Jacob Steinburg has filed his match report
Stamford Bridge was mutinous at half-time and in disbelief at the end. A pattern is developing under Liam Rosenior. Chelsea’s new head coach messed up his starting lineup against Napoli on Wednesday but turned it around. He did it again when his side were 2-0 down and in danger of unravelling against West Ham.
Chelsea go fourth after that. The gap to Aston Villa in third is six points. Steep.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 24 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 | Man City | 23 | 26 | 46 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 23 | 10 | 46 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 24 | 15 | 40 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 23 | 7 | 38 |
West Ham remain five points from safety, with 17th-place Nottingham Forest at home to Crystal Palace tomorrow.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Leeds | 24 | -11 | 26 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 23 | -11 | 25 |
| 18 | West Ham | 24 | -19 | 20 |
| 19 | Burnley | 23 | -19 | 15 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 24 | -30 | 8 |
The red mist really descended for West Ham at the end. To play as well as they did in the first half and come away with nothing … ouch. Jean-Clair Todibo will no doubt get an extended ban for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck. The Brazilian had taken the brave move of standing up to Adama Traoré, who had just chucked Cucurella to the floor WWE-style. The crowd got their money’s worth in that corner anyway.
Marc Cucurella praises Chelsea’s “mentality and desire” in their second-half comeback. “If we play always with this energy I think we can win a lot of games,” he says.
Joao Pedro, another half-time substitute, says “we have a strong squad … the team is very young but everyone trusts each other – that is our power. We can still improve a lot but this game is important to show to the fans how strong we are.”
Chelsea come from two goals down at half-time to win a Premier League match for the first time. West Ham were excellent in the first 45 with goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville but Liam Rosenior made a triple change at half-time.
Two of those subs combined as Wesley Fofana crossed for João Pedro to get Chelsea back in it. Marc Cucurella, another half-time sub, equalised with a diving header before João Pedro then set up Enzo Fernández’s late winner.
If only there was a cliche for what just happened.
Full time: Chelsea 3-2 West Ham
Chalobah heads away and the whistle goes. Stamford Bridge erupts!
90+11 min: After all that, West Ham have a corner …
Red card for Todibo
The West Ham defender rightly gets his marching orders for grabbing João Pedro by the neck in a “violent manner”.
Anthony Taylor heads to the screen … this is taking a while.
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90+9 min: Mavropanos gave Palmer a little slap in the face amid the chaos. VAR are obviously sifting through the evidence.
90+8 min: Traoré is booked but it won’t end there. Todibo grabbed João Pedro by the neck with both hands, basically throttling him.
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90+7 min: That was nasty. Traoré threw Cucurella to the floor and João Pedro took issue with this. Todibo set off on João Pedro, wrestling him nearly into the crowd.
90+6 min: It’s really going off by the corner flag – more than mere handbags. Traoré and João Pedro were involved, shoving each other. The red mist descended for Todibo too.
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90+5 min: Palmer should score from Neto’s cutback but a bobble does for him, his shot well, well over from the penalty spot.
90+4 min: Scarles goes into the book for West Ham. Chelsea will try to run the clock down now.
Fernandez gets a booking for taking his shirt off in wild celebrations at the Matthew Harding end.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-2 West Ham (Fernandez 90+2)
Chelsea might have won it! Caicedo slides a ball into the area for Joao Pedro, who pulls it back and Fernandez is there to bundle it into the back of the net!
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90 min: The ball falls for Palmer in the West Ham box, his right-footed shot is on target but it’s blocked before it reaches goal.
Five minutes added.
89 min: James flashes a cross across goal and Areola rather unnecessarily punches Fofana’s looping ball away.
88 min: Neto spins away from Todibo on the Chelsea left before being halted by one of Wan-Bissaka’s sprawling slide tackles.
West Ham hit the post!
86 min: It’s a bit of a sitter from Todibo, who stabs at the ball from inside the six-yard box after Soucek’s cutback isn’t dealt with by Chalobah. The ball hits the outside of the post, much to Chelsea’s relief.
85 min: West Ham want a penalty for handball as Soucek’s cross is blocked by Cucurella. Nothing given. Caicedo hacks at Summerville, gets a yellow for his troubles and West Ham have a chance to send a free-kick into the box.
