Chelsea staged a dramatic comeback to hammer West Ham 5-1 on Friday, a result that has left former Blues manager Graham Potter under heavy pressure just two matches into the Premier League season.
Potter, who has only managed five wins from 21 games since taking charge in January, has endured a frustrating start to the campaign following last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland.
Lucas Paqueta gave the home side an early lift with a sensational strike, but West Ham quickly crumbled under Chelsea’s dominance.
Joao Pedro leveled for the visitors with the first of three goals from corner kicks, before Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez widened the gap. Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah then capitalized on a disastrous evening for new West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
The win lifted Chelsea to the top of the Premier League for the first time since December 2021.
The Blues, however, were forced into a last-minute change before kickoff as Cole Palmer pulled up during the warm-up with a muscle issue and was withdrawn from Enzo Maresca’s lineup as a precaution. Palmer’s absence gave Brazilian starlet Estevao his first Premier League start and a chance to showcase his talent.
Despite Estevao’s promising presence, it was another Brazilian who broke the deadlock.
Paqueta, who had faced two years of uncertainty until he was cleared of spot-fixing allegations by an independent commission last month, scored with a thunderous long-range strike into the top corner. In an emotional moment, the 27-year-old pointed to the badge on his shirt during his celebration, thanking the club for standing by him as the English FA reportedly considered a lifetime ban.
Yet West Ham’s joy was short-lived. Just nine minutes later, Chelsea began to dominate proceedings. Pedro, who has already made himself a fan favorite by scoring three goals in as many games since the Club World Cup triumph six weeks ago, nodded home from Marc Cucurella’s flick-on to claim his first Premier League goal for the club.
West Ham briefly thought they had reclaimed the lead when Niclas Fuellkrug scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review. Moments later, Chelsea struck again, with Pedro setting up Neto for a composed finish at the far post.
The evening only got worse for the hosts, particularly for goalkeeper Hermansen. Estevao, hailed as one of the brightest young football talents, showed his explosive pace to break free from the West Ham defense before squaring the ball for Fernandez to finish clinically in the 34th minute, making it 3-1.
West Ham, who had a quiet summer transfer window despite record spending across the Premier League, were let down by one of their few new recruits. Hermansen, signed for £20 million from Leicester, was guilty of two costly mistakes. He first spilled a corner straight to Caicedo, who tapped into an empty net, before failing to deal with another corner that allowed Chalobah to slot home Chelsea’s fifth.
By that point, thousands of home supporters had already headed for the exits with more than half an hour still to play, and those who stayed behind voiced their frustrations loudly at the final whistle.
Potter, who was dismissed after just seven months in charge at Chelsea in 2023, now finds himself in a difficult situation once again. With his side struggling, he will be hoping the West Ham hierarchy show greater patience as he tries to rescue their faltering campaign.
What you should know
Chelsea’s emphatic 5-1 victory over West Ham marked their return to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in nearly four years.
The win showcased their attacking power, with goals from Pedro, Neto, Fernandez, Caicedo, and Chalobah punishing West Ham’s defensive lapses and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen’s costly errors. For Graham Potter, however, the result added further strain, as his poor record continues to haunt him.
Meanwhile, Lucas Paqueta’s brilliant opener highlighted his resilience after overcoming spot-fixing allegations, though it was Chelsea’s dominance that ultimately defined the match.
