Key events
Jacob Steinberg was at the London Stadium tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Enzo Maresca’s turn to speak to Sky. “It was quite difficult … Cole’s problem during the warm-up, and then we conceded a goal … the reaction was very good … we continued to play in the way we planned … we deserved to win the game … there was plenty of time to recover in the game … even tonight I think we can do many things better … after three or four goals we can manage the ball better … but we improved compared to Palace … we are very happy with Estevao … also very happy with the rest … we are very happy with the 5-1!”
He also reports that Palmer “in the last four or five days was not 100 percent … during the warm-up he again felt something … we did not take the risk … we will see in the next hours.”
Potter is also asked by Sky about some “really vile abuse” he copped from irate fans while walking down the tunnel after the game. “I can’t control what people say or do from the outside … everybody is entitled to their opinions, I understand that, I respect that … I’ve got to do better … we have to do better … we have to take that responsibility.”
As for transfers: “It would be a bit obtuse of me to speak about signings when we have to do better … solve problems … do more than we are as a group … but try to strengthen while the window is open.”
Graham Potter’s turn to talk to Sky. “A tough evening for us … disappointed with the result and the manner of the goals we conceded after starting the game well … too cheap against a top team … to concede the goals in the manner we have gives us an impossible task … goals change games … affect things too much … we have to do better … we have to improve a lot … we were a little bit unlucky with the offside goal … fine margins … we’ve got a game on Tuesday night which gives us a chance to look at different players … clearly what we’re doing at the moment isn’t enough … I have to look at myself … I’m the head coach, I’m responsible for the team … the team isn’t performing as well as we’d like … I have to take that responsibility … we’re not getting the most out of the players … we need to get more … that’s my job … it’s a collective … as much as it’s nice to point fingers and blame people, we’re hurting … we’re all responsible … nobody is throwing anybody under the bus here … we have to do better.”
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen speaks to Sky. “Fuming … disappointed … all the emotions that come off the back of conceding eight goals in two games and not picking up a point yet … we got ourselves into a really good position at 1-0 … then the goals were really cheap on our behalf … didn’t make them work on set pieces, which we’ve always prided ourselves over the years … a couple of finishes from inside our six-yard box … we kind of gifted the goals away … we learned that at Sunderland last week, and we learned it again tonight … this is a collective … when things aren’t going well you have to point the finger at every single person … we have to all look at ourselves … the players are out there on the pitch, the manager can’t influence that … you have a plan … football has always been football … basic football we’re not doing well enough … as captain I’m fuming … it’s down to me to get a reaction from everyone … the fans don’t want me to be speaking about these things, they want to see it on the pitch … I want to see it as well … stay in the game … this is the Premier League … when you concede five goals, that whole thing is out the window, then it’s not embarrassed by conceding six, seven or eight … everyone has to look in the mirror … have some honest conversations with ourselves and as a group … the international break will be a long, dark place if we go into it after three defeats.”
For what it’s worth, eight days in, the top of the Premier League looks like this …
… while West Ham fans will dream of the old days when newspapers waited a good few weeks before publishing the first table of the season.
Chelsea are delighted, though, the frustrations of last weekend’s goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace forgotten in a flash, and Marc Cucurella speaks to Sky. “We are very happy … in the last game we missed something … we didn’t play our style … at the beginning we were sloppy but the attitude was very good … we played good football … Estevao played an amazing game … we have a good squad and all of us are ready at any time … Estevao is very young but very mature … a good talent … we have an amazing squad and hopefully we can do good things this season.”
Graham Potter wears the stunned and queasy look of a man who knows the jig might already be up. The fans are seriously displeased, and David Sullivan had been pictured earlier with a face like thunder. Too early to pull the trigger? Probably. But that’s two games, two thumpings, and West Ham didn’t exactly impress during last season’s run-in either. Potter has now lost 11 of his 21 matches in charge. A big last few days in the transfer window coming up for both club and manager; a big match for them both at Wolves in the League Cup next Tuesday, too. With Nottingham Forest away in the Premier League next weekend, and more London derbies on the horizon against Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Arsenal, things aren’t going to get any easier for West Ham and their beleaguered boss.
