Chelsea shrugged off an early setback — and the subsequent loss of Cole Palmer in warm-ups — to steamroll past West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium, earning the Blues their first win of the season in outlandishly ruthless fashion.
Things could not have gotten off to a worse start. Palmer, England’s rising star, pulled up pre-game and was replaced in the starting XI by 18-year-old wonderkid Estevão Willian. Minuets later, the teenager’s loose backheel set up a Hammers counterattack, and Lucas Paquetá hammered a swerving rocket into the top corner for a 1-0 Hammers lead.
Chelsea’s response was brutal.
João Pedro headed in the equalizer on 15 minutes.
Pedro Neto blasted a volley in for 2-1.
Enzo Fernández cooly tapped home Estevão’s cross for 3-1 before halftime.
VAR already denied West Ham a Niclas Füllkrug strike and from there the game was one way traffic.
In the second half Moises Caicedo, and Trevoh Chalobah punished keeper Mads Hermansen after he fumbled the handling on corners within minutes of each other to finish off the slaughter.
By the time Chalobah’s header rippled the net, London Stadium was half empty, as Hammers faithful began to make their frustrations known.
Key Takeaways
Estevão the real deal?: The teenager finished with zero nerves and flashes of class, including a lovely assist.
West Ham crisis mode: Two games, two losses, and eight goals conceded. Graham Potter is already feeling the heat.
Chelsea statement win: Five different goal scorers, swagger in the attack and a calmness after a chaotic start.
The Blues are off and running — but as for West Ham, the boos may just be the beginning.
(Image credits: Martineide30, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Image was cropped herein.)