Chelsea edged past West Ham United at Stamford Bridge with Christian Pulisic scoring a late winner, after Jorginho missed a penalty.
Craig Dawson was the hero of the London derby between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge for about 85 minutes as he held the Hammers’ backline together pretty much single-handedly. Unfortunately, the centre-back was red-carded for a foul on Romelu Lukaku and conceded a key penalty.
Chelsea looked all set to clinch the win with the spot-kick and numerical advantage, but Jorginho, often revered for his quality from the penalty spot, missed his shot with a tame kick towards Lukasz Fabianski, which the West Ham keeper held on with ease. At that moment, it seemed like a win may elude the Blues at Stamford Bridge, although substitute Christian Pulisic rose to the occasion.
The American was in the right place to poke home the late winner from a Marcos Alonso cutback from outside the box. With the win, Chelsea were able to extend their lead in third place, after Arsenal had reduced the gap with a win over Manchester United on Saturday.
West Ham had fielded a team with some fringe stars as David Moyes had his eyes on the Europa League semi-finals in midweek, although his men did a fine job on the pitch, especially Dawson. The Hammers will be disappointed with the outcome of the game, while the Blues will rejoice and look forward to the next game as they look to seal the third spot for themselves.
Here’s how the players rated as Chelsea snatched a late win at Stamford Bridge over London rivals West Ham United.
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – 6/10
Mendy had a relaxed afternoon compared to what transpired in midweek against Arsenal. The keeper commanded his area well and timed some of his runs to perfection whenever called into action outside of his zone. He barely had anything to save, as the Hammers could only mildly threaten his goal from time to time.
Trevoh Chalobah – 6/10
He was included in the lineup late after Andreas Christensen pulled out before kick-off. Chalobah Dealt with the West Ham attackers well and used the ball well when in possession.
Thiago Silva – 6/10
The veteran defender was able to marshall the backline well and keep things organised in defence, making things difficult for the Hammers’ attackers. Silva had a big role to play in the penalty incident.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 5/10
A frustrating afternoon for Azpilicueta, who seemed off his game for most parts. He did well in the organised backline and helped the attack whenever he had the chance to charge forward.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6.5/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Chelsea vs. West Ham:
◉= Most passes in final 1/3 (38)
◉= Most touches in opp. box (9)
◉ Most duels won (6)
◉ Most chances created (4)
◉ Most tackles (3)
◉= Most take-ons (2)Enjoying the RWB role. ?♂️ pic.twitter.com/7PP1dlh0QM
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 24, 2022
After a laboured first-half performance, Loftus-Cheek began to impose himself in the second period, and right until his substitution, he proved a threat down the right-hand side for Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante – 7/10
A better display from the Frenchman after a terrible run of games recently. Kante did a good job in midfield, and recycled the ball well. He also had one deflected effort saved by Fabianski.
Jorginho – 5/10
The midfielder was alright for the duration of the game, but fluffed his lines from the penalty spot, in what was a potentially game-changing moment. Jorginho sent a tame effort right in the arms of Fabianski, which looked like a missed opportunity at that time.
Jorginho's penalty record for Chelsea this season:
⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽❌
Hop skip and a miss today. ? pic.twitter.com/05w3Z7CLBI
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 24, 2022
Marcos Alonso – 7/10
Alonso was a constant threat down the left channel, and despite missing a few good chances in front of the goal, the wing-back made a telling contribution by providing the assist for the match-winner.
Mason Mount – 5/10
Apart from having a potential goalscoring effort blocked by Dawson, Mount failed to turn up in the game. He struggled to make a mark on the proceedings as Chelsea looked for inspiration to conjure up a goal from somewhere.
Kai Havertz – 4/10
The recent good form he was enjoying has seemingly drained away as Havertz struggled once more. Despite providing a decent outlet as part of the front two, the German was far from his effective best.
Timo Werner – 5/10
"We still have a lot to win this season." ⏫
Timo Werner is not worried about Chelsea's recent poor form at home. ? pic.twitter.com/ZKALG1VXZc
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 24, 2022
Another forward who was out of sorts in the first half and then showed good signs in the second period. Werner threatened from time to time but never came up with the end product.