FULL TIME: West Ham United 1-5 Chelsea
For the second season running, Chelsea respond to an underwhelming opening-day result with a big away win. West Ham’s performance is met with loud booing … from the fans who have stuck it out until the end. A lot of them already long gone.
90 min +1: A cross comes into the West Ham box from the right. Neto meets it with his head, sending it onto the outstretched arm of Aguerd. He wants a penalty, but VAR considers the players too close together. Nothing doing. It might have been a different decision had the scoreline been 0-0, but we’ll never know about that.
90 min: Three minutes of additional agony for the Hammers.
89 min: … and it pings off Caicedo and out for a corner. Ward-Prowse sends it long from the left. Kilman wins an uncontested header six yards out, but sends it harmlessly wide right. West Ham have been dismal overall, and yet they’ve had their chances in this second half.
88 min: Ward-Prowse tries to bring a loose ball down on the edge of the Chelsea D, but is brought down himself by the loose leg of Fofana. Free kick just to the right of the D. Ward-Prowse to take it himself …
87 min: Anyway, on the subject of fans leaving early, Alexander Smith reports: “I live close to the stadium and looked out at the road used by home fans to access public transport. I thought the match had just finished as there were streams of people cascading down the road – but with none of the usual jovial chanting. I figured it was a loss for West Ham, but it was only when I searched up the live blog that I saw the score and realised it was only the 60th minute of the game!
86 min: Bowen has never stopped running, though, and now his hard-driving style wins a corner down the right off Tosin. Ward-Prowse swings it in, and Aguerd clanks another header over the bar.
85 min: This match is petering out, a state of affairs West Ham will take. They won’t want any more scoreboard punishment.
83 min: Neto jinks his way down the right and draws a cynical foul from Diouf. The referee’s card remains in his pocket. Neto felt that, though. To be fair, Diouf is apologetic and offers the hand of friendship, helping his man back up.
81 min: … Aguerd heads harmlessly over. West Ham unable to pull off Chelsea’s trick.
80 min: Bowen is sent scampering down the right flank by Walker-Peters, and wins himself a corner. From which …
79 min: … meanwhile there are a lot of empty seats around the stadium. Plenty of home fans have departed in high dudgeon. The ones who remain are serenaded by the away end. “Can we play you every week?”
78 min: Chelsea stroke it around the middle of the park. Their fans with the olés. Already. Any old excuse …
77 min: Gittens comes on for Estevao, who has made quite the impression tonight. Colder than Cole?
76 min: Neto probes down the left but can’t find anyone in black in the middle. Chelsea want six. Then they can consider seven, and then Blackburn Rovers.
74 min: For the record, West Ham’s biggest home defeat was an 8-2 loss to Blackburn Rovers at Upton Park on that Boxing Day in 1963. We’re not in that arena yet.
72 min: … and it’s nearly six for Chelsea, with Estevao sent clear down the inside-right channel by James. He overthinks upon entering the box, and can neither get round Diouf nor dink over Hermansen.
71 min: Walker-Peters comes on for Soucek, and is immediately in the thick of the action. Wilson dances through the Chelsea box, left to right, but can’t make enough space for a shot, despite at one point sitting down Tosin. He lays off to Walker-Peters, whose shot from a tight angle on the right is blocked. Much better from West Ham, though the horse has long bolted.
70 min: Chelsea swap out three members of their defence. Cucurella, Chalobah and Gusto make way for Hato, Fofana and James.
68 min: Soucek’s right-wing cross is half-cleared to Potts, who sends a shot towards the top-right corner from the edge of the box. Sanchez tips over spectacularly, but the flag goes up for offside anyway.
67 min: Bowen advances down the right again and cuts back for Soucek, whose first-time shot disappears into Sanchez’s midriff. The last couple of minutes have been a little better for West Ham, though the bar is set so ridiculously low it’s almost subterranean.
66 min: West Ham assistant coach Bruno is booked for telling it as he sees it.
