AVB ‘project’ finally put out of its misery

Roman Abramovich is not a man renowned for patience, so it came as scant surprise this defeat was the final straw for the uncompromising Chelsea owner.

Less than 24 hours after departing The Hawthorns, Andre Villas-Boas received the news everyone had been expecting.

The game was up, his brief Stamford Bridge reign was over. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that he had not become the ruthless Russian’s latest managerial victim sooner.