West Ham Away – View From In Front Of My Screen
David Moyes names a West Ham team that are unchanged. Which is no great surprise as they’re unbeaten in three games.
Chelsea make three changes. In come Noni Madueke who makes his full debut, Ruben Loftus-Cheek,and Joao Felix returning after his Red card. Making way are Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech.
West Ham United: Fabianski, Coufal, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Emerson, Rice, Paqueta, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.
Subs: Hegyi, Anang, Johnson, Fornals, Lanzini, Downes, Ings, Soucek.
Chelsea: Kepa, James, Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella, Fernandez, Madueke, Felix, Loftus-Cheek, Mudryk, Havertz.
Subs: Bettinelli, Azpilicueta, Chilwell, Chalobah, Chukwuemeka, Gallagher, Mount, Ziyech, D Fofana.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
Early free-kick for the Blues, as Mudryk is fouled, James free-kick is on target but straight into the arms of Fabianski
Felix plays a ball to Loftus-Cheek who’s cutback tries to find Havertz, but Fabianski gets in first.
Paqueta takes a tumble as he tries to bring the ball out of defence and has injured his shoulder.
Felix runs clear pf the high West Ham line and hits the post, then taps the ball in the net, but is then given offside, a tight call
Loftus-Cheek wins another free-kick from Antonio,
Chelsea playing on the front foot with West Ham content to soak up the pressure.
12mins Fernandez has a dig which goes just wide
13mins Paqueta who has been in some discomfort since his tumble is replaced by Soucek.
15mins and Chelsea have had 85% possession
GOAL 16mins Bowen goes down trying to win the ball from Mudryk, the Blues play the ball around, and a chip from Fernandez lands at the feet of Felix who has slipped the offside trap and taps the ball in past a static Fabianski.
Chelsea fans can be heard loud and clear
22 mins and Havertz has the ball in the net but again it is just offside.
24 mins and West Hams high line is caught out again
25 mins and Bowen flicks a centre to Antonio who cannot get enough on it and Kepa saves
25 mins Soucek wins a corner off Cucurella an in-swinger from Bowen finds the shoulder of a West Ham player and it goes out for a goal-kick
GOAL 28 mins West Ham regularly finding a bit of room down Chelsea’s left, a ball comes in and Bowen flicks it on with his head and it finds the former blue Emerson who sticks it in the net.
The West Ham fans have woken up
34 mins a James run and pass finds Madueke who hits it 1st time and draws a good save from Fabianski and the follow up by Felix goes wide.
35 mins Silva cuts a ball out after a good break by the Hammers for a corner, it’s wasted and Chelsea have a great break by Mudryk who goes on his own eventually finding Fernandez who cannot get a shot away.
38 mins Chelsea break and Felix wins a free-kick in a dangerous place. Felix takes it, it’s on target and Fabianski puts it out for a corner. The corner is well taken for a change and is headed over by Badiashile
40 mins Coufal goes in hard on Mydruck but the ref doesn’t see it
45 mins The game drifts towards half time and the crowd is very quiet
49 mins and Chelsea have a corner, a Felix out-swinger is well delivered but we cant do anything with it
Half time
We still have some bad habits passing back when we should pass forwards, and dwelling on the ball in dangerous areas. Otherwise I see some improvements in our set pieces and attacking play.
72% Chelsea possession at half time.
No Changes for either team at half time
West Ham having the better of the early exchanges and still finding joy down Chelseas left
51 mins a James centre for Havertz is cut out by Ogbonna and lands in the hands of Fabianski
52 mins Chelsea have a corner, Felix plays an in-swinger straight into the hands of Fabianski and West Ham break quickly, but Madyuk gets back and snuffs out the attack
55 mins Coufal is booked for fouling Mudryk on the edge of the area.
57 mins James puts it into the mixer and it’s flicked off the head of Antonio and goes just wide with Fabianski rooted to the spot.
58 mins Felix takes the corner to no avail
60 mins and another Chelsea corner from Felix is cleared.
61 mins West Ham warming up a couple of subs
66 mins Ings and Downes are on for Antonio and Benranha, Chelsea make a triple change, Mudryk is off for Ziyech, Mount replaces Madueke and off comes Cucurella for Chillwell.
67 mins West Ham have an attempt on goal from Soucek, but its over.
69 mins Chillwell is on the attack but dwells a bit long on the ball and its goes out for a corner
72 mins West Ham attack and Bowen goes down in the area after a challenge from James no foul given.
74 mins a Chillwell cross finds the head of Havertz but it goes wide under pressure.
77 mins a couple of Chelsea balls into the box are cut out ny the Hammers defence, then a Reece James ball finds Mason Mount who crosses into the 6 yard box but Fabianski cuts it out.
78 mins Gallagher replaces Loftus-Cheek, Johnson replaces Aguerd who goes off holding his hamstring
80 mins and West Ham win a free-kick following a throw in it;s played in and a Declan Rice header is well saved by Kepa, but the follow up is put in by Soucek, West Ham celebrate, it goes to VAR who take an age to rule out a clear offside and finally it is ruled out for offside. Is that a wake up for the Blues?
88 mins Chelsea should have a penalty, Soucek goes to ground and his habd pushes the ball away VAR does a quick check and its not given…controversy
5 minutes added time
90 mins and Bowen goes down on the edge of the area, Free-kick to West Ham
it comes to nothing.
The whistle blows and it’s another draw for the Blues, no wins in 8 games and the two lowest scoring teams in the league play out a 1-1 entertaining draw.
We are still a work in progress, Potter seems to be trying different players in different positions to try to make a team. We still lack an out and out goal scorer, but our forward play is a bit more fluid, but our defence is still not good enough especially Cucurellas decision making and passing play.
My MOTM for the Blues goes to Reece James, may he keep his fitness and stay injury free, Special mention for Fernandez as his passing range is superb.
Jack Russell
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