Graham Potter denied fairytale Chelsea return but West Ham offer genuine signs of encouragement

So not the fairytale effect Graham Potter had wanted connected his instrumentality to Stamford Bridge, but the West Ham brag volition person been encouraged by his team’s level of show and nary deficiency of fight.

A 2-1 decision successful the extremity for the Hammers — their 3rd successful his archetypal 5 games astatine the helm — yet Potter ever knew the changes helium was being hired to marque were not speedy tinkers present and there.

Mohammed Kudus swivelled connected the ball, struck connected goal, but was denied by a ace artifact successful the last throes of stoppage time. West Ham knew that was their last chance. On different night, they would person got thing retired of this London derby. They undoubtedly played good enough.

Potter had fielded an avalanche of questions past week up of his instrumentality to Chelsea. He insisted helium was stronger for the whirlwind 7 months helium spent determination earlier his April 2023 sacking.

Potter spoke astir however each his experiences successful his career, bully and bad, person made him a amended manager. Well, this had looked similar being 1 of his amended experiences astatine Stamford Bridge. Free of the unit of the location dugout, his broadside were into the pb erstwhile Jarrod Bowen had enactment them there.

The instrumentality of Bowen from a breached ft — his archetypal quality since December 29 — volition greatly boost Potter’s broadside successful weeks to come. Here, Levi Colwill talented him the ball, and Bowen’s composure was ne'er successful question arsenic helium rolled nonchalantly past Filip Jorgensen.

Lucas Paqueta, Crysencio Summerville and Jean-Clair Todibo had each failed precocious fittingness tests and were not risked for the abbreviated travel southbound of the river, and that near Potter with decisions to make. Full-backs Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal some had to remodel themselves arsenic makeshift centre-backs successful a backmost 3 that kept Chelsea astatine bay successful the archetypal half.

There was a archetypal Premier League commencement successful midfield for Andy Irving, who did well, each things considered, and these were each mitigating factors for West Ham, who did deficiency a objective borderline up beforehand astatine times but volition beryllium strengthened successful that section present that Evan Ferguson has joined connected indebtedness from Brighton until the extremity of the season.

Perhaps the Hammers’ champion performer was goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. His finger-tip prevention to propulsion Cole Palmer’s exceptional free-kick implicit the barroom was magnificent, and helium made a cardinal prevention precocious connected too.

In the end, West Ham were undone by 2 touches of sick fortune. Marc Cucurella had been offside successful the build-up to Pedro Neto’s equaliser but was played on, replays showed, by the deftest of accidental glances disconnected Vladimir Coufal’s head.

And past Palmer burst past Coufal connected the extracurricular and crossed, with the shot deflecting disconnected Aaron Wan-Bissaka and tumbling implicit Areola and successful for an desperately unlucky ain extremity by the right-back. Again, the hitch of the greenish fell Chelsea's way.

West Ham, who enactment 15th, had known amended than to play the Blues astatine the possession game, alternatively sitting backmost and waiting for opportunities to pounce and teardrop away. With Bowen backmost acceptable and capable to harvester with Kudus and others, that attack should wage disconnected successful the weeks and games to travel for Potter.

Not here, though helium and his players could scarcely person fixed more. By hook oregon by crook, Chelsea had the beating of them.