Published on 21.08.2023
West Ham moved to sixth in the table.
West Ham secured an exhilarating 3-1 victory against rivals Chelsea, defying Nayef Aguerd’s ejection with a red card. This left Mauricio Pochettino awaiting his inaugural triumph as the head of the West London club.
Aguerd skillfully directed West Ham into an early lead in the seventh minute after being left unmarked by the Chelsea defense to nod in a flawless corner kick by debutant James Ward-Prowse. Carney Chukwuemeka, who was later substituted due to a knee injury, evened the score with a splendid strike, 19-year-old’s first Premier League goal.
Interestingly, the Blues, who opted not to debut Moises Caicedo despite his recent record-breaking transfer from Brighton, missed an opportunity to take the lead before halftime. Enzo Fernandez’s badly executed penalty was saved by Alphonse Areola just before the break.
This was the turning point of the game. Against the run of play, Michail Antonio restored the hosts’ lead with a great strike eight minutes into the second half. Despite Aguerd receiving a second yellow and subsequently a red card, the Hammers managed to keep their lead. David Moyes referred to it as a “significant outcome.” Lucas Pacqeta sealed the deal with a stoppage-time penalty following Caicedo’s foul on Emerson.
Following their victory, West Ham moved to sixth in the table. Meanwhile, Chelsea are in 15th position, still in search of their first three points of the campaign.
