GONE TO POTT
Chelsea 2 West Ham 1: Graham Potter denied fairytale return to Stamford Bridge as Neto and Palmer mount Blues comeback
Watch the goals below
GRAHAM POTTER was back on familiar territory at Chelsea - to the extent of taking his old seat in the dugout.
Recent changes at Stamford Bridge mean the away technical area was once the home one, and vice versa.
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Apart from that things are pretty much the same as when he was sacked in 2023 after seven months, following a run of three wins from eight games and with the team apparently in turmoil.
Last night’s fortunate win for the latest man to inhabit the home dugout is also only the third in the last eight games. An identical run of form almost two years since Potter was axed.
Yet Enzo Maresca is still regarded as the man to take Chelsea forwards and the three points earned at vast expense against West Ham lifts them back into the top four.
Whether they have the gumption to stay there is hugely questionable because at times Maresca had his head in his hands at some of the stuff that passed for football being played by his team.
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Chelsea went behind from a defensive clanger, faced an anxious wait for their equaliser to be cleared by VAR, then needed an own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka to finally see off opponents who have been struggling for momentum all season.
A win is a win but there are cracks under the surface and there is nowhere to go in the transfer market between now and summer.
Maresca had a relatively quiet day ahead of the 11pm deadline.
His boldest move was to ditch cock-up keeper Robert Sanchez for making one mistake too many and replaced him with understudy Filip Jorgensen.
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When the Dane’s name was read out pre-match, the loud cheers from the Matthew Harding Stand showed what the Chelsea fans thought of that decision.
However, the joy was briefly cut short in just the eighth minute when the new man spilled a dangerous cross whipped in by Andy Irving, with Jarrod Bowen bearing down on him in the box.
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It was similar at the other moments later when Chelsea broke at speed and Noni Madueke whipped a curling shot just wide of the post.
It’s always odd when two high-profile teams meet on transfer deadline day because half the crowd are wondering if there will be any breaking news between kick-off and the final whistle.
Maresca has not enjoyed this window one bit, labelling it a "disaster" with all the "noise" - the speculation - that surrounds his players in particular as they play for such a busy club.
But those who make the matchday squad know their futures are safe at least. So why Chelsea seemed so edgy in the first half is a question Maresca and his squad needed to answer during the break.
They played the more stylish football of the two, but struggled to find range and direction when it came to the crunch.
Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s deadliest marksman, had a pinpoint free-kick tipped over the bar that drew a cracking save from Alphonse Areola.
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Chelsea's missed chances
But he also smacked the strip lights at the top of The Shed with one shot and put another straight into the arms of the Hammers keeper.
Madueke, Jadon Sancho, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez also narrowly missed - but missed all the same.
Potter’s West Ham have been shuffling along without a recognised striker this year with skipper Bowen out having fractured a foot.,
Raring to go, the winger wasted no time and no chances - gobbling up a dreadful back pass by Levi Colwill to burst clear into the Chelsea box and bend a shot past Jorgensen’s dive at ground level.
Maresca’s team was struggling physically, not just mentally. So much so that he was forced to take off struggling striker Nicolas Jackson and Sancho just six minutes into the second half.
He had used four subs by the hour mark as the Italian desperately plotted to inject some stability into his team that was seriously under the cosh but as much by their own mistakes.
An untidy derby riddled with errors even saw ref Stuart Attwell falling over on the job. And Chelsea’s equaliser was just as scruffy.
Sub Pedro Neto’ cross dropped into the West Ham box and courtesy of the faintest flick on by a visiting defender, hit Chelsea left-back Cucurella virtually on the by line.
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He managed to knock it back into the path of Fernandez who shot. It was blocked but Neto scooped up the chance from close range. A lengthy VAR check finally handed Maresca a lifeline.
Chelsea sealed it with 16 minutes to go when Palmer burst forwards on the wing and squared a low cross which took a huge deflection off Wan-Bissaka and looped over Areola and into the net.
CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Levi Colwill’s sluggish performance saved by Pedro Neto’s best showing in a Blues shirt
CHELSEA capitalised on the failures of their rivals to move up to fourth in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over West Ham.
