SILENT MAYHEM
West Ham 3 Chelsea 2
David Moyes has been getting it in the neck on social media in the last week, even though West Ham have still managed to float above the relegation places after two defeats in this BCD part of the season. Games against Wolves, Spurs and Chelsea always threatened a return of nul points, but losing the first two hasn’t made the prospect any more palatable. Mark Noble’s absence this evening has probably got more to do with saving him for the winnable games than the alleged hamstring ‘twinge’ he felt at the end of training earlier in the day.
Antonio is an isolated forward this evening, an occasional role usually reserved for him in away fixtures, but he’s focused and willing. In the thirteenth minute Rice finds Soucek who slips Antonio through, his pace taking him past Rüdiger and Alonso to set up a genuine chance that he scuffs at disappointingly. Even at the end of their fourth season at London Stadium, Hammers are stuck on 98 goals. Antonio has nine of them – if he’d put that one away, that could have been one away from the club’s big three. This miss follows a pattern from the previous two games where early excellent chances were wasted, both previously by Fornals. These turned out to be the best chances of two fixtures in which we didn’t score; tragic if it’s three in three tonight.
The pattern of the game is established quite early on, West Ham quite happy to let have Chelsea have the ball until they get into the last third of the pitch and then they close them down in numbers until they try something spectacular or lose the ball. For most of the first half this tactic works. Chelsea seem a little tired and often bereft of ideas. Ogbonna and Diop are marshalled brilliantly by captain-on-the-night Rice, with Cresswell and Fredericks there to sweep up and to launch attacks. Fabianski is on hand when needed to decently field a couple of long shots from Ross Barkley, and a spectator when Christian Pulisic hits a drive inches over from the edge of the area. It can’t be easy balancing for a shot with a left arm length sleeve tattoo in your eyeline.
Eventually just after the half hour West Ham’s match plan pays off when Bowen gets past Alonso, is fouled cynically, and Lanzini’s deep free kick is headed away for West Ham’s first corner of the match by Abraham. This is when the height diffference becomes interesting, and when I first notice Diop’s ‘Covid Cut’ (ie. not cut) and how minuscule Chelsea’s captain Azpilicueta is. Diop, Ogbonna and Soucek line up in a three and break-away as Bowen’s inswinger comes in and, in the scramble, Soucek forces the ball over the line. From own goal v Spurs to opener v Chelsea. But is Antonio offside on the line? He is lying down – can that be offside – interfering with play? Sure can be and the goal is disallowed after almost four minutes of Stockwell Park meandering. Antonio and VAR this season – a book waiting to be written. At least there isn’t a crowd there to rain spittle down upon the referee. And, of course, Chelsea turn the virtual conceded goal into a one goal advantage a couple of minutes later when Pulisic is clumsily tripped in the area by Diop, and Willian makes it 1-0 from the spot. Despite the three minutes drinks break and four minutes VAR drag, the fourth official decrees just three minutes’ injury time.
If this season does turnaround by the end of July for the Hammers, it might be what happens next that dictates the unexpected handbrake turn. It’s at West Ham’s second Bowen corner deep in injury time that Soucek rises high at the far post above Azpilicueta to head West Ham back level. He’s found the back of the net twice, but at least one of them has counted. Soucek doesn’t celebrate the ‘real’ goal, probably concerned that this might also be disallowed, but his modesty isn’t justified.
Inspired by the late equaliser, West Ham begin the second half at a raised pace, and a Lanzini-Rice-Fornals one touch sequence to power ends up with Antonio falling over in the area after a challenge by Rüdiger. As Antonio lies on the floor, his arms raised in despair, Fornals plays on and finds Bowen on the right of the area. Luckily Antonio raises himself quickly from his back-sided failed penalty appeal to steer home Bowen’s cross on fifty minutes. During his celebration he still finds time to gently chastise Rüdiger for the challenge he felt merited the second penalty of the game.
Now Frank Lampard begins to feel the pressure, taking Abraham off for Giroud and Barkley for Loftus-Cheek. There is a shift, a gear change and a drinks break, and within ten minutes Chelsea are level. Pulisic, Chelsea’s most dangerous player, finally gets through on goal after passing Rice, who fells him like a matured sapling, taking a yellow for his troubles. To add insult to the booking, Willian hits a delicious free kick which just evades Fabianski’s flailing hand to nestle in the opposite corner of the net off his left hand post.
And that appears to be that. All we are thinking of is can West Ham hang on for the remaining eighteen minutes plus time to grab a point that would still lift them to sixteenth in the table above Watford.
Pulisic does everything but score in the next fifteen minutes, but Hammers hold firm at the back, and seem to have done a job on their West London rivals though they throw everything they can at them. Yarmolenko is brought on for Bowen who has run himself into the ground over eighty hard-working minutes, and it’s his fresh legs that Antonio finds on an 89th minute counter, and his expert left foot that steers the ball into the net once he has side-stepped the challenge of Rüdiger. Silent mayhem. (unless you’re watching at home with the pre-recorded crowd yelling in mayhem at some other past Hammers’ success). Bubbles everywhere and the sound of Twist and Shout before Yarmolenko’s name is announced. Speaking as someone who has had the pleasure of announcing goals by Arnautovic, Antonio and Balbuena, four syllables in a goalscorer’s name makes for a particularly satisfying read out. I can’t of course compete with the six of Azpilicueta, but the Chelsea captain is goalless tonight, and on the losing side. West Ham have also now scored 101 goals at this stadium, and Antonio has 10 of them.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 23 Issa Diop, 21 Angelo Ogbonna, 24 Ryan Fredericks, 41 Declan Rice (captain), 10 Manuel Lanzini, 28 Tomas Soucek, 17 Jarrod Bowen, 18 Pablo Fornals, 30 Michail Antonio
Substitutes: 7 Andriy Yarmolenko, 19 Jack Wilshere, 4 Fabio Balbuena
Scorers: 28 Tomas Soucek, 30 Michail Antonio, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko
