Chelsea Thrash West Ham To Pile Pressure On Graham Potter

This was Graham Potter uncovering retired what a surgery nine looks like. It is nan London Stadium emptying retired agelong earlier full-time, patience worn bladed by nan latest successful a agelong statement of humiliations. It is fans reacting pinch sarcastic applause erstwhile your caller £15m goalkeeper saves a changeable pinch nan crippled already dormant and, possibly much than anything, it is 1 mediocre lad mounting a solo transportation penetration aft seeing Chelsea spell 5-1 up acknowledgment to West Ham’s latest nonaccomplishment to take sides a set-piece.

Potter, whose occupation is surely nether threat now, near Chelsea bruised by nan acquisition but this was thing else.

West Ham, who person conceded 8 goals successful their first 2 matches, are a shambles. They are monolithic relegation candidates and had nary measurement of coping pinch nan value of Chelsea’s depth, which was summed up by nan 18-year-old Brazilian teen Estêvão Willian rising to nan juncture connected his first commencement aft Cole Palmer pulled retired of nan crippled conscionable earlier kick-off.

The mentation that fatigue will beryllium 1 of nan biggest challenges for Chelsea to flooded aft their extended summertime successful nan US was fixed further spot erstwhile they mislaid Palmer to wounded during nan warm-up. Enzo Maresca was forced to rejig his attack, nan preamble of Estêvão connected nan correct seeing João Pedro redeployed arsenic a No 10 and Pedro Neto moved to nan left, and nan precocious alterations initially had West Ham reasoning that their luck was astir to move aft their dreadful capacity astatine Sunderland connected nan opening weekend.

Things being arsenic they are successful eastbound London, though, nan optimism soon faded. There was an early extremity for West Ham successful this conflict of Brazilian forwards, Lucas Paquetá concisely upstaging João Pedro and Estêvão erstwhile he brilliantly made it 1-0 successful nan sixth minute, only for Chelsea to respond successful nan mode expected of world champions. João Pedro levelled wrong 10 minutes and nan crippled had wholly tally distant from nan hosts by nan clip Estêvão offered a flash of his immense potential, skating done a bid of challenges earlier drilling successful a transverse for Enzo Fernández to make it 3-1 successful nan 33rd minute.

This was achy for Potter, who came into this reunion pinch nan nine who sacked him aft 7 sadistic months nether unit to beryllium that he tin thief West Ham rediscover their psyche astatine home. Doing so, though, is acold from straightforward erstwhile location is specified a deficiency of gait moving done nan spine of nan team. Midfield reinforcements cannot get quickly enough, though Potter will besides look astatine his backmost 5 and wonderment if location is simply a hole for nan ineptitude that saw West Ham concede 3 successful 1 half for nan 2nd successive game.

There were nary leaders retired there. West Ham respond to setbacks by crumbling. The penning was connected nan wall erstwhile nan equaliser arrived, João Pedro outmuscling Aaron Wan-Bissaka to meet Marc Cucurella’s flick from Neto’s corner. The positivity generated by Paquetá’s goal, bent viciously beyond Robert Sánchez from 25 yards, disappeared. There was an flight for Chelsea erstwhile Niclas Füllkrug had a extremity disallowed for offside but they were successful beforehand erstwhile Paquetá mislaid possession to Trevoh Chalobah and João Pedro crossed for Neto to person from adjacent range.

Estêvão inspired Chelsea connected his first start. Photograph: Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

West Ham unravelled, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek proving nary lucifer for Moisés Caicedo and Fernández successful midfield. Chelsea were stronger, sharper, slicker. Next came a burst from Estêvão, flimsy but strong, his velocity and trickery excessively overmuch for El Hadji Malick Diouf and Nayef Aguerd.

This is 1 typical talent. For a infinitesimal it seemed Estêvão had taken excessively galore touches; alternatively location was a small shuffle of nan hips arsenic he reached nan byline, past a cutback for Fernández to people an easy goal.

The camera trim to David Sullivan, West Ham’s largest shareholder. There were jeers astatine half-time, though nan temper felt apathetic alternatively than angry.

Supporters are zoning out. Many person mislaid patience pinch Sullivan aft an uninspired transportation window, blaming him for nan club’s shoddy recruitment. Patience is wearing thin. There were much boos erstwhile nan 33-year-old Callum Wilson replaced nan 32-year-old Füllkrug.

It sewage worse. Mads Hermansen flapped astatine a area and talented a 4th extremity to Caicedo. Chelsea, who started João Pedro and Liam Delap successful nan aforesaid onslaught were moving riot. Their adjacent onslaught saw Delap driblet disconnected and provender Estêvão, who won a corner. Another transportation led to much confusion, Hermansen bullied earlier Chalobah made it 5-1.

Now it turned ugly. Fans adjacent nan dugout aimed furious gestures astatine Potter and 1 young protagonist ran connected nan pitch. Attempts to tackle nan boy were analyzable by an older instrumentality breaking done information and confronting stewards , capping disconnected a nighttime disconnected utter embarrassment for West Ham.