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Football London
Football London
Sport
Scott Trotter

What Thomas Tuchel and Kenedy did to Jorginho as Christian Pulisic earns Chelsea West Ham win

When Łukasz Fabiański found himself with the ball in his clutches, and mere minutes remaining at Stamford Bridge, he likely thought he'd just earned West Ham a draw against Chelsea. Jorginho had stepped up after Romelu Lukaku earned the Blues a penalty when Craig Dawson received a red card for hauling down the Belgian.

The Italian did his usual hop-step to reach the penalty spot but could not deceive the Polish goalkeeper, who ensured Jorginho missed the seventh spot-kick in his career. The 38 he has previously scored would have offered little comfort as he could only jog away from the spot of his failure, with Lukaku trying to offer some comfort as the former Napoli ace headed back into position, clearly disappointed.

It was a moment that looked like it could cost Chelsea dear, with Thomas Tuchel's side searching in vain to earn their first home win since beating Newcastle United in March. Kai Havertz netted a late goal from a brilliant Jorginho pass on that occasion, and it took until the 90th minute for Chelsea to find three points against the Hammers.

READ MORE: Chelsea takeover hopeful spotted as Christian Pulisic spares Jorginho West Ham penalty disaster

The Blues continued to come forward in the aftermath of Jorginho's miss, and Marcos Alonso was able to find space on the left. The Spaniard showed composure and precision to find substitute Christian Pulisic in the box, while the American showed once again that he could finish when it matters. The American international scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season to earn the Blues three points and put them five points clear of Arsenal as Tuchel's side remains in third place.

It would be easy for the Blues' stars to get carried away celebrating a late winner in front of their home crowd come the final whistle - it has been a long time coming. Tuchel, however, had the presence of mind to take a moment with the 30-year-old. Chelsea's German coach greeted his players as they left the pitch but lingered when he embraced Jorginho, making sure to pat his back a few more times than other players were afforded.

Following his meeting with Tuchel, Jorginho found Kenedy waiting by the tunnel back to the changing rooms. The Brazilian tried to cajole his teammate which an enthusiastic embrace of his own, perhaps looking to make light of the situation. Jorginho briefly responded but still looked pretty downcast regarding the situation. Unperturbed, Kenedy joined the EURO 2020 winner back into the privacy of the stadium.

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