Estevao inspires Chelsea to thrash West Ham and put pressure on Graham Potter
Chelsea had run through at will, cutting West Ham’s execrable back five to shreds, João Pedro and Estêvão Willian playing a different sport from every individual in claret and blue. Whatever the gulf in class, though, there can be no excuse for a performance so lacking in heart and a team so incapable of doing the basics.
Put it all together and Potter could be forgiven if he was pining for the days when he was struggling to make sense of life at Chelsea. He was bruised by his experience in west London, although the longer time has gone on the more it has become apparent that Chelsea were simply going through a period of transition. Their owners have built a seriously talented squad since firing Potter.
There is no hiding place for Potter, who has taken fewer points from his first 10 home games in the Premier League than any manager in West Ham’s history. He is already under pressure, already facing suggestions that he is in trouble after eight months in the job, although there is the awkward question of whether he is more symptom than cause.
After all, the sense that Potter is the wrong fit at a club who tend to feed off emotion should not overlook the fact that this collapse owes much to years of West Ham’s owners making one bad decision after another on and off the pitch.
It bordered on the absurd that Chelsea had fallen behind to a stunning early goal from Lucas Paquetá. The theory that fatigue will be one of the biggest challenges for Maresca’s side after their Club World Cup exertions had been given strength by Palmer exiting the warm-up early.
It meant a rejig in an attack led by Liam Delap – Estêvão came in on the right, João Pedro played as the No 10 and Pedro Neto moved to the left – and the late alterations initially had West Ham thinking that their luck was about to turn after losing to Sunderland on the opening weekend.
It became painful for Potter, who has won two home games since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January. West Ham, who have conceded eight in their first two games, are relegation candidates. Midfield reinforcements cannot come quickly enough. Moisés Caicedo and Fernández ran over James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek. Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Nayef Aguerd all looked like expensive mistakes in central defence.
Yet the optimism faded soon after Estêvão lost possession in the sixth minute and watched Paquetá send a swerving shot past Robert Sánchez from 25 yards. Chelsea needed less than 10 minutes to respond in the manner of world champions, Neto’s corner headed on by Marc Cucurella for João Pedro to shake off Aaron Wan-Bissaka and equalise.
They were soon ahead, Paquetá squandering possession before João Pedro crossed for Neto to convert, and the game had run away from Potter’s side by the time Estêvão sliced through West Ham’s left side before crossing for Enzo Fernández to make it 3-1 in the 34th minute.
