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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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.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
