Chelsea's 1-0 loss to West Brom yesterday not only marked the end of a 15-game top-flight win streak against the Baggies, but also the end of the eight-month Andre Villas-Boas era at Stamford Bridge. Here are five notes on the latest turn in Chelsea's coaching carousel:
• All it takes is a glance at the table to see why Roman Abramovich was unhappy. Chelsea currently sits fifth in the standings, three points behind Arsenal for the final Champions League spot. Chelsea hasn't finished outside the top four in 10 years, and has qualified for the Champions League in nine straight seasons.
• On the field, poor defense is a prime reason for the sacking. In 27 league games this season, Chelsea has allowed 32 goals. Last season, Chelsea conceded 33 goals in 38 games, and the Blues didn't allow more than 30 in any of the six seasons before that. Chelsea is on pace to surrender 45 goals, which would match the club's high in the past 15 seasons.
• Perhaps Villas-Boas' predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti, should never have been fired. He won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009-10 with a club that scored 103 league goals, most of any team in the Premier League era. Chelsea won 2.1 points per game under Ancelotti, compared to 1.7 points under Villas-Boas this season.
• Ancelotti's teams posted a goal difference more than twice as high as this season, outscoring league opponents by 1.4 goals per game, compared to Villas-Boas' 0.6 per game. Over the previous two seasons, Chelsea scored half a goal more per game and allowed a third of a goal less.
• Finishing has been the major issue (we're looking at you, Fernando Torres), because Chelsea has actually improved its passing in the attacking third this season, completing 65 percent through 26 games, fifth best in the league. Last season, Chelsea ranked 11th by completing 57 percent of its passes in the final third. The opportunities are still there, too, as Chelsea leads the league with 7.2 chances created per game, just a tick lower than the team's 7.3 per game last season.