A three-nil result may not seem like a game that was decided on fine margins, but if J-Rod had put that golden chance away early on, it could have been a very different game.
Albion were on top at that point, and remained that way until Hazard scored. As we know, goals change games and Chelsea grew in confidence after taking the lead and it’s no secret that they have better players than Albion. I still think 3-0 was a bit harsh on Albion, but it will not be that result that determines what division the Baggies are in next season.
Many fans seem resigned to relegation, but I still retain a modicum of hope that they can find four wins from the next six.
In the Great Escape season, match 27 saw the Baggies drop more points at home to one of their relegation rivals thanks to a 0-0 draw with Southampton at the Hawthorns leaving them four points from safety at the bottom of the table.
After that match the table stood as follows:
| Premier League Relegation Battle – 22nd February 2005 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 17. | Crystal Palace | 27 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 45 | -15 | 22 |
| 18. | Southampton | 27 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 20 |
| 19. | Norwich City | 27 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 26 | 52 | -26 | 20 |
| 20. | West Brom | 27 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 18 |
Here are the full season by season comparisons.
| Home | Away | Season End | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Posn* | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Posn | Pts | |
| 2002/2003 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 20 | 41 | 21 | 18th | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 8 | 19th | 26 |
| 2004/2005 | 27 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 49 | 18 | 20th | 2 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 17th | 34 |
| 2005/2006 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 40 | 26 | 17th | 6 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 7 | 19th | 30 |
| 2008/2009 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 24 | 51 | 22 | 20th | 5 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 27 | 5 | 20th | 32 |
| 2010/2011 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 35 | 52 | 28 | 17th | 5 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 8 | 11th | 47 |
| 2011/2012 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 9th | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 10th | 47 |
| 2012/2013 | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 36 | 40 | 7th | 8 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 23 | 14 | 8th | 49 |
| 2013/2014 | 27 | 4 | 13 | 10 | 31 | 39 | 25 | 16th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 23 | 9 | 17th | 36 |
| 2014/2015 | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 34 | 30 | 13th | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 13th | 44 |
| 2015/2016 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 34 | 35 | 13th | 5 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 14th | 43 |
| 2016/2017 | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 36 | 34 | 40 | 8th | 8 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 17 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 10th | 45 |
| 2017/2018 | 27 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 21 | 40 | 20 | 20th | 2 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 7 | ||
| Comparison of Equivalent Fixtures^ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| 2016/2017 | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 43 | 30 |
| 2016/2017 Results | Chelsea (A) | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Sunderland (H) | W | 2-0 | |||||
Results
| 2002/2003 | 19/02/2003 | Fulham (A) | L | 0-3 | |
| 2004/2005 | 22/02/2005 | Southampton (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2005/2006 | 26/02/2006 | Middlesbrough (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2008/2009 | 28/02/2009 | Everton (A) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2010/2011 | 20/02/2011 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) | D | 1-1 | Vela |
| 2011/2012 | 03/03/2012 | Chelsea (H) | W | 1-0 | McAuley |
| 2012/2013 | 23/02/2013 | Sunderland (H) | W | 2-1 | Lukaku (2, 1 pen) |
| 2013/2014 | 22/02/2014 | Fulham (H) | D | 1-1 | Vydra |
| 2014/2015 | 28/02/2015 | Southampton (H) | W | 1-0 | Berahino |
| 2015/2016 | 27/02/2016 | Crystal Palace (H) | W | 3-2 | Gardner, Dawson, Berahino |
| 2016/2017 | 04/03/2017 | Crystal Palace (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2017/2018 | 12/02/2018 | Chelsea (A) | L | 0-3 |
Next Matches
| 2002/2003 | 23/02/2003 | West Ham United (H) | L | 1-2 | Dichio |
| 2004/2005 | 06/03/2005 | Birmingham City (H) | W | 2-0 | Clement, Campbell |
| 2005/2006 | 04/03/2006 | Chelsea (H) | L | 1-2 | Kanu |
| 2008/2009 | 03/03/2009 | Arsenal (H) | L | 1-3 | Brunt |
| 2010/2011 | 28/02/2011 | Stoke City (A) | D | 1-1 | Vela |
| 2011/2012 | 11/03/2012 | Manchester United (A) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2012/2013 | 02/03/2013 | Chelsea (A) | L | 0-1 | |
| 2013/2014 | 08/03/2014 | Manchester United (H) | L | 0-3 | |
| 2014/2015 | 03/03/2015 | Aston Villa (A) | L | 1-2 | Berahino |
| 2015/2016 | 01/03/2016 | Leicester City (A) | D | 2-2 | Rondón, Gardner |
| 2016/2017 | 11/03/2017 | Everton (A) | L | 0-3 | |
| 2017/2018 | 24/02/2018 | Huddersfield Town (H) |
* Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the Premier League table after all fixtures for that day have been completed.
^ Fixtures against promoted clubs are compared against fixtures against the relegated clubs from last season with the club finishing 1st in the Championship compared against the club finishing 18th in the Premier League, 2nd compared with 19th and the play-off winners compared against the club who finished bottom.