Chelsea secured their first win of the Premier League season in style, dismantling West Ham United 5-1 at the London Stadium, despite the late withdrawal of Cole Palmer due to injury.
The hosts stunned the visitors early when Lucas Paquetá rifled a thunderous strike past Djordje Petrović inside six minutes. But the Blues struck back swiftly, Marc Cucurella flicking on a Pedro Neto corner for João Pedro to nod home. Niclas Füllkrug thought he had restored West Ham’s lead, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out for offside.
From there, Chelsea took control. Neto ghosted unmarked into the box to volley home Pedro’s delivery, before teenage sensation Estêvão — Palmer’s replacement — teed up Enzo Fernández for a tap-in, becoming the youngest Chelsea player to record a Premier League assist.
The Hammers’ defensive frailties were ruthlessly exposed again as goalkeeper Mads Hermansen fumbled a corner, allowing Moisés Caicedo to pounce for Chelsea’s fourth. Trevoh Chalobah added a fifth shortly after the hour, capping a dominant showing that had many home supporters heading for the exits.
West Ham rallied briefly, with Kyle Walker-Peters forcing a goalmouth clearance, but Chelsea threatened a sixth as Estêvão’s late strike was deflected wide.
The heavy defeat piled more pressure on West Ham boss Graham Potter, who remains winless in eight meetings against Chelsea. For Maresca’s men, the emphatic display marked their 33rd league victory over the Hammers — more than against any club other than Tottenham.
