pace. Replaced at half time. Reuters -
Mason Mount – 8. Great movement and finish to score Chelsea’s first to offer his side a lifeline. His low shot late on led to Abraham’s equaliser. After an anonymous first half, vastly improved after the break. EPA -
Kai Havertz – 7. Coming off the back of his League Cup hat-trick, Havertz was Chelsea’s most effective midfield player during their second half fightback. A perfectly weighted one-touch pass to set up Hudson-Odoi’s finish. Getty Images -
Tammy Abraham – 6. Granted, he scored the vital equaliser by tapping into an empty net, but he rarely posed much of a threat for the previous 94 minutes. EPA -
Timo Werner – 5. Couldn’t make anything happen, although not through lack of trying. Saw a first half effort clip the crossbar. A frustrating evening for the German. Getty Images -
SUBS: Cesar Azpilicueta (45’) – 7. Compared to the man he replaced at left-back, the Chelsea captain looked like a prime Maldini. In reality, it was a solid performance and the Spaniard brought some much-needed composure to a shambolic backline. PA -
Callum Hudson-Odoi (45’) – 8. The winger was a constant menace on the left, creating chances, beating defenders, and scoring a fine goal for Chelsea’s second. Played a vital role in the fightback. EPA -
Olivier Giroud (73’) – 5. The French target man didn’t impact the game during his brief spell on the pitch. EPA
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Despite his mistake, Lampard insisted Silva will prove to be a valuable asset to his team over the course of the season.
"Thiago Silva is going to be fantastic for us. He’s been incredible in his career and I will not put any blame on him," Lampard said.
"We’re a team, we have to react around that and the team did in the second half but it’s nothing on him. I’m sure he’ll stand up and say it was a mistake but other than that I thought he was pretty faultless in the game and that’s his first Premier League game in the bank so we’ll get a lot more from him."
One player who did impress was Hudson-Odoi. Introduced at the start of the second half, the 19-year-old winger was instrumental in Chelsea's comeback, scoring the second goal and causing plenty of problems on the left flank.
Viewed as a special talent, not only by Chelsea but other big European clubs - including Bayern Munich who made numerous attempts to sign him last summer - Hudson-Odoi's progress was held back last season due to injury and he has had to be patient for his opportunities.
"Callum gave us everything that I wanted. He gets his goal from giving us something different and that’s what he needs to do because that’s the impact he can have for us," Lampard said.
"It has to be consistent but he’s given himself a great platform to continue in that vein because he’ll be very important for us if he does."
Chelsea are next in action against Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the League Cup on Tuesday. Their next Premier League fixture is at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
