Chelsea thrash West Ham 5-1 to seal first win
Visitors Chelsea thrashed West Ham United with a dominant display in the London derby, coming from behind to beat the Hammers in a five-goal show.
Enzo Maresca’s side suffered an early setback as talisman Cole Palmer, named in the starting lineup, was forced off after picking up an injury during the pre-game warm-up to allow young Brazilian Estevão to make his starting XI debut for the club.
West Ham opened the score sheet in the sixth minute with a stunning goal after Chelsea’s young Estevao lost possession to Senegalese International Malick Diouf, who registered his first assist of the Premier League season, allowing Lucas Paqueta to deliver a sensational goal from 25 yards out, which struck the post.
Minutes after Chelsea equalised from a corner, Marc Cucurella delivered a calculated cross for João Pedro, who rose high to head home his first Premier League goal in blue. West Ham thought they had regained the lead almost immediately through a stunning strike from Niclas Füllkrug, but VAR ruled it out for offside.
The Hammers were made to pay soon after when Pedro Neto capitalised on a quick-thinking assist from João Pedro to slot the ball past the goalkeeper. Before the interval, youngster Estevão drove deep into West Ham’s defence and delivered a low cross for Enzo Fernández to finish with ease.
After the break, Graham Potter made changes to energize his team, bringing on Callum Wilson and Freddie Poots. However, West Ham’s defensive lapses persisted, and Moisés Caicedo scored to make it 4-1, prompting home fans to leave their seats in frustration. The final blow came late in the game when Trevoh Chalobah headed in a goal from a corner inside the six-yard box.
The emphatic result lifted the World Champions to the top of the table with four points as new star Estevão became the player of the match and the youngest player to register a goal and assist in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, West Ham slipped further into the bottom half. For the Hammers and manager Graham Potter, it marked a second consecutive defeat after a 3-0 loss to newly promoted Sunderland, increasing pressure on the club and its under-fire manager.
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