Chelsea snatched victory away from West Ham United at Stamford Bridge as Thomas Tuchel’s side came back from behind to secure a crucial 2-1 win in a feisty London derby.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were frustrated in the first-half, as West Ham sat back in their compact shape and did not allow the home side to create many clear-cut chances. Neither side could get a shot on target during the first period.
Despite that, halfway through the second half, West Ham had an unlikely lead. Michail Antonio bundled in a close-range tap-in following a defensive mix-up from Chelsea to give David Moyes’ side the advantage.
Chelsea got back into the game just a quarter of an hour later, as Chilwell, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, poked home an effort from a tight angle from inside the box through the legs of Lukasz Fabianski.
Then, West Ham missed a massive chance to win it, as Maxwel Cornet’s shot came back off the post with four minutes to play.
Unbelievably, Chelsea then went up the other end and found their winner. Chilwell turned into the provider, and his cross was tapped home by Kai Havertz inside the box to surely win it for the home side.
West Ham then struck again a minute later through Cornet, but his finish high into the roof of the net was controversially ruled out by VAR after a foul on Edouard Mendy by Jarrod Bowen in the build-up.
TALKING POINT – WEST HAM LEFT REELING AFTER LATE VAR DECISION
After a lacklustre first half, which saw no attempts on target from either side, the second half sprung into life and delivered some late London derby controversy.
Seconds before Chelsea found their eventual winning goal, Maxwel Cornet, who had just come on moments before, headed the ball back off the frame of the goal. If that went in, the points were surely West Ham’s for the taking.
However, it did not play out that way. Cornet had the ball in the net soon after to atone for his earlier miss, but match official and VAR Jared Gillett opted to rule it out for a foul on Edouard Mendy by Jarrod Bowen. The replays show it was the correct decision, but West Ham will feel hard done by as they deserved a point on the balance of play.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – BEN CHILWELL
What a twenty-minute cameo from Chelsea’s left-wing back, as his two direct goal involvements after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute helped the Blues seal a comeback victory.
The 25-year-old was there to pounce for the equaliser, heading down a long ball from Thiago Silva in the box to control it, before cheekily tapping the ball home through Lukasz Fabianski’s legs from an improbable angle to get his side back on level terms. The defender then provided the assist for Kai Havertz’s winner.
In total, Chilwell won two aerial duels, and made one key pass.
PLAYER RATINGS
Chelsea: Mendy 6, Fofana 6, Silva 7, Koulibaly 6, James 6, Loftus-Cheek 6, Cucurella 6, Kovacic 6, Gallagher 6, Pulisic 6, Sterling 6. Subs: Chilwell 8, Mount 6, Jorginho 6, Havertz 7, Broja 6.
West Ham United: Fabianski 6, Emerson 6, Zouma 7, Kehrer 6, Coufal 6, Coucek 6, Rice 7, Fornals 6, Paqueta 7, Bowen 7, Antonio 7. Subs: Cornet 7, Ogbonna 6, Benrahma 6.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
62′ – GOAL! (Michail Antonio) – A bit of smash and grab from West Ham! It is a scrappy goal, but the Irons will not care! The corner comes in, which causes some panic in the box by the Chelsea defence. Mendy ends up palming the ball straight to Rice, who cuts it back to Antonio, and the striker gets the final touch and bundles the ball into the net from two-yards out!
75′ – GOAL! (Ben Chilwell) – Chilwell strikes shortly after coming on! Loftus-Cheek clips a ball forward for Chilwell, and the substitute heads it to control it, before slotting the ball in from the tightest of angles from the left-side of the area as it goes through the legs of Fabianski!
86′ – OFF THE POST! – West Ham could’ve won it! Benrahma’s delivery from the left finds Cornet in acres of space, but the substitute’s header crashes off the bottom of the far post!
88′ – GOAL! (Kai Havertz) – Wow! Chelsea strike late! Chilwell provides an assist this time! He crosses the ball in from the left, and Havertz gets ahead of Ogbonna to finish well from inside the box!
89′ – VAR RULES OUT WEST HAM EQUALISER! – Unbelievable! West Ham equalise through Cornet as he lashes the ball into the net, but VAR rules it out for West Ham! Bowen committed a foul on Mendy in the lead-up to the goal! The referee looks at the monitor and decides to rule it out!
