Chicharito punishes wasteful Chelsea in action-packed London tie

Off the back of a 3-0 win, and in the knowledge that they’d already beaten Conte’s Chelsea this season, the Hammers waltzed into Stamford Bridge with a swagger in their step. On the other hand, Chelsea found themselves in desperate times having lost five of their last seven league clashes.

There were touching tributes to club legend Ray Wilkins before the whistle at Stamford Bridge. Wilkins sadly passed away earlier this week and it’s clear his death was sorely felt by the Chelsea faithful. The Blues went in search of a win to honour their former captain.

- Close, but not quite -

Chelsea had a series of chances early on but lacked their clinical touch of past. Eden Hazard saw his low strike whistle inches wide of the target in the fourth minute. Not long later, Alvaro Morata had the ball in the net, but he was adjudged to have started his run too early by the linesman. It was then Willian’s turn to have a pop at goal, but his curling effort didn’t quite have enough bend on it to creep inside the post.

Opting to gift the Brazilian another shot at glory, the Hammers switched off and were sliced open by some slick Chelsea team play. Fortunately for the visitors, Joe Hart was alert and came charging out to deflect Willian’s slotted finish over the crossbar.

- It doesn’t matter how they go in -

From the ensuing corner came the game’s first goal. After the away side failed to get the ball clear, it fell kindly to Cesar Azpilicueta who, putting his defensive duties on hold, took matters into his own hands. The Spaniard scuffed the ball from close range and watched on as it trickled over the line. 1-0. A scrappy goal, but they all count the same.

Chelsea cruised into half-time sat on a one goal lead that could easily have been four or five.

- Chelsea off target -

Willian started the second half as he finished the first - with a neat miss. After a clever Hazard drag-back found the Brazilian dashing into the box, Willian hooked his effort wide of the far post and offered the Hammers a lifeline.  

Moments after failing to direct a free header under the bar, Morata had the ball in the net for a second time but he was offside. Again. Having scored in his last two appearances in blue, Morata drew a blank on what was a day to forget for the No. 9.

- Cue super sub Chicharito -

David Moyes decided he’d seen his team get pummelled enough and sent Chicharito into the mix. Three minutes later, his tactical switch was rewarded. In the 73rd minute, Marko Arnautovic latched onto a loose ball in the box and laid it back to Chicharito. Unpressured, the Mexican swept a cool finish beyond Thibaut Courtois and sent the travelling fans into a frenzy. 1-1.

Chelsea, however, were not finished. With a beautifully worked move and a sequence of dummies, the ball fell to Marcos Alonso who sent a sizzling rocket towards the goal. Hart pounced to his right to pull off a phenomenal save, tipping the rising effort over the bar.  

The Hammers held on by the skin of their teeth against a Chelsea side who weren’t clinical enough to see their attacking dominance translate onto the scoreboard. Thanks to Hart, whose kit is going to need a very thorough wash, the Hammers scraped a point in the London derby.

There was an ominous atmosphere at full-time for Antonio Conte as boos filled the stadium and Chelsea headed glumly down the tunnel.1-1.