5 Things Learned: West Ham 3-1 Chelsea | Premier League

West Ham edged past Chelsea in a fiery 3-1 London derby win on Sunday afternoon.

Goals at the start of each half from Nayef Aguerd and Michael Antonio, and a late Lucas Paqueta penalty were enough to see off Chelsea. Despite Carney Chukwuemeka’s goal, a profligate Chelsea are still searching for a first win in the Premier League.

West Ham took an early lead through Nayef Aguerd in the 7th minute. Debutant James Ward-Prowse whipped in a corner from the right, with Aguerd leaping above Conor Gallagher to nod past Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.

The Blues nearly had a penalty immediately, but Nicolas Jackson was narrowly offside when he was felled by Alphonso Areola.

Chelsea grew into the game and tested the Hammers with efforts from Gallagher, Jackson and Ben Chilwell.

Chelsea eventually levelled in the 28th minute through Carney Chukwuemeka. Chukwuemeka picked up the ball just inside the box after sustained blues pressure, darted past Tomas Soucek before blasting past Areola to deservedly level for his side.

Chelsea had the chance to take the lead before the break, but Enzo Fernandez had his penalty saved by Areola, after Raheem Sterling was taken down by Soucek in the box.

Chelsea continued to push for a goal but could not convert their dominance into a half time lead.

Chelsea were left to rue their profligacy in the first period, with Michael Antonio putting the Hammers back in front at the start of the second.

Antonio collected a pass and drove at Axel Disasi, before releasing a piledriving effort beyond Sanchez to send the London Stadium into raptures.

West Ham were reduced to 10 men after Aguerd saw red for a late challenge on Jackson which picked him up a second booking.

Chelsea pushed for an equaliser, with debutant Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill threatening with long range efforts.

Pablo Fornals forced a good stop from Sanchez before Areola did well to deny substitute Noni Madueke.

Moises Caicedo then gave away a late penalty, allowing Lucas Paqueta to seal the win for the Hammers late in added time.

Here are five things Absolute Chelsea learned from Sunday’s loss at the London Stadium.

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1) Frustrating day in East London

Chelsea are still searching for their first win of the season, after a disappointing result against West Ham.

The blues were the better side throughout the match, and created plenty of chances to win the game. The fact Chelsea played so well but could not convert the performance into points will be frustrating for supporters, especially after West Ham were reduced to 10 players.

There were plenty of positives to take from Sunday’s match, however if Chelsea want to start picking up the points they feel they deserve; then they will need to be far more clinical in front of goal.

2) Moises Caicedo had a tough debut

Moises Caicedo replaced Ben Chilwell with 30 minutes remaining to make his Chelsea debut at the London Stadium. Caicedo played at the base of a midfield three for the Blues, and nearly made an immediate impact but for sending his looping volley narrowly over the bar.

Caicedo was neat in possession and helped his side dictate the game as they searched for an equaliser.

However a late foul on Emerson allowed West Ham to seal the win from the penalty spot in a difficult debut for Chelsea’s record signing.

3) A mixed day for Carney Chukwuemeka

After a solid showing against Liverpool last week, Carney Chukwuemeka grew in stature again, after a promising performance at West Ham. Chukwuemeka scored a fantastic goal, showing his skill with the ball to jink past Soucek in a tight box and emphatically finish beyond Areola.

Chukwuemeka’s mix of tight ball control, pace and power offered Chelsea a good outlet throughout the first half, which they dominated. However, Chukwuemeka unfortunately picked up a knock after a full blooded 50-50 challenge with Emerson, meaning he could not quite make it to the interval.

Chelsea will hope the injury is not a serious one as the young Englishman has had a promising start to the season. However, if Chukwuemeka is out for a sustained period, it only will create a further headache for the Blues, with Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Armando Broja already on the side-lines.

4) Raheem Sterling is improving

Raheem Sterling caused chaos for West Ham’s backline on Sunday afternoon. Sterling was Chelsea’s most dangerous attacking threat throughout, using his close dribbling to cut through the Hammers at will.

Sterling won a penalty for his side, and created plenty of chances for his teammates that they were unable to convert. But this was not Sterling’s fault.

After a difficult first season at the club, Chelsea fans can take some heart from Sterling’s early season performances despite the result in East London.

5) Penalty questions

With nominal penalty takers Jorginho and Kai Havertz both sold over recent months, Chelsea entered this season without a recognised spot kick specialist. Christopher Nkunku and Reece James seemed the most likely to take over responsibilities, but with both players on the side-lines Enzo Fernandez stepped up for his side.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, Fernandez missed with a fairly tame effort. It remains to be seen if Fernandez will retain penalty duties, but it is a problem Chelsea will need to solve soon, otherwise they will suffer from further profligacy issues.