Graham Potter knows nothing but disappointment at Stamford Bridge. Back at the club that sacked him after less than seven painful months in charge, Potter endured Chelsea denying his new team with two scrappy goals in a tight second half. West Ham, who played well and edged in front when Jarrod Bowen punished an error from Levi Colwill, had the meagre consolation of knowing they had given rivals with greater resources a scare.
This was not convincing from Chelsea, even if they rose into the top four thanks to an equaliser from the excellent Pedro Neto and a Cole Palmer-inspired own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Enzo Maresca’s team were pallid for long spells and irritation was rising before a sudden surge overwhelmed an injury‑hit West Ham, who still summoned sufficient effort to rally and almost force an equaliser when Tosin Adarabioyo thwarted Mohammed Kudus in added time.
“I was very happy because I consider tonight the toughest game mentally,” said Maresca, who was surprised to hear this was the first time since 2013 that Chelsea had won a home game after trailing at half-time. “You need to be patient. We conceded from our mistake. That’s when you need to be mentally strong. Second half we found more space and the guys from the bench were very good.”
Perhaps the closure of the transfer window will restore calm to Chelsea, quietening the noise around their squad. There has been a weird vibe and deadline day had rolled on with João Félix flying to Milan, a loan in the offing, and Aston Villa agreeing to borrow Axel Disasi for the rest of the season. West Ham, meanwhile, were left counting the cost of two years of botched recruitment.
The visitors had a threadbare feel with Lucas Paquetá and Edson Álvarez joining the injured contingent and Evan Ferguson not registered after joining on loan from Brighton. There were two full-backs in their back three, two goalkeepers on a light bench and a first start in midfield for Andy Irving, a 24‑year‑old Scot signed without fanfare from SK Austria Klagenfurt last year.
West Ham still impressed. There were signs of Potter’s ideas taking hold, and a 3-4-2-1 system restricted Chelsea. Their best opening came from a counterattack which ended with Noni Madueke shooting narrowly wide.
Chelsea strained to raise the tempo, with Palmer heavily marked. Marc Cucurella missed with a free header, Enzo Fernández dragged a shot wide, Jadon Sancho curled over and there was concern when Nicolas Jackson went down clutching his hamstring.
West Ham – short of firepower with Michail Antonio, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug missing – grew in confidence. Kudus threatened and Irving volleyed over. Bowen, leading the line with power and commitment after recovering from a broken foot, had two bites at turning in a corner. Filip Jörgensen denied West Ham’s captain.
Jörgensen had received a huge cheer by fans delighted to see him replace Robert Sánchez. The Swedish goalkeeper was not entirely convincing, though, spilling an early cross from Irving. Chelsea, sleepy and vague, were asking for trouble.
It was not a surprise when Kudus forced Colwill into a wayward backpass in the 42nd minute. The ball ran to Bowen, who raced clear to caress a lovely shot beyond Jörgensen.
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Chelsea deserved to be behind. They almost levelled through Palmer, whose free-kick drew a stunning save from Alphonse Areola, but they needed more intensity in the second half. West Ham had more to offer than a relentless supply of ironic chants about Irving from the away end.
Maresca soon put Neto on for the ineffective Sancho and introduced Marc Guiu for Jackson, who has gone eight games without a goal. Potter, meanwhile, was restrained on the touchline. It was left to Bruno Saltor, Chelsea’s interim coach for one game after Potter’s sacking, to complain about Colwill tripping Bowen in the buildup to the equaliser. “We feel it was a foul on Jarrod,” Potter said. “If we could have held out longer we could have sustained something.”
The mood turned when Chelsea levelled. Neto crossed from the right, Cucurella turned the ball back and Fernández’s shot was blocked. Neto, hungry and alert, arrived to score. West Ham, hoping in vain that a VAR check would rule Guiu had touched the ball before it reached an offside Cucurella, geared up for a siege.
Neto’s dynamism made an impact. Scrapping hard with Bowen, he won possession before Chelsea went ahead. The ball came to Palmer, he swerved past Tomas Soucek and his cross went in off Wan-Bissaka.
West Ham brought on three inexperienced teenagers: Luis Guilherme, Oliver Scarles and Lewis Orford. Chelsea were invigorated by the £60m Neto and the France forward Christopher Nkunku. Even so there was concern at the state of Jackson’s hamstring and Guiu limping down the tunnel at full-time. Maresca hoped both forwards were fine but he has work to do.
Source: theguardian.com
