By Our Man at Stamford Bridge
STAMFORD BRIDGE was a boiling pot of fury turned to pure ecstasy as Chelsea staged a miracle recovery to skin West Ham 3-2.
For 45 minutes, it looked like the Blues had forgotten how to play football.
The home crowd was ruthless, serenading new boss Liam Rosenior with a chorus of boos as they trailed 2-0 at the break.
But a sensational triple-change and a captain’s display from Enzo Fernandez turned a horror show into a Hollywood ending.
West Ham arrived like a team possessed. They didn’t just knock on the door; they kicked it down. In the 7th minute, Jarrod Bowen whipped in a cross that deceived everyone—including a flat-footed Robert Sanchez—and nestled into the far corner.
Chelsea’s “new-look” backline, featuring the shaky Benoit Badiashile, was all over the shop. When Aaron Wan-Bissaka marauded down the wing to tee up Crysencio Summerville for a clinical second in the 36th minute, the Bridge was ready to erupt for all the wrong reasons.
The Great Escape
Rosenior didn’t wait. He hauled off the dismal Alejandro Garnacho and Badiashile at half-time, throwing on Joao Pedro, Wesley Fofana, and Marc Cucurella.
57 Mins: Fofana charged forward like a man on a mission, crossing for Joao Pedro to power home a header. Game on.
70 Mins: The Bridge went bananas. Liam Delap rattled the bar, and there was Marc Cucurella, diving head-first into the mud to nod home the equalizer.
As the clock ticked into the 92nd minute, the stage was set for the skipper. Joao Pedro, the undisputed Man of the Match, cut the ball back perfectly into the path of Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentine didn’t blink. He swept the ball past Alphonse Areola, ripped off his shirt, and disappeared into a sea of blue shirts.
The drama didn’t end there. In a frantic finale, West Ham’s Jean-Clair Todibo saw red for grabbing Joao Pedro by the throat as tempers boiled over.
CHELSEA (4-1-4-1): Sanchez 5; Gusto 6 (James 81, 6), Chalobah 6, Badiashile 4 (Fofana 46, 8), Hato 5 (Cucurella 46, 8); Caicedo 7; Garnacho 4 (Joao Pedro 46, 9), FERNANDEZ 9, Palmer 7, Gittens 5 (Neto 26, 6); Delap 6.
WEST HAM (4-4-1-1): Areola 6; Wan-Bissaka 7, Todibo 4, Kilman 6, Emerson 6; Bowen 8, Irving 6, Soucek 6, Summerville 7; Fernandes 7; Castellanos 7.
