Saturday August 23, 2025
Chelsea brushed aside an early setback to record a resounding 5-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, securing its first win of the season in style.
Despite losing Cole Palmer to injury in the warm-up, the Blues produced a ruthless attacking display as Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah all found the net.
The result handed the host back-to-back defeats at the start of the Premier League campaign and left the home fans frustrated in what quickly became a one-sided London derby.
Palmer’s absence gave 18-year-old Estevao Willian his chance, but the teenager’s evening began harshly when his misplaced backheel in the sixth minute allowed Lucas Paqueta to stride forward and unleash a swerving strike past Robert Sanchez.
Any nerves, though, quickly faded. Estevao grew into the contest and was heavily involved as Chelsea struck back. His compatriot Joao Pedro equalized with a close-range header just nine minutes later before VAR denied West Ham the lead, ruling Jean-Clair Todibo narrowly offside in the build-up to Niclas Fullkrug’s finish.
Chelsea seized control soon after. Neto’s crisp volley put them ahead in the 23rd minute, and Estevao capped his bright response to early adversity by supplying the cross for Fernandez to tap in a third.
The boos from the home crowd at half-time foreshadowed what was to come. Fernandez squandered a chance after the restart, but Chelsea was relentless from set pieces. Caicedo and Chalobah both punished goalkeeper Mads Hermansen’s misjudged attempts to claim corners, scoring twice in quick succession to put the result beyond doubt.
Large sections of the stadium emptied before the final whistle, as anger mounted towards Graham Potter and his players. With a 3-0 loss to newly promoted Sunderland last weekend, West Ham now sits at the bottom of the standings with eight goals conceded.
