Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois accuses West Brom players of trying to provoke the Blues

Thibaut Courtois has accused West Brom's players of trying to provoke Chelsea during an ill-tempered 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge. The goalkeeper suggested Tony Pulis' men deliberately tried to antagonise the reigning Premier League champions.

During the match, Chelsea striker Diego Costa was involved in confrontations with both Jonas Olsson and Claudio Yacob, while he was also booked for a harsh challenge on Craig Gardner. The Baggies earned a point from the encounter thanks to James McClean's strike four minutes from time.

"It was a game we wanted to win. It was a tough game with them playing only long balls, [playing for] second balls, trying to provoke players. It was a bit frustrating. We tried to do our best, we came back but sadly they got the second goal," Courtois told Chelsea's official website.

Meanwhile, Courtois also claimed Chelsea have been short of luck this season. The Belgian goalkeeper said the two goals they conceded against West Brom were symptomatic of how their campaign has gone thus far.

Courtois, 23, identified a lack of good fortune as one of the key differences between Chelsea this season and their title-winning efforts during the last campaign.

"They were a bit unlucky. The first, Pedro wanted to come inside and play the ball but it took a touch to Gardner and he hit a fantastic shot. The second came after a free-kick, we tried to head it clear, the ball touched our player and the shot went in the corner again," the Chelsea star explained.

"They were unlucky and that's the position we are in at the moment. They were goals maybe last year we didn't concede because we were up top, and now they are the kind of goals you concede because you are down there."

He added: "We have to keep on fighting, we have Everton now which will be a difficult game as well but we have to fight for every game and every point."