A STRAIGHTFORWARD WIN OVER West Bromwich Albion would not ordinarily be ideal preparation for a daunting Champions League tie, although this was no gentle warm-up. Having come kicking and screaming through another spiteful encounter, Chelsea will feel ready to storm the Nou Camp.

José Mourinho’s team do not do anything quietly and what turned into another routine victory will have ramifications. Although not as dramatic as last year’s visit to Barcelona, which led to the retirement of Anders Frisk, the referee, and an interminable war of words with Uefa, the fallout still promises to be considerable, with Chelsea expected to be charged by the FA today on two counts of misconduct and one of unsporting behaviour.

The match exploded after Chelsea returned late from the half-time break, much to Bryan Robson’s annoyance. John Terry revealed that the delay was because of several players being detained for a dressing down by Mourinho, although it could have been worse. In the first half the visiting team did not turn up at all.

As happens so often, Mourinho’s words appeared to do the trick because when they finally emerged, Chelsea were a different team. Didier Drogba gave them the lead within six minutes with a typically powerful finish, although the strike that should have ended the match proved to be only the start of the fun and games.

As West Bromwich pressed for an equaliser ten minutes later, Arjen Robben launched a desperate tackle on Jonathan Greening near the byline. With the Dutchman’s studs raised, Mark Halsey showed him a red card, much to the chagrin of his team-mates, who surrounded the referee in protest. Having been sent off twice this season, Robben will desperately be hoping that Chelsea’s appeal succeeds , because he is facing a four-match ban.

The match simmered over seven minutes later after a clash between Drogba and Greening. The Ivory Coast striker made the initial contact but appeared to come off worse, rolling around as if he was in agony. The fact that he got up unharmed, going on to create the second goal for Joe Cole in the 74th minute before Kanu’s late consolation, did not go down well. “The way Drogba went down, you’ve got to assume he’s hurt, ” Steve Watson, the West Bromwich defender, said. “For him to get up five minutes later and not be limping, it’s disappointing. I’m old school and think it is unnecessary.” The subsequent spat came straight out of pre-school.