A BRIDGE TOO FAR
Chelsea 3 West Ham 0
Mark Noble starts for West Ham for the first time since the opening game of the season. Is he finally fit, or is this a strategic move from West Ham? Jorginho’s inclusion in Chelsea’s XI may be the reason for the change of starting line up, and it’s a back four not a back three, so perhaps this is what Hammers need to thwart Chelsea’s tipetty-tapetty striking line.
Personally, I have never enjoyed West Ham match days at Stamford Bridge, but that’s probably to do with results there (pre-last season) and my unfortunate dislike of arrogance and the colour blue. See, they’re both showing up here. Rice ‘scores’ in the sixth minute only to realise he received the pass from an offside position. Two minutes later Chelsea are ahead, the unmarked Thiago Silva heading in from a Mason Mount corner. Fifteen minutes later and West Ham seem to have disappeared. With just Noble and Haller beyond the halfway line, that’s how it may well stay.
The early Chelsea goal was supposedly the first West Ham have conceded from a set play this season. Bet there’ll be another before the ninety minutes are up. (you’re right there, mate – Ed.) Hopefully we’ll be the ones scoring it. And Hammers are belting the ball downfield out of defence each time a Chelsea attack breaks down. Finally Hammers start to find their mojo and they keep possession for more than four passes, but do nothing with the free kick they eventually win.
Despite the ludicrous amounts of cash that Chelsea have found access to pile into their club over recent years, Stamford Bridge is still not the place you would want to have as your home ground. Rammed into a tight corner of south west London that’s actually not even in Chelsea (it’s in Fulham), you’d describe it as an identity crisis just waiting to happen.
Then two good chances. First Cresswell breaks away on the left and fires in a cross come shot that skids just wide of Mendy’s left hand post. Then Bowen finds Haller who puts in an overhead effort that is deflected away for a corner. It’s as if somebody has put the switch on. Bowen then has a goal disallowed for a push on Silva that no one has seen except the referee. His early whistle unfortunately means VAR can’t be checked. Meanwhile, it’s Fornals. The Spaniard has suddenly decided this might be his game, and he is instrumental in successive moves that give Hammers the possession edge for the half. But that’s all it is, and Chelsea go in a goal ahead at half-time.
Haller has a really good chance two minutes in to the second half from a cross by Cresswell, but can’t get in a clean direct header and the ball skids irritatingly wide. Alan Smith as Sky summariser is starting to fashion a wad of snide sniping comments all directed against individual Hammers’ players and the team generally. Whatever happened to the presenter’s neutrality? This is what it must be like when your team (Arsenal) is the weakest team in London’s Premier League elite. And by some distance. Fulham (whose ground is actually in Fulham) don’t count (though they are only four points behind them).
Hammers continue to dominate but can’t translate the possession into goals. Eventually Moyes buckles and Benrahma comes on. The assist king enters the stadium at the expense of Pablo Fornals. Immediately Hammers step up another gear. Chelsea are buckling, but inexplicably they don’t buckle.
With fifteen minutes left the Blues get a second wind. Benrahma’s appearance has not had the desired effect. A point suddenly looks like a good result. Tammy Abraham catches out the Hammers’ defence, Cresswell playing him onside, and it’s two. Moyes’ gamble playing Noble has not paid off. Abraham scores a second with Chelsea’s second attack of the second half and it’s game over.
So what do we learn from this?
1. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Play your best team.
2. Refs should stick to the VAR rule about not blowing the whistle till the goal action is over.
3. Someone is going to have to put the hours in – hypnotism, bribery, cognitive behavioural therapy, whatever it takes – if we are to keep Declan Rice at West Ham
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 4 Fabian Balbuena, 21 Angelo Ogbonna, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice, 28 Tomas Soucek, 16 Mark Noble (c), 18 Pablo Fornals 20 Jarrod Bowen, 22 Sébastien Haller
Substitutes: 9 Saïd Benrahma, 24 Ryan Fredericks
