West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea: Player ratings as ten-man Hammers soar to victory

West Ham United handed Mauricio Pochettino his first defeat as Chelsea boss following a thrilling 3-1 victory over the Blues at the London Stadium.

James Ward-Prowse enjoyed a debut to remember, helping the Hammers achieve the resounding feat with two assists to his name.

The set piece specialist only needed seven minutes to affect the game as his pin-point corner kick picked out Nayef Aguerd, who rose above Conor Gallagher to break the deadlock.

Much like last weekend, the Blues needed a response, and Nicolas Jackson offered plenty of encouragement as he made himself a handful for the Hammers’ backline.

The Senegalese striker nearly earned Chelsea a chance to level the scoreline, but a marginal offside call robbed him of a penalty before he sent two efforts over the crossbar.

Pochettino’s side controlled the game, and their effort was rewarded before the half-hour mark as Carney Chukwuemeka showed quick feet to create space for a shot before lashing home his first Chelsea goal.

The Blues continued to dominate possession and were handed a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot when Soucek took down Raheem Sterling with a clumsy foul.

However, his goalkeeper Alphonse Areola came to his rescue as he popped up with an emphatic stop to deny Enzo Fernandez his first Chelsea goal.

It only got worse for the Blues from there as goalscorer Chukwuemeka hobbled off with a concerning injury on the stroke of half-time.

Both sides went into the break with nothing to separate them, but West Ham restored their advantage within eight minutes of the restart.

Ward-Prowse was the architect again, setting Michail Antonio away with a through ball, and the Jamaican took his chance with aplomb, rifling a fierce effort beyond Robert Sanchez’s reach.

The Hammers set out to defend their advantage after Antonio’s strike, but Aguerd made their task more difficult in the 68th minute, picking up a second booking for a needless tackle on Jackson.

Despite the setback, David Moyes’ side stood tall to repel a late barrage from Chelsea before Lucas Paqueta sealed maximum points for the Hammers from the spot.

Moises Caicedo had a nightmare debut and conceded a penalty that the Brazilian cooly slotted home, adding to Chelsea’s misery at the London Stadium.

Profligacy proved to be Chelsea’s downfall in the derby, and the supporters will have to wait even longer to see their side pick up a first victory under Pochettino.

Today’s display was a step down from their hugely impressive outing against Liverpool last weekend, and it’s back to the drawing board for Pochettino and his staff.

West Ham United

Alphonse Areola (8/10) – Was a commanding presence between the sticks and saved a penalty to ensure his side went into the break level.

Vladimir Coufal (6/10) – Won the battle against Chilwell but struggled to cope with Mudryk’s pace and trickery.

Kurt Zouma (6/10) – A solid performance against his former employers.

Nayef Aguerd (5/10) – Gave his side the lead with a thumping header but struggled to contain Jackson and ultimately got his marching orders for a needless challenge on the Senegalese striker.

Emerson Palmieri (6/10) – Had a tough time dealing with Sterling but was hugely impressive for the Hammers.

James Ward-Prowse (7/10) – Lost the ball in dangerous areas one too many times but was good value for Moyes’ side with two assists to his name.

Tomas Soucek (5/10) – Was clumsy to give away a penalty and had his goalkeeper to thank for sparing his blushes.

Said Benrahma (5/10) – Struggled to affect the game from Gusto’s back pocket and was subsequently replaced in the latter stages.

Lucas Paqueta (7/10) – Was one of the better performers for the Hammers and cooly slotted home a penalty to bag a winning return for his team.

Jarrod Bowen (5/10) –  Had one or two moments, but the game largely passed him by.

Michail Antonio (7/10) – An anonymous first-half display from the Jamaican, but popped up with a fierce strike to restore West Ham’s lead in the second period.

Substitutes

Angelo Ogbonna (5/10)

Pablo Fornals (4/10)

Edson Alvarez (4/10)

Chelsea

Robert Sanchez (4/10) – Nothing he could do about West Ham’s opener. Made a vital stop at the dying embers to keep the Blues in the game.

Axel Disasi (4/10) – An uncompelling performance from the Frenchman. Should have done better to prevent Antonio’s strike.

Thiago Silva (6/10) – Was a commanding yet calming influence at the back and vital to Chelsea’s build-up play, per usual.

Levi Colwill (6/10) – A solid display from the Cobham graduate. Locked down the left-hand side and stopped Bowen from making any meaningful impact.

Malo Gusto (5/10) – Solid defensively but offered next to nothing in the attacking phase until the latter stages of the game.

Ben Chilwell (5/10) – An unconvincing performance from the stand-in skipper. Had a torrid time dealing with Coufal and offered little in attack. Was rightly taken off on the hour mark.

Conor Gallagher (5/10) – Gave away a cheap corner and allowed Aguerd a free header at the back post. A contrasting performance from the opening game against Liverpool.

Enzo Fernandez (5/10) – Spurned a chance to give his side the lead from the penalty spot and was made to rue his miss. But dictated proceedings with aplomb.

Carney Chukwuemeka (7/10) – Couldn’t have picked a better time to score his first Chelsea goal. The Blues will be biting their fingernails in anticipation of his diagnosis after sustaining what looked to be a serious injury on the stroke of half-time.

Raheem Sterling (7/10) – Arguably his best performance in a Chelsea shirt. Was a constant threat to the opposition defence and deserved a goal for his efforts.

Nicolas Jackson (6/10) – Was a handful for the Hammers backline. Did nearly everything right and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet.

Substitutes

Mykhaylo Mudryk (4/10)

Moises Caicedo (3/10)

Noni Madueke (4/10)

Mason Burstow (NA)