Former Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri scored his first-ever Premier League goal as the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham at the London Stadium. João Félix scored his first Chelsea goal, but Graham Potter’s side once again failed to claim all three points. The Blues can feel slightly harshly treated by VAR after a blatant late handball inside the box by Tomáš Souček was inexplicably not given as a penalty.
Kepa Arrizabalaga- 6/10
A relatively quiet afternoon for Kepa in goal today. The Spaniard could do nothing to deny former Chelsea player Emerson from equalising in the first half. There were times he looked slightly shaky dealing with aerial balls.
Reece James- 6/10
Perhaps still not at full strength, James looked a little off the pace today. He showed a lack of awareness when Emerson snuck behind him to draw West Ham level and was sloppy on the ball at times. However, he improved in the second half, notably playing a fantastic pass-through for Mason Mount to run onto.
Thiago Silva- 7/10
Another solid performance from Chelsea’s most reliable player. The Brazilian has just signed a contract extension keeping him at the club for another year and put on a strong showing in celebration. An outstanding tackle to block a Saïd Benrahma shot was a standout moment.
Benoît Badiashile– 6/10
The French defenders’ impressive three-game run without conceding a goal in Chelsea blue came to an end today. Badiashile looked dominant in the air, but at times struggled to deal with Antonio. The West Ham striker spun the defender far too easily at one point, forcing Badiashile into a rash tackle earning him a yellow card.
Marc Cucurella- 3/10
A really poor performance from Cucurella, who struggled in both attack and defence. The Spaniard could not compete with Jarrod Bowen and lost the ball in the build-up to West Ham’s equaliser. Cucurella looked nervous, consistently passing backwards instead of trying to find a forward pass to Mudryk.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek- 5/10
It was nice to see Loftus-Cheek back in the side after a prolonged period out with injury. An early burst into the box showed signs of promise of what may have been to come, but that promise failed to materialise. The Englishman could do with taking a few more risks. Today he completed 67 passes but did not even attempt one long or through ball.
Enzo Fernández– 7.5/10
Another strong performance from Chelsea’s star midfield signing. In contrast to his midfield partner, Fernández attempted nine long balls, completing seven. His perfect cross found João Félix, who opened the scoring for the Blues. Defensively the Argentine was strong, making three successful tackles.
João Félix– 8/10
A first goal of what is hopefully many at Chelsea. Félix took his goal with complete composure, slotting the ball into the net after meeting the cross. He had earlier been denied a goal after he was flagged for offside. The Portuguese forward was a constant threat and looked like Chelsea’s most likely avenue whenever they went forward.
Mykhailo Mudryk- 6/10
Mudryk started the game in a lively fashion, looking quick with the ball at his feet and involving himself in the play. A fantastic sliding challenge earned Chelsea the ball back in the build-up to Félix’s opener. From there, however, the Ukrainian seemed isolated on the left wing and there was a significant lack of link-up between himself and Cucurella.
Kai Havertz- 5/10
A tight offside call ruled out what would have been a well-taken goal by Havertz. The German also fired narrowly wide late on from a Chilwell cross. Apart from those chances, Havertz struggled to have an impact – managing only one shot in the game.
Noni Madueke- 6/10
A big defensive lapse by Madueke proved costly for Chelsea as Emerson was allowed to run clear off the winger and find space to equalise for West Ham. Going forward Madueke looked dangerous at times when cutting inside from the wing.
Subs :
Ben Chilwell- 6/10
Chilwell looked like a big improvement at left back when he was brought on in the second half – offering more of an attacking threat for Chelsea. The Englishman provided some good crosses and should be in the starting lineup against Dortmund this coming week.
Mason Mount- 6/10
A run of poor form has seen Mason Mount dropped down to the bench in what has been a rarity in his Chelsea career. The Englishman was brought on during the second half and looked lively, but could not help Chelsea come out with three points.
Hakim Ziyech- 5/10
Ziyech will be thanking his lucky stars that Tomáš Souček’s late goal was ruled out for offside after the Moroccan had given away a stupid free-kick outside the Chelsea box. Another second-half substitute, the winger attempted three crosses in his short time on the pitch, to no avail.
Connor Gallagher- N/A
Graham Potter- 5/10
The pressure will certainly be mounting now on Graham Potter, as Chelsea just can’t seem to find a way to win at the moment. Despite being denied a blatant handball late in the game, Chelsea looked toothless going forward in the second half and never looked like getting a winning goal. A huge Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund now lies ahead next week.
