West Ham United entertained Chelsea in what promised to be a highly entertaining London derby as part of Premier League’s early kickoff on Saturday. Antonio Conte’s men went into the game in search of three points that would help them consolidate their position in the Premier League standings but also close the gap to second-placed Manchester United.
The Chelsea manager lined up in a 3-5-1-1 formation against a dogged West Ham team but to his surprise, the Hammers took an early lead in the London derby when Marko Arnautovic linked up well with Manuel Lanzini and curled in a clever effort at goal. The Blues pressed on in search of the equaliser but was unable to break the Hammers down before half-time.
They fought hard in the second half but failed to score the equaliser as the underdogs West Ham United ran out 1-0 winners.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player fared in the London derby.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 5/10
The Belgian goalkeeper couldn’t do much about the West Ham goal and had a relatively uneventful game with most of the football taking place in the Hammers’ half.
CB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 5/10
The Spanish defender couldn’t do much about the goal and had little to do in terms of defending in the second half.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 4/10
The centre-back was caught ball-watching when the Hammers took the lead but tried his best to keep his concentration levels up after the goal.
CB: Gary Cahill – 4/10
Not the best display from the English defender. He failed to read the link up between Lanzini and Arnautovic which led to the West Ham goal.
RM: Davide Zappacosta -5/10
The Italian made some good runs on the side but failed to deliver a telling ball for Morata to feed off. He was completely outplayed by Arthur Masuaku on that flank when called upon to defend.
CM: Cesc Fabregas – 5/10
The veteran midfielder passed the ball well but failed to cut open the West Ham defence. He was not his usual self and faded as the match went on.
CM: N’Golo Kante – 6/10
The French midfielder battled hard and made some good runs from the midfield. He was also responsible for that golden chance that fell to Morata. Unfortunately for him and Chelsea, the forward missed the opportunity and failed to conjure up an equaliser.
CM: Tiémoué Bakayoko – 4/10
He had a first half to forget and was rightfully substituted at half-time.
LM: Marcos Alonso – 5/10
He contributed little and got carded for a lazy challenge on Adrian in the first half. The defender was subbed off shortly after the break.
CAM: Eden Hazard – 4/10
The Chelsea superstar had a game to forget. He failed to finish when a few chances fell his path and was unable to create a meaningful chance in the game.
ST: Alvaro Morata – 4/10
The Spanish striker tried his best to be a threat but could not manage to rescue Chelsea by scoring an equaliser. The forward was subject to a golden chance when the ball fell in his path but he failed to hit the target and blasted the shot wide.
Substitutes:
ST: Pedro – 6/10
The Spanish forward initially did well after coming on but faded as the match progressed.
RM: Victor Moses – 5/10
He used his pace on the right flank but couldn’t contribute much going forward.
LM: Willian – 4/10
He failed to have any impact on the game.