83 min: James’s first involvement is a volleyed cross that Areola clutches at his near post. Traoré whips out the stepovers against Cucurella up the other end but his cross is easily dealt with.
81 min: Rosenior tries to freshen things up, James replacing Gusto at right-back. Adama Traoré comes on for his West Ham debut alongside Ollie Scarles, released by Chelsea aged 11. Bowen and Diouf go off.
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80 min: Neto crosses from the left this time and Delap can’t get enough pace on the header to trouble Areola. West Ham make a rare foray forward but Sanchez intercepts Bowen’s cross. João Pedro then dinks a cross into Areola’s grasp.
78 min: Cucurella and João Pedro combine down the left but Neto and Gusto get in each other’s way when it comes to shooting from the cross. Neto then cuts in on his left and curls a cross towards the back post, where no one in blue can get on the end of it. Reece James is getting ready to come on.
76 min: West Ham hook a couple of balls clear of their own box but it just keeps coming back. Callum Wilson comes on in place of Castellanos up front.
74 min: It’s worth mentioning that Chelsea have never come back from two goals down at half-time to win in the Premier League. Here they come again …
73 min: Chelsea are not hanging about. They win a couple more corners. All the momentum is with them. West Ham, now playing with a back five, can’t get out.
VAR is checking for a foul for a push on Kilman by Delap under the crossbar. The verdict is … goal!
GOAL! Chelsea 2-2 West Ham (Cucurella 70)
Chelsea haul themselves level! Gusto heads a cross back across the six-yard box. Kilman, superbly, heads it against his own bar but Cucurella dives low to head into the back of the net!
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68 min: Just wide from Castellanos! Summerville and Fernandes combine on a West Ham break. Castellanos cuts inside on his right foot and bends a shot just wide of the far post.
66 min: Nuno makes a change, replacing striker Pablo and centre-back Kilman. Draw your own conclusions.
65 min: Brilliant save from Areola! Chelsea’s corner is worked out to Caicedo on the edge of the box and he aims for the top corner in similar fashion to his stunning goal against Liverpool earlier this season. Areola, diving to his right, gets fingertips on it.
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63 min: Palmer gives Fernandes the slip but the referee pulls it back for a foul, immediately apologising having not foreseen Chelsea’s advantage on the edge of the box. Cucurella wins a corner …
62 min: It’s all Chelsea now. Neto sends a cross into the box that’s headed away but Castellanos is careless and concedes a corner. Neto takes but Areola punches up and away.
60 min: Chelsea’s tails are up. Delap gets outmuscled by Todibo, who shields the ball out for a goal-kick. The home crowd are a bit more enthusiastic now about calling out some possible time-wasting from West Ham.
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That’ll lift the mood. Two of Chelsea’s half-time subs combine to give them a chance in this one. Will West Ham start to wobble a bit now?
GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 West Ham (João Pedro 57)
A lifeline for Chelsea! Fofana runs into space on the edge of the box and digs out a magnificent cross to the back post where João Pedro is waiting to head it down into the far corner.
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56 min: Half-chance for Chelsea. Cucurella gets some space down the left and hits a low cross into a good area. Delap tries to flick it inside the far post but it bobbles wide.
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55 min: West Ham win a series of free-kicks off frustrated Chelsea players. It’s only 2-0 but feels like much more. A reminder: West Ham are still in the relegation zone.
53 min: Chelsea haven’t got going. Summerville sets off down the left and shimmies past Fernandez before João Pedro brings him down for a free-kick. Everyone in a West Ham shirt is brimming with confidence.
51 min: Sanchez saves from Bowen! Fernandes plays a cute ball in behind the sleeping Chelsea backline into Bowen’s path. He was probably offside but he should score anyway, instead shooting straight at Sanchez.
50 min: Fofana drags down Castellanos after he had run in behind him. Should be a yellow but Fofana escapes. West Ham can send the free-kick into the box …
49 min: Fernandes tests Sanchez! Some smart play down the right from Bowen and Wan-Bissaka sets West Ham up for their first attack of the half. Fernandes lets fly from the edge of the box and Sanchez pushes it away from danger. Their eyes must light up every time they go forward.
47 min: So, Chelsea’s reshuffle – Fofana partners Chalobah at centre-back, with Cucurella in at left-back. Neto comes over to the left with João Pedro playing behind Delap and Palmer on the right. Castellanos wins a free-kick off Gusto on halfway.
Restart
Triple change for Chelsea at the break. Cucurella, Fofana and João Pedro replace Hato, Badiashile and Garnacho – Chelsea’s entire left side. Could have happened sooner.
That first half can be summed up in the mismatch that was Alejandro Garnacho v Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Not only did Wan-Bissaka have his former Manchester United teammate’s number in his defensive third, but he knew how to exploit him going forward too – 56% of West Ham’s attacks went down their right wing. On both of their goals Wan-Bissaka ran off Garnacho, who may not come out for the second half.
Jarrod Bowen might threaten the top of these standings if things stay like they are:
Very, very loud boos from the Stamford Bridge crowd on the half-time whistle. The Chelsea players gather before going down the tunnel but very few looks are exchanged between them, let alone words. They’ve been devoid of ideas going forward and pretty hapless at the back, especially on their left flank. Rosenior will make changes at the break – he was already chatting to Cucurella, Fofana and João Pedro before the whistle.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-2 West Ham
West Ham’s survival bid is well and truly on! They’ve outplayed Chelsea in the first 45 and it’s not even close. Wan-Bissaka and Bowen have been utterly brilliant down their right, where both of their goals have come. Bowen’s cross went all the way in for the opener, while Summerville converted from Wan-Bissaka’s cutback for the second.
45+4 min: “Attack, attack, attack!” comes from a section of the home end. The boos have been growing all half. Chelsea can swing a free-kick into the box but choose to go short to Garnacho. Fernandez’s ball is eventually headed clear.
45+2 min: Chelsea really need half-time. West Ham, playing with so much confidence, want a penalty for handball but Anthony Taylor says no. Pablo almost wriggles past Badiashile on the byline but the ball is out for a goal-kick.
45+1 min: West Ham’s corner is cleared by Chelsea. Garnacho wins the ball on halfway and gives it away poorly. There will be five minutes of added time.
45 min: West Ham break at breakneck speed! Summerville and Bowen combine sublimely and the latter carries the ball to the edge of the area, where he has a shot that’s deflected behind.
44 min: Fernandez clips the free-kick into the wall, to sarcastic cheers from the away end.
43 min: West Ham maraud down the right once more. This time Soucek’s low cross into the box misses Summerville but it’s poor defending again from Chelsea. There is respite for the hosts in the form of a free-kick won by Palmer off Pedro on the edge of the West Ham box.
41 min: Hato and Garnacho cannot deal with Bowen and Wan-Bissaka, either defensively or going forward – a pretty big oversight from Rosenior’s point of view. Cucurella is warming up.
39 min: Neto is down after being caught in the face in the West Ham box. VAR says it was accidental.
West Ham get joy down the right again! Wan-Bissaka, not tracked well enough by Garnacho, makes an underlapping run past Bowen and sends a ball back towards the D from the byline. Summerville strides on to it and hits it past Sanchez at the near post. Some finish!
Updated
GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 West Ham (Summerville 36)
It’s two! Summerville smashes Wan-Bissaka’s cut-back past Sanchez!
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36 min: The West Ham counter ends with Wan-Bissaka flashing a ball across Sanchez’s goal. Castellanos tries a cross of his own but Chelsea stand firm this time. Mavropanos supresses a smirk after being barged over by Delap off the ball.
34 min: Chelsea move the ball from side to side but West Ham close off all the spaces. Garnacho floats a cross towards Neto which Diouf heads behind. The corner is headed away at the near post and West Ham come away with it.
32 min: Wan-Bissaka again stops Garnacho getting a ball into the box. Garnacho later wins the ball back near the corner flag and Caicedo makes inroads into the penalty area before skewing a shot very, very far wide.
30 min: Mavropanos is winning the physical battle against Delap. Nothing that goes up to the Chelsea striker seems to stick and West Ham’s big Greek centre-back is winning almost everything in the air.
28 min: Gusto hooks a cross to the back post, where Wan-Bissaka heads up but not away. Garnacho takes it down but has his pocket picked by Bowen and West Ham clear.
