Chelsea endured yet another draw on Saturday afternoon as they were held 1-1 by West Ham United.
Graham Potter went with an attacking lineup, giving starts to Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez, and his side dominated from the off.
The home side weren’t helped by the fact that key player Lucas Paqueta was forced off with an injury after 13 minutes, making it all the more difficult for them to get a grip on the game.
Chelsea made all of their possession count soon afterwards with Felix giving his team the lead, side-footing a cross from Fernandez beyond Lukasz Fabianksi.
Havertz thought he’d made it 2-0 just over seven minutes later when he rounded the keeper and found the back of the net but his effort was ultimately ruled out for offside.
Former Chelsea man Emerson then went and got the second goal of the game himself at the other end, turning in a cross from Jarrod Bowen at the back post.
Both sides had chances to take the lead before the end of the first half but a combination of poor finishing, good defending and Fabianski ensured they went into the break level.
Chelsea made the stronger start to the second half, with most of the game being played in their opponent’s half, although West Ham were providing a threat on the counter.
For all of their probing though, the Blues couldn’t create any more major chances before the match reached its hour mark and changes began to be made by both managers. One of those subs, Ben Chilwell, almost set up his team’s second goal of the game when he sent in a dangerous cross in the 74th minute but Havertz headed the ball wide of the target.
West Ham weren’t hanging on for dear life by any means though with David Moyes’ side pushing for a winner themselves rather than settling for a point, allowing the game to open up.
They thought they’d gotten that winner in the 83rd minute when Tomas Soucek turned in a rebound after Kepa saved Declan Rice’s header, but the Englishman was deemed to be offside by VAR after an age reviewing the footage.
VAR then surprisingly didn’t intervene at the other end when Soucek handled the ball in the box when blocking a shot, and that proved to be the final talking point of the game, with Chelsea’s struggles and West Ham’s revival both continuing.
GK: Lukasz Fabianski – 6/10 – Made a few decent saves, although he wasn’t tested a huge amount.
CB: Thilo Kehrer – 6/10 – Defended well, even if he was a little clumsy at times, and was decent in possession.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna – 6/10 – Led his backline well, dominating in the air and organising those around him.
CB: Nayef Aguerd – 7/10 – Continues to impress after showing what he was capable of at the World Cup, not putting a foot wrong at the back.
RM: Vladimir Coufal – 6/10 – Performed his defensive duties well but couldn’t create much going forward.
CM: Lucas Paqueta – N/A – Was forced off with injury after just 13 minutes.
CM: Declan Rice – 6/10 – Was dependable as ever, but could’ve offered more with his passing.
LM: Emerson – 7/10 – As well as getting a goal, Emerson created a few chances and worked hard at the other end.
AM: Jarrod Bowen – 8/10 – Created one goal and numerous other opportunities for his team-mates on the right, being one of the biggest threats on the pitch.
AM: Said Benrahma – 5/10 – Struggled to make his mark on the game, taking just 17 touches in 67 minutes.
ST: Michail Antonio – 6/10 – Proved to be a real handful for the Chelsea backline, holding up the ball and linking the play well, but his finishing could’ve been better.
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek (13′ for Paqueta) – 6/10
Flynn Downes (67′ for Benrahma) – 5/10
Danny Ings (67′ for Antonio) – 5/10
Ben Johnson (80′ for Aguerd) – N/A
Manager
David Moyes – 7/10 – Ensured his team stood firm at the back and created chances of their own throughout the game.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10 – Had a quiet afternoon, only facing two shots on goal, and couldn’t do anything about the one that went in.
RB: Reece James – 6/10 – Was as good as ever in an attacking capacity but wasn’t great at the back and could have done better for the West Ham goal.
CB: Thiago Silva (c) – 7/10 – Made a few strong blocks and tackles and didn’t do anything wrong.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – 6/10 – Wasn’t quite as dependable as his partner and picked up a yellow, but didn’t have a bad game by any means.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 5/10 – Was solid enough at the back but offered precious little going forward.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6/10 – Won the ball well in the middle of the park but was hardly a creative force.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 8/10 – Picked up an assist with a lovely cross and ran the show for his team for most of the game.
RM: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – Looked a real livewire when on the ball but lacked an end product.
AM: Joao Felix – 7/10 – Took his goal excellently and created a few more chances but his decision-making was questionable at times.
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk – 5/10 – Was a threat early in the match but faded as the game went on, failing to cause West Ham problems.
ST: Kai Havertz – 5/10 – Missed a decent chance and struggled to stay onside.
Substitutes
SUB: Hakim Ziyech (67′ for Mudryk) – 5/10
SUB: Conor Gallagher (67′ for Loftus-Cheek) – 5/10
SUB: Mason Mount (67′ for Madueke) – 5/10
SUB: Ben Chilwell (67′ for Cucurella) – 6/10
Manager
Graham Potter – 5/10 – Went with an attacking lineup and the bold decison didn’t pay off with his side struggling to prevent counter-attacks, leaving them vulnerable.
Player of the match – Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
Credit: 90min.com