Substitutes
Hakim Ziyech – 5/10
He barely had any impact since coming on, but his presence probably pushed the West Ham defence a bit back in anticipation of his deep balls.
Christian Pulisic – 7/10
Pulisic came up with the telling contribution in the game as he scored the late winner to secure a much-needed victory at Stamford Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku – 6/10
Good movements in and around the box helped Chelsea win the penalty, only for Jorginho to fluff his lines.
West Ham United
Lukasz Fabianski – 8/10
Fabianski will be disappointed in the way the game ended after conceding a late goal. However, throughout the contest, the Pole was enormous in goal and saved the penalty from Jorginho to keep his team in the contest.
Ben Johnson – 7/10
Johnson did a good job in central defence, as Moyes deployed him there due to a lack of options. After making several clearances and keeping the Blues’ attackers in check, the full-back will reflect on this clash positively.
Craig Dawson – 8/10
A valiant effort, we didn’t deserve to lose at all. Everyone worked their socks off and put their bodies on the line, particularly the defence. Although he got sent off near the end, Craig Dawson was outstanding once again ?⚒ #CHEWHU #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/y6sID5nPS9
— Bill West (@bill_west_) April 24, 2022
A colossal performance from West Ham’s only remaining senior centre-half, who was everywhere in the backline, killing attacks or making crucial stops to keep Chelsea at bay. In the end, he received a harsh red card for his pull-back on Lukaku, which resulted in the Chelsea penalty.
Aaron Cresswell – 7/10
Like Johnson, Cresswell did very well as part of a three-man central defence, having made some crucial interceptions and blocks throughout the game, keeping Chelsea’s attack at bay.
Vladimir Coufal – 5/10
A quiet day at the office for Coufal, who looked uninterested in making forward runs as the Hammers looked to keep a tight line at the back. However, Chelsea’s winner on the afternoon came from his flank.
Tomas Soucek – 7/10
We didn't get any points today.. Big focus on Thursday! Work hard for the rest of the season ✊️??⚒ pic.twitter.com/vIwNmVkKlc
— Tomáš Souček (@tomassoucek28) April 24, 2022
Soucek was strong in central midfield even though he was without his usual partner in Declan Rice. Mark Noble provided good support to the Czech Republic international, whose physicality helped West Ham many times in the game.
Mark Noble – 6/10
A tireless performance from the veteran West Ham captain, who covered well for the rested Rice. Understandably, he was a bit rusty considering this was his first start in the Premier League since February but kept at it throughout his time on the pitch.
Arthur Masuaku – 5/10
A sub-par performance from Masuaku, who found it difficult to deal with the double threat of Havertz and Loftus-Cheek down his side. He struggled for relevance considering he barely had any say in attack while he was not solid enough in defence.
Pablo Fornals – 5/10
Fornals barely had an impact on the proceedings going forward in attack, as the entire Hammers side looked to sit deep and defend and possibly find a route through counterattacks.
Andriy Yarmolenko – 6/10
Not the most fruitful game for Yarmolenko
Number of good chances but they weren’t capitalised on https://t.co/oJv8u1V1Il
— Zorya Londonsk (@ZoryaLondonsk) April 24, 2022
There were a few chances where Yarmolenko could have done better, but the Ukrainian was constantly finding himself in an offside position, which ruined West Ham’s rare attacking ventures.
Said Benrahma – 6.5/10
Benrahma was one of West Ham’s best players going forward. He led the press for his team and was always looking to create chances for his teammates, posing a threat to the Chelsea defence.
Substitutes
Declan Rice – 5/10
Rice took some time to get into the stride after replacing Noble, although he did fine to control things in midfield.
Jarrod Bowen – 5/10
Bowen barely had an impact after coming on, barring one time when he should have taken his shot when presented with an opportunity.
Manuel Lanzini – 5/10
No impact after coming on from the Argentine midfielder.
