West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
at London Stadium
by Paul Donovan

THE PRESSURE continued to build on beleaguered West Ham manager Graham Potter, following this 1-5 trouncing at home to Chelsea.

Things started well for the home team, when inside five minutes, Lucas Paqueta rifled home from 25 yards.

The visitors, though, were quickly level, when Marc Cucurella headed on a corner for Joa Pedro to open his account for his new club with a crashing header.

A decisive moment came for West Ham when what looked a good goal for Niclas Fullkrug was ruled out for offside, after a VAR check.

Two Chelsea goals followed before half time, knocking the stuffing out of West Ham.

First, Paqueta was dispossessed by Pedro, who crossed for Pedro Neto to supply a crisp finish.

Then, the industrious Estevao knocked over a cross for Enzo Fernandez to finish.

The second half was a story of corners and goalkeeping errors — both goals coming from corners fluffed by West Ham keeper Mads Hermansen. The first knocked home by Moises Caicedo, the second by Trevor Chalobah.

West Ham’s best response was a shot from substitute Freddie Potts that was turned over by Robert Sanchez.

Any hope West Ham had that Chelsea might be fatigued by their Fifa Club World Cup exploits were quickly dispelled. The West Londoners grew in dominance as the game went on, first to every ball and always looking likely to score when they came forward.

West Ham manager Graham Potter said the manner of the goals was too cheap and too soft.

“You can’t defend the box like we did — it’s basic defending,” said Potter, who admitted it had been a tough week. “We have to drastically improve.”

It is going to be a long, hard season for West Ham, who are sadly lacking in a number of areas. Potter will be hoping for reinforcements before the transfer window closes. Something the owners need to make happen, rather than hanging the manager out to dry.