Thiago Silva’s return to the Chelsea team after a 10-game absence lasted just 29 minutes following his early sending off against West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian picked up two yellow cards inside the opening half an hour for at first a foul on Matheus Pereira after only five minutes then just 24 minutes later as he dove in to block a shot the defender flew into Okay Yokuslu.
Referee David Coote was left with little option but to brandish Silva’s second yellow card and hand the experienced centre-back an early bath.
It is the first red card Silva has received since May 2013 when he was sent off for the first time in his European career whilst a Paris Saint-Germain player.
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Some Chelsea fans were not in agreement with the referee’s decision but the general consensus amongst the fan base was that it was a poor mistake from such an experienced player.
Silva’s red card saw Hakim Ziyech sacrificed in order for Andreas Christensen to come into the backline in a bid to hold onto the Blues 1-0 lead following Christian Pulisic’s opener.
However, West Brom took advantage of the rejigged defence and Pereira struck twice in first-half injury time to give the Baggies a 2-1 lead.
It could have been worse for Tuchel’s team had Matt Phillips shot been an inch lower with Mendy’s crossbar coming to Chelsea’s rescue.