Chelsea v West Ham LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as own goal gives Blues narrow win
Chelsea 2-1 West Ham: Neto’s rebound and Wan-Bissaka’s deflection from a Cole Palmer cross gave the Blues a win that moved them into fourth
Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League on Monday night as Enzo Maresca’s side returned to the Champions League places.
The hosts started the brighter of the two sides as Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez spurned chances, with West Ham more than happy to sit back and wait to pounce on Chelsea mistakes.
And they did exactly that as Levi Colwill’s pass back towards goal went straight into the path of an unmarked Jarrod Bowen, who was clean through and arrowed a low finish past Filip Jorgensen.
The second half started with chances for both sides, but it was Enzo Maresca’s changes that paid off as Pedro Neto rifled in after pinball in the box.
From there, Chelsea were in the ascendancy, peppering the West Ham area before Cole Palmer’s cross took a cruel deflection off Aaron Wan-Bissaka, taking it into the back of the West Ham net to move the Blues back into the Premier League’s top four.
Follow all the action from Stamford Bridge with our live blog below:
Why Enzo Maresca so enjoyed Chelsea's ugly win over ’unlucky’ West Ham
Chelsea have shelled 10 points from winning positions since Christmas, a problem so acute that the players sat down and shared some hard truths at the training ground this week. “When we go behind or concede, we need to stick together and be more of a team,” Cole Palmer said before kick-off here, and Chelsea did just that, conceding a farcical opener before hitting back with two goals in 10 second-half minutes to sink West Ham. Perhaps chasing is easier than being chased.
Chelsea’s goals were scrappy, with substitute Pedro Neto pouncing on a rebound in the 64th minute, before Aaron Wan-Bissaka diverted Cole Palmer’s cross into his own net. But after only one win in their last seven league games, this was a night for substance, not style. Graham Potter’s renewed West Ham were well drilled and perhaps deserved something from his return to Stamford Bridge. Instead, three points propelled Chelsea back above Bournemouth, Newcastle and Manchester City into fourth.
Why Enzo Maresca so enjoyed Chelsea's ugly win over ’unlucky’ West Ham
Chelsea to battle Manchester United in race for Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel
Chelsea are interested in Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, although any move is likelier in the summer.
There may also be competition at that point from Manchester United, who have a long-standing interest in the Swiss international.
Chelsea have started to consider their goalkeeping situation after some high-profile errors from current No. 1 Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea to battle Man Utd for Dortmund goalkeeper
Chelsea back into top four after beating West Ham and former boss Graham Potter
Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four after they came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 and ruin Graham Potter’s return to Stamford Bridge.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s own-goal in the 74th minute was cruel on the visitors and in particular on Potter, who looked for a time like he would exorcise memories of his ill-fated spell in west London that ended with his sacking two years ago.
Jarrod Bowen’s goal late in the first half had installed that hope, though it owed to a horror moment from Levi Colwill who had surrendered the ball to his England teammate.
Chelsea back into top four after beating West Ham and former boss Graham Potter
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca looking forward to the end of January transfer window
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is looking forward to the “relief” of arriving for work on Tuesday knowing the transfer window has closed.
A run of one win in seven Premier League matches has coincided with a period of speculation linking a number of his squad with moves, something Maresca had previously said has affected the players’ focus as they have dropped out of the top four.
Midfielder Cesare Casadei left the club on Sunday to join Serie A side Torino for a reported £12.5million, while 21-year-old defender Renato Veiga, who had broken into Portugal’s senior team for the first time since moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, has been loaned to Juventus.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca looking forward to the end of January transfer window
Up next
Chelsea’s next match sees them face Brighton away in the FA Cup on Friday.
West Ham aren’t in the cup now, so they have a week off before facing Brentford on 15 February.
Transfer deadline day
If you want to follow the last few minutes and deals done on transfer deadline day, you can find our dedicated blog here.
The window closes at 11pm.
Maresca speaks
In his own interview, Chelsea boss Maresca says that it was a tough game, “especially mentally”.
“When West Ham come here and sit back with 10 players behind the ball, it's not easy, so you have to be mentally strong and you need to be patient.
"We had more than 10 shots in the first half. We had clear chances in the first half but unfortunately, we missed the target. With some changes the game completely changed. Overall we completely deserved to win the game."
On the errors leading to goals, he adds: "I'm not concerned, it's the way we play. Sometimes defensive mistakes happen, keeper mistake, number nine misses the goal, that's football.
“It happens. The important thing is to continue.
"It was a good weekend for us in terms of results and we knew today was even better."
Potter: "We gave everything"
In his post-match interview, Graham Potter says that his team “gave everything”.
"The spirit of the team was fantastic. It was relatively even in terms of chances but we come away with nothing in terms of the result but there was lots to be positive about.
"You look at the second half. They had to make some substitutions, the first goal was a bit of a turning point and we felt it was a foul, you need those things to go your way.
“We were doing well but we couldn't quite hang on and we had a real big chance at the end to take a point.
"The second one is a deflection. We have to focus on what we did well and the spirit and performance, our supporters appreciated the performance of the team.
“The shape of the team was really good. You need a bit of luck, we felt unfortunate with the lead-up to the first goal but it wasn't to be.
"The understanding of what we want to do is there so we have to build on that,” he adds.
Bowen: "We left everything out there"
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen says that the team are "just disappointed to be leading and lose the game”.
“We left everything out there, we came to a side who are pushing for top four, pushing for the title. At the end, we could have nicked a point with Mo.
“I feel like it was a West Ham performance where we showed a lot of energy. On another day, I think it could have been a different result.
"This is my first game with the new manager but since I have been watching, the crowd are back on their feet and it has been great to see.
“To be back tonight I was really happy and pleased to score a goal but disappointed with the result."
Cucurella: "Today the team showed character"
When he speaks, Cucurella adds that the win "was very important in front of our fans”.
“Today the team showed character, I think we were confident and we deserved the three points.
"We play in this big club, we need to win trophies, we need to believe in ourselves. We need to suffer, we came back from the mistake in the first half and we showed what the players had to come back in this game.
"We played today like a team, like a family and I think it is very important for us."
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