Chelsea staged a stirring fightback to damage Graham Potter’s return to Stamford Bridge and climb to fourth place within the Premier League with a 2-1 win in opposition to West Ham on Monday. Hammers boss Potter hoped for a victory over the membership that sacked him in 2023 after simply seven months in cost. Jarrod Bowen gave West Ham the lead within the first half on his return to motion after fracturing his foot in late December. But Chelsea recovered from a listless begin to equalise by means of Pedro Neto after the interval earlier than Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s late personal objective shattered Potter’s revenge mission.
Chelsea moved two factors above Manchester City and Newcastle within the race to qualify for subsequent season’s Champions League through a top-four end.
It was the primary time they’d taken three factors in a house league recreation after trailing at half-time since 2013.
Chelsea’s second win in eight league matches was a great addition for Enzo Maresca after the Blues boss complained that the switch window was distracting his gamers.
Maresca could have been relieved to see Chelsea lastly ignore the hypothesis on the day the January window closed.
Potter insisted being axed by Chelsea after successful simply 12 of his 31 video games might be “the perfect factor that occurs to me”.
The 49-year-old returned to administration final month at West Ham and virtually two years on from his Chelsea dismissal, he made his first return to the Bridge.
But there was no completely happy ending for Potter as Maresca beat his former West Brom team-mate.
West Ham have gained as soon as in 5 video games in all competitions since Potter took cost, however sit 10 factors away from the relegation zone.
Chelsea’s stroke of luck
Potter was tasked with driving Maresca to coaching every single day throughout their time collectively within the Nineties and as soon as once more he was performed second fiddle to the Italian.
Maresca had dropped Robert Sanchez and introduced in Filip Jorgensen after the Spanish goalkeeper’s newest pricey error within the defeat at Manchester City final weekend.
The 22-year-old settled any nerves with a great save from Bowen’s low drive.
Mohammed Kudus was impactful for West Ham, the Ghana winger breaking clear for a strong effort that compelled a save from Jorgensen.
It was a warning Chelsea didn’t heed because the Hammers snatched the lead within the forty second minute.
Kudus hassled Levi Colwill right into a sloppy back-pass and Bowen seized his probability with a composed end from simply inside the realm that arrowed previous Jorgensen into the far nook.
Cole Palmer’s dipping free-kick drew an agile tip-over from West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
Palmer examined Areola once more from distance on the stroke of half-time, however there have been jeers for torpid Chelsea when the whistle went for the interval.
Unimpressed by his misfiring forwards, Maresca hauled off Jackson and Jadon Sancho after simply 52 minutes.
The modifications introduced the specified impact as Neto got here on to haul Chelsea degree within the sixty fourth minute.
Marc Cucurella hooked the ball again to Fernandez earlier than it may exit of play and when the Argentine’s shot was cleared off the road, Neto was available to lash low previous Areola from shut vary.
A prolonged VAR test confirmed Cucurella was onside however West Ham have been nonetheless sad with a possible foul by Colwill on Bowen within the build-up.
Chelsea rubbed salt into West Ham’s wounds due to a stroke of luck 10 minutes later.
When Palmer weaved into the realm and crossed from an acute angle, the ball took a hefty deflection off the sliding Wan-Bissaka and looped over Areola into the web.
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