26 min: That’s a shame for Gittens, who rarely gets to start in the league. Neto comes off the bench in his place and goes to the right wing.
25 min: Gittens is in trouble. He got a heel to the knee from Summerville and is trudging back round the pitch. Neto is called back to the dugout.
23 min: Garnacho is really struggling. He started sharply with a one-two past Wan-Bissaka but now refuses to take on his former teammate. A loose pass infield is met with howls from the Chelsea supporters.
Gittens goes down on the far side and Rosenior can conveniently call a team briefing.
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21 min: Chalobah and Badiashile dally around with it in their own half before Badiashile shanks a pass back to Sanchez, who slices it out for a throw. Good stuff.
19 min: Chelsea get a free-kick in shooting range after Fernandez is brought down by Fernandes (hopefully this doesn’t get confusing), although the West Ham man pretty clearly got the ball. Palmer takes it on, whips it on target but Areola pats it down.
18 min: Fernandez tries to float a ball towards Gittens, as Diouf flicks it out for a corner, which goes short and Chelsea end up back on the halfway line. An important touch, that, from Diouf.
“Dropping Scarles for Diouf is interesting to me,” writes Pax. “Scarles has been quite solid the last few games so Diouf better have been performing miracles in training.”
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16 min: Sanchez saves from Castellanos! West Ham come again with Wan-Bissaka and Bowen slips in Castellanos, whose shot is well struck to the near post but stopped by Sanchez. Chelsea are on the ropes a bit.
14 min: West Ham look a real threat. Fernandes finds Summerville on the left of the area and gets it back. The midfielder’s shot is blocked before it can reach Sanchez but it draws grumbles from an otherwise quiet home crowd.
12 min: Wan-Bissaka blocks a Garnacho cross out for a corner near the boisterous away end. Areola punches clear and West Ham break with numbers. Gittens comes across to stop the counter and gets a foul off Summerville.
10 min: Chelsea look to respond as Garnacho fronts up Wan-Bissaka again. This time the winger doesn’t have the confidence to take him on and instead plays it back.
Wan-Bissaka wriggled away from Garnacho down the right and plays it into Bowen on the edge of the area. He cuts inside on to his left and floats a cross that evades Castellanos on its way to the back post, where it deceives Sanchez and finds the side netting.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 West Ham (Bowen 7)
West Ham strike first at the Bridge! It’s a cross from Jarrod Bowen that goes all the way in.
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6 min: Garnacho ducks past his former Manchester United teammate Wan-Bissaka after playing a one-two and wins a corner. Areola flaps at the delivery but it comes to nothing.
Leroy Rosenior, formerly of West Ham, is sitting a couple of rows behind the dugout, where his son is calmly waving around instructions.
4 min: Palmer looks dangerous for Chelsea, digging out a curling cross to the back post that Wan-Bissaka does well to flick away with Garnacho waiting behind him.
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2 min: West Ham have the first effort on goal. Pablo dispossesses Caicedo in midfield, feeds it to Castellanos in the penalty area but his shot is very weak indeed and Sanchez scoops it up.
Kick-off
Chelsea have a team huddle around the centre spot, for some reason. West Ham stick with tradition and their own half for theirs.
Mateus Fernandes gets the ball rolling.
Enzo Fernández and Jarrod Bowen lead the teams out. Anthony Taylor is the man in the middle. We’re ready to go.
Warm-ups are done at the Bridge. Chelsea were harking back to the 90s with their training strip based on that notorious away kit.
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“I was pretty stunned to see all the changes for Chelsea,” writes Sue. “Confused - still a good line up but ‘it’s not quite Carling’. Disrespectful towards West Ham? Or just juggling to find his best team?”
To be fair to Liam Rosenior, Chelsea play again on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup against Arsenal. Rest players in that one and you risk real embarrassment. Today is their ninth game this month.
A West Ham season-ticket holder has been banned for five games after the unfurling of a banner that said “Time 2 Sell – Name Your Price” in protest at the club’s board at last weekend’s home win over Sunderland. Joshua Wood, 27, was said to have breached regulations regarding items allowed inside the London Stadium, with the banner adjudged to have been too big. He plans to appeal.