A host of changes from Enzo Maresca upped the tempo in the second half, and they paid dividends with Pedro Neto driving home an equaliser in the 63rd minute after a shot from Fernandez.
Jarrod Bowen had capitalised on a Levi Colwill error to fire West Ham ahead.
Fans grew optimistic as the home side grew into the game, which culminated in a deflected Cole Palmer effort sending the Bridge into raptures as they went 2-1 up.
Here is how SunSport's Lloyd Canfield rated Chelsea's performance.
Filip Jorgensen - 7
It would've been a tough task to disappoint Chelsea fans after what they have seen from Robert Sanchez in recent weeks.
There wasn't an awful lot he could do about the opener, and actually made some pretty good stops to prevent his side being more than one goal down at the halfway point.
Those saves proved vital, and he should expect to start against Brighton up next.
Reece James - 6
His crosses from the right were good throughout the first half, but there was no one clinical enough in the box to grab him an assist.
Strong defensively, but ultimately didn't have much to do in that aspect with Chelsea dominant on the flanks.
Tosin Adarabioyo - 7
Strong in the air and pretty good across the ground.
Perhaps could have done a little more to prevent Bowen opening the scoring as he seemed to stand and watch him shoot, but overall was good and is growing into a good, consistent Premier League centre half.
His vital block in added time might well have been the difference between three points and one.
Levi Colwill - 3
His awful backpass rolledBowen in perfectly to give the Hammers the lead just before first half-time.
A lousy and sluggish performance improved in the second half after his side took the lead, but he was fortunate not to cost his side points tonight.
Marc Cucurella - 7
Inverted well from left back into midfield in a role that looks made for him, he was strong in his tackles and good in the air from start to finish.
Got into dangerous positions going forward, but couldn't add the finishing touches to his game on this occasion.
Moises Caicedo - 7
Tenacious tackling and energy is what the home fans have become accustomed to seeing from their Ecuadorian destroyer.
Glimpses of that in the first half extended into a mature and controlled second 45 minutes where he looked to have Mo Kudus' number.
Enzo Fernández - 5
Missed a huge chance to give Chelsea the lead which he rolled past the left hand post from a few yards out.
It was his blocked effort which bounced out for Neto to level the scoring, but overall the Argentine looked a bit off the pace in midfield.
Noni Madueke - 4
Perhaps should've had a goal and assist in the first half an hour as he was set up by Nicolas Jackson and put the ball on a plate for Fernandez, but neither chance was converted.
His best moment of the second half was when he bodied the referee, before being subbed for Christopher Nkunku.
Cole Palmer - 7
A quiet first half had the travelling fans comparing him to Andy Irving, but he soon showed them up.
Almost scored a free-kick similar to the one we saw against Brighton this season, but it was well saved by Alphonse Areola.
It was his deflected effort that put his side in the lead as he grew into the game more and more.
Jadon Sancho - 4
His quick feet made him a threat on the left-hand side in the first half, but again his end product or lack thereof would've cost Chelsea if his replacement didn't bail them out.
Was subbed five minutes into the second half for Pedro Neto.
Nicolas Jackson - 3
Showed some promising signs early on with a good ball into Noni Madueke, who narrowly missed the goal.
Aside from that, he looked like a striker utterly devoid of any confidence and was poor before being hooked for 18-year-old Marc Guiu.
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Marc Guiu (Nicolas Jackson, 51) – 5
Didn't really do a lot wrong or right after coming on for Nicolas Jackson.
Certainly looks more confident in the Conference League, but Premier League minutes in the tank will do him good.
Pedro Neto (Jadon Sancho, 51) - 8
His best performance in a Chelsea shirt since he joined.
A composed finish saw him level the scoring before more great work in the build up sawPalmer rifle home a deflected effort.
Great energy, work rate, and end product from Maresca's own Portuguese magnifico.
Malo Gusto (Reece James, 60) - 6
Was energetic and strong after replacing captain Reece James, also playing a part in the goal that put his side in the lead.
His passing was good and he looked more like the player who became a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge last campaign.
Christopher Nkunku (Noni Madueke, 60) - 5
Did a job for the team out of position on the left-hand side in Jadon Sancho's position.
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