Chelsea 5
West Ham 1
London, Aug 23: West Ham United’s stuttering start to the 2025/26 Premier League campaign took another heavy blow on Friday evening, as they suffered a crushing 5-1 home defeat to London rivals Chelsea at the London Stadium.
The evening had begun with promise for the home side. Lucas Paquetá ignited the crowd with a stunning long-range strike in just the sixth minute, rifling a 25-yard effort beyond Robert Sánchez after a determined tackle from Nayef Aguerd and a neat pass from El Hadji Malick Diouf set him free. The Brazilian celebrated in his trademark style, dancing in front of the home supporters, and for a fleeting moment West Ham looked capable of lifting the early gloom that has hovered over their season.
Chelsea, however, quickly responded and asserted control. João Pedro restored parity on 15 minutes, meeting Marc Cucurella’s flick-on from a Pedro Neto corner with a well-timed header past Mads Hermansen. Just minutes later, West Ham thought they had reclaimed the lead when Jean-Clair Todibo surged forward and played Paquetá into space. His cut-back eventually found Niclas Füllkrug, who fired home, sparking wild celebrations. Yet joy turned to frustration when VAR intervened, ruling Todibo narrowly offside in the build-up.
The disallowed goal proved a turning point. Chelsea capitalised ruthlessly, striking twice before the interval. First, a controversial moment saw Paquetá dispossessed on the edge of his own penalty area by Moisés Caicedo – amid West Ham protests of a foul – with the ball worked wide to Malo Gusto. The full-back’s delivery was met by Neto, who nipped ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to volley in from close range on 23 minutes. Then, Estêvão burst down the flank after linking up with Liam Delap and cut back for Enzo Fernández, who tapped home from inside the six-yard box on 34 minutes.
By half-time, Chelsea led 3-1, and the Hammers were left with only half-chances to show for their efforts. Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen both attempted overhead kicks that were comfortably gathered by Sánchez, while Bowen also saw a shot blocked by Cucurella.Manager Graham Potter made changes at the interval, introducing Callum Wilson for his home debut and giving youngster Freddie Potts his first Premier League appearance. But any hopes of a comeback evaporated within minutes of the restart.
On 50 minutes, Fernández squandered a golden chance to add a fourth, blazing over from Neto’s cut-back. Yet just four minutes later, Chelsea extended their advantage as Caicedo poked in from close range after Hermansen failed to deal with Fernández’s inswinging corner. The visitors made it 5-1 barely four minutes later, João Pedro rising highest to head down another corner, which Trevoh Chalobah pounced on to hammer home.
With the contest effectively settled, Chelsea eased off, allowing West Ham a series of chances to reduce the deficit. Wilson headed narrowly wide, Sánchez produced a fine save to tip Potts’ drive over the bar, and both Aguerd and Kilman sent headers off target. At the other end, Kilman denied Estêvão with a crucial block to prevent what would have been Chelsea’s sixth.
The final whistle confirmed another sobering night for West Ham, whose defensive lapses and lack of composure in midfield left them exposed against a Chelsea side that punished every mistake. For the Blues, the emphatic victory offered further evidence of their growing cohesion under Enzo Maresca, with Neto, Fernández and João Pedro all impressing.
West Ham, meanwhile, must quickly regroup. The heavy defeat leaves Potter searching for answers and a rapid response will be required, with a Carabao Cup second-round trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers looming on Tuesday before a return to league action. (Agencies)