Wood said: “They’ve been clever in how they’ve approached it because they’re not saying I’ve been banned for protesting. They’re saying I’ve been banned for bringing up a banner which doesn’t fit the regulations of their dimension sizes. I have no doubt that if it said: ‘We love you, Brady and Sullivan’ we wouldn’t be talking today.”
Full time in the Premier League 3pm kick-offs
Brighton 1-1 Everton
Leeds 0-4 Arsenal
Wolves 0-2 Bournemouth
West Ham can close the gap to Leeds to three points.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 24 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 | Man City | 23 | 26 | 46 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 23 | 10 | 46 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 23 | 7 | 38 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 23 | 14 | 37 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 23 | 3 | 36 |
| 7 | Fulham | 23 | 0 | 34 |
| 8 | Everton | 24 | -1 | 34 |
| 9 | Brentford | 23 | 3 | 33 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 23 | 3 | 33 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 23 | -2 | 33 |
| 12 | AFC Bournemouth | 24 | -3 | 33 |
| 13 | Brighton | 24 | 2 | 31 |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 2 | 28 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 23 | -4 | 28 |
| 16 | Leeds | 24 | -11 | 26 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 23 | -11 | 25 |
| 18 | West Ham | 23 | -18 | 20 |
| 19 | Burnley | 23 | -19 | 15 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 24 | -30 | 8 |
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“Transfer wishful thought … ” writes Chelsea fan WB. “Straight swap Liam Delap for Nicolas Jackson before the window closes? We can all learn from our mistakes, no shame in it.”
Yes, Delap has not really got going since joining from Ipswich last summer. He worked with Liam Rosenior at Hull though, so … maybe it’ll all come together. Faith has been shown in him today, especially after João Pedro’s performance on Wednesday.
Remember you can get in touch with me via email if you have any predictions or thoughts on this clash. If you support Chelsea or West Ham, perhaps you have an opinion on what your club need before the transfer window shuts on Monday.
West Ham have been linked with another of Chelsea’s frozen-out players in Axel Disasi. The defender has played once this season – for the under-21s in the EFL Trophy. Chelsea are still chasing Jérémy Jacquet of Rennes.
Here’s our transfer tracker:
Raheem Sterling is no longer a Chelsea player, as of this week. He hadn’t played for 18 months and had been training alone but the 31-year-old’s lucrative contract has now been terminated.
Jacob Steinberg, who is at Stamford Bridge today, has been wondering what is next for the former England international:
Sterling’s departure is said to represent a sizeable financial saving for Chelsea. His contract, which had 18 months left, has not been paid up in full. It was time for a clean break. Sterling is too young to retire. He is probably done at the highest level but there will be managers who will back themselves to revive him.
Team news: Palmer starts for Chelsea
After his cameo off the bench against Napoli, where he set up both of João Pedro’s goals, Cole Palmer is in from the start for Chelsea today. He is one of seven changes Liam Rosenior makes to his XI from the Champions League in midweek. Estêvão is missing for personal reasons.
Nuno only makes one change from West Ham’s 3-1 win against Sunderland, with Malick Diouf making his first start since returning from Afcon, replacing Ollie Scarles. New signing Adama Traoré is on the bench.
Starting XIs
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Hato; Caicedo, Fernández; Gittens, Palmer, Garnacho; Delap.
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, James, Acheampong, Fofana, Cucurella, Santos, Neto, João Pedro, Guiu.
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Castellanos.
Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Scarles, Potts, Magassa, Kanté, Traoré, Wilson.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome. East meets west in London today as West Ham travel across town for a visit to Stamford Bridge. Both teams, rather unusually, are in good spirits ahead of this one – Chelsea have a 100% record in the league under Liam Rosenior and beat Napoli to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. Meanwhile, West Ham have won their last two, including last weekend’s fairly stress-free outing against Sunderland.
Nuno Espírito Santo will be wanting to avoid a repeat of August’s 5-1 drubbing at the London Stadium, although he was still in charge of Nottingham Forest then. Graham Potter and Enzo Maresca were in the dugouts – a fair bit has changed.
Kick-off at the Bridge is 5.30pm (GMT). Team news is coming shortly.
