For the first 20 minutes at the London Stadium, Chelsea looked like a team that had been wrought in gold. Joao Felix scored a beautiful goal and played like the elusive, creative number 10 every side craves. Enzo Fernandez showed some of the energy and orchestration that persuaded Chelsea to make him the most expensive signing in British transfer history. Mykhailo Mudryk, a snip at £88m, was everywhere.
But it would appear that fielding half a billion pounds worth of talent in your starting eleven doesn’t buy you a second half these days. After West Ham equalised, the visitors faded, Fernandez, Felix and Mudryk slipped into anonymity and some fans began to pay more attention to the perambulations of a flock of pigeons on the pitch. If he can find a number for their agent, maybe Todd Boehly will buy one of them.
Because at the moment, Chelsea are steadfastly refusing to take flight. A point away at a team on the edge of the relegation zone is no good to them when they started this game ten points adrift of Newcastle United, who sit in fourth place. A story on a gossip website suggested last week that Chelsea owner Boehly had thought Chelsea qualified automatically for the Champions League and even if that is hard to believe, the danger that his team will not be in the competition next season is starting to grow.
Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime at the London Stadium
Joao Felix opened his Chelsea account after joining the club on loan last month with a composed volley past Lukasz Fabianski
The Chelsea loanee returned to the starting line up after serving his three-match suspension for a red card against Fulham
Portuguese forward Felix, 23, put in a superb first half display for the Blues and was at the heart of all of their attacks
For two thirds of this match, Chelsea looked flat and uninspired and, having conceded a first half equaliser to their former left back, Emerson, they were grateful to VAR for rescuing a point for them in the closing stages when an effort from Tomas Soucek was ruled out for offside.
The point edged West Ham a precious margin further away from the relegation zone but it left Chelsea marooned in mid-table. It was the eighth match in a row away from home in which Graham Potter’s side have failed to win. At this rate, they are going to have to win the Champions League to be in it next season.
The visitors had made a bright start and should have made more of an opportunity in the fourth minute. Mudryk was already causing West Ham problems down the left but it was Felix, back from a three match suspension and tucking in behind Kai Havertz, who created the chance with a clever pass to Ruben Loftus-Cheek down the inside right channel. If Loftus-Cheek had squared the ball, Havertz would have had a tap-in but he delayed too long and Lukasz Fabianski cut out his cross.
Former Chelsea defender Emerson levelled for the Hammers against the run of play with Chelsea having dominated early on
It was a fine finish from the Brazilian who spent four years at Chelsea, making 71 appearances, before joining West Ham
Before they were pegged back, Graham Potter’s new-look side were looking extremely bright and created several chances
West Ham had another escape soon afterwards when Felix capitalised on a mistake in the West Ham defence and ran clean in on goal. He deceived Fabianski with a brilliant dink and when the ball rebounded off the post, he prodded it into the empty net. To West Ham’s relief, the linesman raised his flag to signify Felix had strayed offside. Felix put his thumb and forefinger together to signify it was a fine margin.
West Ham lost Lucas Paqueta inside 15 minutes to a shoulder injury and when Jarrod Bowen went down after a challenge from Mudryk, some of their players seemed to think play would be stopped again. But when Chelsea regained the ball, Fernandez curled a fine ball into the box, Felix peeled away from his marker and was left alone in front of goal. As the ball dropped, Felix opened up his body and sidefooted it past Fabianski on the volley. This time, the linesman’s flag stayed down.
Tomas Soucek thought he had won the game late on but his goal was ruled out by VAR for offside after a lengthy check
Felix also had a goal disallowed after a neat pass from Reece James as Chelsea were in complete control in the early stages
Kai Havertz also had one ruled out when he finished a team move after a superb Mudryk pass, by rounding Lukasz Fabianski
Bowen forged West Ham’s first chance midway through the half when his cross was turned goalwards by Michail Antonio but saved at point blank range by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Chelsea fans celebrated the preservation of their lead and the novelty of leading a match away from Stamford Bridge after a run of seven successive matches on the road without a win. ‘How **** must you be,’ the visiting supporters behind the goal sang, ‘we’re winning away.’
Those chants soon stuck in Chelsea throats. Vladimir Coufal found space on the right touchline and aimed a cross towards Bowen at the near post. Bowen glanced it expertly across goal and it ran along the six yard box before former Chelsea full-back Emerson met it at the back post and hit a bobbling shot back past Arrizabalaga and into the net.
West Ham lost Lucas Paqueta to a shoulder injury early on after he landed badly following a collision with Noni Madueke
British record £107m signing Enzo Fernandez went about his work impressively at the base of Chelsea’s new-look midfield
For all Chelsea’s lavish talent, the sweetest moment of the match might have been Antonio’s brilliant turn that bamboozled Benoit Badiashile midway through the second half. Antonio was replaced soon afterwards by Danny Ings as West Ham began to sense an opportunity to steal a win.
They thought they had got it eight minutes from time when Declan Rice’s header was pushed out by Kepa Arrizabalaga and forced over the line by substitute Tomas Soucek at close range but VAR showed that Rice had been offside. The Chelsea fans at the opposite end celebrated as if they had just scored the winner but even though their team should have had a penalty when Soucek handled a shot from Conor Gallagher, a draw was all they got.
Chelsea were furious and thought they had a late penalty when Soucek appeared to block Gallagher’s shot with his arm
It was a scrappy second half as neither team was able to break the other one down and both teams defended resolutely
The result was Chelsea’s third draw in a row, with the Blues only scoring once in those games and still languishing in ninth