Big spenders Chelsea flop to Hammers

LONDON: West Ham inflicted an unlikely 3-1 defeat on Chelsea causing the first major upset result of the new premier league season. Having spent nearly a billion pounds on new players since taking over, the new American owners would not have expected this from their players even following their disappointment last season.

Chelsea’s new manager, Mauricio Pochettino said: “I was disappointed and so were the players at the way we conceded the first goal. We started the game knowing West Ham are so dangerous at set-pieces. We conceded the corner and then the goal. I was really upset at half-time.

“We did really well in the first half and should have had the game won by half-time. In the second half we reshaped the team because of the injury to Carney and we had to find a way to play. We didn’t, and then conceded another goal to West Ham’s only other chance.

“Then we started to make rushed decisions. That’s football. Teams like us, we need to get the right balance. If we scored that penalty, we’d have been 2-1 up and could have been talking about a different situation. I don’t think it was mentality. The result doesn’t reflect the performance but we have to accept this can happen.”

The Hammers took an early lead when new signing James Ward-Prowse delivered a superb corner. Aguerd rose at the back post beating his marker Conor Gallagher and headed home. But in the 29th minute Chelsea hit back with the equaliser. Ben Chiwell’s cross was not cleared well and Carney Chukwuemeka beat Thomas Soucek with a clever dummy and powerfully shot into the net.

Four minutes before half-time Raheem Sterling won a corner when he was brought down by Soucek but Enzo Fernandez – who cost Chelsea over £100 million in January – took the spot kick and his tame effort was easily saved by Alphonse Areola.

Just eight minutes into the second half, Hammers took the lead again. Axel Desasi lost the ball to Ward-Prowse on the half-way line and the latter’s through pass down the right was taken by Michail Antonio who easily went past Levi Colwell and drove his shot into the bottom corner.

Chelsea failed to take advantage of a 10-man team when with half-an-hour remaining Aguerd was sent off for a second yellow card when he lunged at Nicolas Jackson. The visitors looked ragged as the game went on, Mudryk and Moises Caicedo, who was signed from Brighton for £115 million a week earlier, were brought on as substitutes but it failed to lift Chelsea’s performance.

Any hope of Chelsea drawing level again faded in added-on time when Caicedo brought down Emerson in the box and Lucas Paqueta calmly converted the penalty for the third goal.

Hammer’s delighted manager, David Moyes said: “I’m thrilled with how the team showed resilience and stuck at it against a really good Chelsea team. Lots of things went in our favour today and another time Chelsea may get on the end of a couple of those crosses.”