Source: FOOTYMAD
Déjà vu for Baggies boss
But Hodgson pleased with Chelsea performance Roy Hodgson had a similar feeling a week after watching Albion match a top-four side but lose to a winner late on. Shane Long’s second goal in as many games gave Albion a deserved lead at Stamford Bridge as the Baggies went into half time leading Chelsea. However a deflected Nicolas Anelka shot of the inside of Jonas Olsson’s calf gave Chelsea an equaliser in the 53rd minute. Albion excellently dealt with pressure from the hosts and looked to be heading for their first points of the season. But Florent Malouda’s late strike saw Albion again play well but leave with nothing. After the final whistle, Hodgson praised his troops for their efforts but admitted that defensive errors cost the Baggies dear. "It's a little bit of déjà vu as well,” said Hodgson. "We didn't do badly at all against Manchester United and played some good football before conceding a late goal. "But I thought there were times today when the team looked solid and we played some good stuff. "But you get punished at the very highest level for errors you make. "Unfortunately, we made two very bad defensive errors down the left-hand side which let them in and they took their chances. "You have to accept that the higher the level of opposition you face, the more likely you will get punished if you make an error." He added: "For 60 minutes, we played very well. "When you're up against a top team, you're always going to come under some pressure. "Unfortunately, our left-back got caught on the ball, which led to their first goal, although the players felt aggrieved that the referee allowed the game to go on after Frank Lampard went down in the box just before Anelka scored. "We also didn't defend well enough for their second goal. "We held our own for long periods against a very good Chelsea team and were full value for our 1-0 lead at half-time. "On another day, we could have come away with a result and one could be forgiven for feeling harshly treated in the past couple of games. "We've given last season's top two a run for their money in the opening two games - and even a little bit of a fright." Do you think Albion deserved something at The Bridge? Have your say at Baggies Banter here.