Chelsea picked up their first win of the Premier League season in style, beating London rivals West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium. It’s a poor start for the Hammers, who’ve now lost their first two games of a PL season for the ninth time, equalling a record.
Chelsea were forced into a late change when Cole Palmer pulled out during the warm-up due to a groin injury. Things got worse early on as West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá scored a stunning goal in the sixth minute to put the hosts ahead.
But Chelsea quickly hit back. Marc Cucurella flicked on a corner from Pedro Neto, and João Pedro headed in his first goal against West Ham. Chelsea thought they’d taken the lead soon after when Niclas Füllkrug scored, but VAR ruled it out for offside.
The visitors didn’t let up. In the 23rd minute, Neto was left completely unmarked and volleyed in Pedro’s cross to put Chelsea ahead. Palmer’s replacement, 18-year-old Estêvão, set up the third goal with a neat cut-back for Enzo Fernández to score, making Estêvão the youngest player ever to assist a Premier League goal for Chelsea.
Fernández missed a chance for a second, but Chelsea added a fourth goal soon after. West Ham keeper Mads Hermansen dropped a corner, and Moisés Caicedo took full advantage. Moments later, Trevoh Chalobah made it 5-1 after another defensive mix-up by the Hammers.
West Ham finally showed some fight late on. Substitute Kyle Walker-Peters nearly set up a goal, but Caicedo cleared the danger. Chelsea almost grabbed a sixth, but Estêvão’s shot was deflected and saved.
In the end, it was a night to forget for West Ham and their manager Graham Potter. He’s now gone eight games without beating Chelsea and has earned just nine points from his first 10 home matches, the worst start by any West Ham boss.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have now beaten West Ham 33 times in the Premier League, more than any club except Tottenham.
