Joao Pedro Explodes for Five Goals as Chelsea Demolishes West Ham 5-1 Despite Palmer's Injury Setback
Chelsea silenced their attacking struggles from their season debut with an emphatic 5–1 thrashing of West Ham United away from home.
Prior to kickoff, Chelsea supporters were stunned by reports that Cole Palmer had picked up a knock during warmups and was consequently removed from the starting eleven. Matters deteriorated further when Lucas Paquetá broke the deadlock with a spectacular left-footed effort merely six minutes into the match.
The Blues' deficit was short-lived as FIFA Club World Cup standout João Pedro netted his maiden goal of the campaign to level the score. A brief moment of panic followed as West Ham believed they had regained their advantage, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR consultation. Pedro switched roles from goalscorer to creator in the 23rd minute, setting up Pedro Neto for the lead goal, and Chelsea never relinquished control.
Estêvão, who stepped into Palmer's place in the starting formation, provided the assist for Enzo Fernández to score Chelsea's third goal before halftime. A remarkable comeback for the Blues to enter the break with a two-goal cushion.
Immediately after the interval, Chelsea maintained their assault on the West Ham backline. The hosts were overwhelmed in the middle of the park and frequently found themselves desperately defending against a menacing Blues offensive. Moisés Caicedo netted a fourth from a set piece in a disastrous moment for Mads Hermansen. A fifth goal quickly followed from another corner kick, this time courtesy of Trevoh Chalobah as West Ham supporters began their exodus with half an hour remaining.
The match concluded 5–1 in favor of the visitors as images of vacant stands and jeers created a troubling scene for Graham Potter.
Conversely, a night that started with anxiety following Palmer's unexpected withdrawal and Paquetá's long-distance strike concluded with a Blues scoring spree. A commanding performance for their inaugural victory of the season with attention now turning to Fulham.
Chelsea player ratings from the match below.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. West Ham (4-2-3-1)
Ratings provided by FotMob
Player | Rating Out of 10 |
|---|---|
GK: Robert Sánchez | 6.3 |
RB: Malo Gusto | 6.8 |
CB: Trevoh Chalobah | 8.2 |
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo | 7.3 |
LB: Marc Cucurella | 8.0 |
CM: Moisés Caicedo (c) | 8.1 |
CM: Enzo Fernández | 7.6 |
RW: Estêvão | 8.0 |
LW: Pedro Neto | 7.5 |
AM: João Pedro | 9.1* |
ST: Liam Delap | 6.7 |
SUB: Andrey Santos (62' for Delap) | 6.6 |
SUB: Reece James (69' for Gusto) | 6.6 |
SUB: Jorrel Hato (70' for Cucurella) | 6.0 |
SUB: Wesley Fofana (70' for Chalobah) | 6.2 |
SUB: Jamie Gittens (77' for Estêvão) | 6.1 |
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen, Josh Acheampong, Dario Essugo, Gabriel Slonina
Player of the Match: João Pedro
West Ham (3-4-1-2): Mads Hermansen; Nayef Aguerd, Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo; Malick Diouf, Tomáš Souček, James Ward-Prowse, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Lucas Paquetá; Niclas Füllkrug, Jarrod Bowen
Subs: Alphonse Areola, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kyle Walker-Peters, Andy Irving, Guido Rodriguez, Oliver Scarles, Callum Marshall, Freddie Potts, Callum Wilson