Chelsea staged a stunning comeback to crush West Ham United 5-1 at the London Stadium on Friday, piling more pressure on Hammers’ manager Graham Potter, just two games into the new Premier League season.
Lucas Paqueta’s spectacular strike had briefly lifted West Ham hopes, but the Blues quickly responded with goals from Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah to seal a dominant win.
The result lifted Chelsea to the top of the Premier League for the first time since December 2021, while Potter — who previously endured a turbulent seven-month stint at Stamford Bridge before being sacked in 2023 — faces renewed scrutiny after a poor start that included a 3-0 defeat to Sunderland on opening weekend.
Despite losing Cole Palmer to injury in the warm-up, Chelsea’s new Brazilian sensation Estevao impressed on his full league debut, setting up Fernandez for the third goal. Meanwhile, West Ham’s new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen endured a nightmare outing, committing costly errors that gifted Chelsea two goals.
Thousands of home supporters left early as the Blues took full control, leaving Potter’s future uncertain after managing just five wins in 21 games since taking charge in January.
