Perhaps it was inevitable that Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start would end at the hands of Sam Allardyce. After introducing order during his first months at Chelsea, Tuchel watched everything come crashing down against a manager who loves nothing more than proving his tactical worth against foreign coaches with lofty reputations.
This was the Premier League at its unruly, barmy, utterly illogical best. Consider the bare facts. Chelsea came into this game protecting a 14-game unbeaten run and expected to take another step towards qualifying for the Champions League. West Brom, who had won two of Allardyce’s first 16 games in charge, had already been written off as relegation certainties.
