Chelsea secured a comfortable victory over London rivals West Ham in the early kick-off.
Nicolas Jackson scored twice in the first half before he set up Cole Palmer to add a third after the break to give Enzo Maresca’s side a third Premier League win of the season.
Here are five big talking points from the game…
Jackson punishes West Ham’s high line
Julen Loepetgui opted to position his defensive line high up the pitch but time and time again West Ham were caught out because of it, and were made to pay by a relentless performance from Chelsea forward Jackson. He raced through down the left to open the scoring when West Ham switched off at a quick free-kick and could not catch him once he got beyond the defence, and had so much space to run into when he got through on goal again for the second from a lovely ball from Moises Caicedo
The Hammers often left Jackson one v one with one of their central defenders and when they lost possession, were so vulnerable to the counter-attack with the way they were set up, as displayed by the third goal when Jackson surged forward to play in Palmer. They played right into Chelsea and Jackson’s hands with the way they set up and their high line combined with a lack of intensity at the top end of the pitch and some sloppy mistakes with the ball led to a dismal afternoon for Lopetegui’s team.
Cucurella as the extra man in midfield pays off
Marc Cucurella played as a left-back when Chelsea did not have the ball but when his side did have possession, floated into central midfield to provide an extra man in the build up as he has done often this season under Maresca. It worked perfectly for the second goal, with the Spaniard combining with his team-mates in the centre of the pitch through quick and intricate passing as West Ham struggled to react, before Caicedo sent a defence splitting pass through the middle for Jackson to score. Maresca looked delighted on the touchline with what he had seen from his side and it was perhaps the biggest indicator yet that his vision is coming together.
West Ham penalty could have changed things
It was a dreadful performance from West Ham but had they been awarded a penalty at 2-0 down, the game could have perhaps ended up differently. Wesley Fofana appeared to pull the arm of Crysencio Summerville when he was attempting to latch onto a pass but according to the Premier League Match Centre X account, it was not given as a spot-kick but it was deemed not to be “sustained holding”. West Ham and Lopetegui certainly have a case to feel aggrieved.
Early pressure on Lopetegui
It is early days for new boss Lopetegui but after a summer of significant investment and some exciting signs, there is an air of expectation around the London Stadium. But having won just one of his first five Premier League games in charge, the jury is still out on whether he can be the man to take the club forward. There were loud boos from the home supporters when he decided to take Summerville off in the second half and while he will surely be given the time to turn it around, he has certainly failed to hit the ground running.
Jackson deserves more credit
While West Ham proved to be the perfect opponent for Jackson with the way they set up, the striker deserves enormous credit for the way he punished them and for his form this season. He now has four goals in five Premier League games this campaign and rewarded Maresca for his decision to keep him in the starting line-up despite calls for Christopher Nkunku to start after his late winner against Bournemouth. Jackson has been plenty criticised since he joined the club for his wastefulness in front of goal but has been terrific and clinical this season, and is showing he can be the man to deliver the goals for the club following much frustration after their failure to sign another striker this summer.
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