Lady luck shone on Chelsea as they hauled themselves back into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
Jarrod Bowen gave West Ham the lead late in the first half when he latched onto Levi Colwill’s loose backpass and slotted home past Filip Jorgensen, who was handed a start in goal ahead of Robert Sanchez.
But Pedro Neto, one of four Chelsea substitutes sent on after just 15 minutes of the second half had elapsed, levelled things up when he blasted home at the far post after Enzo Fernandez’s shot cannoned off the leg of Vladimir Coufal.
And then, as Chelsea completed their comeback, they were indebted to a huge slice of good fortune as Cole Palmer drove into the box and saw his left-footed cross divert off the boot of Aaron Wan-Bissaka before looping devilishly over the head of Alphonse Areola and into the net.
Simon Johnson breaks down the main talking points from a much-needed Chelsea win.
How did Jorgensen fare in Sanchez’s place?
Chelsea fans were focusing on which keeper would be on the Chelsea team sheet as much as any late dramatic moves in the transfer window.
Head coach Enzo Maresca said he would leave it late to decide whether to stick with Robert Sanchez or replace him with Filip Jorgensen.
Sanchez has come under increasing pressure from the crowd of late due to some high-profile errors and some of his touches have been greeted with boos and jeers.
So perhaps it was no surprise Maresca opted to go for Jorgensen, who was making just his third Premier League start since joining from Villarreal in the summer.
When his name was read out before kick-off, there was an almighty roar from the crowd, perhaps the loudest of the night.
However, it did not take long for the tension surrounding Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation to be heard at Stamford Bridge. A fumbled cross from Andy Irving, gathered at the second attempt, drew audible gasps.
There was a repeat soon afterwards when he took a bit too long to clear out from the back under pressure from the West Ham press.
He produced a smart save from Bowen at the near post to lift his and the supporter’s confidence. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop the England man from giving West Ham the lead at the break.
Picking the ball out of the net was one of the last noticeable things he had to do as Chelsea pushed West Ham back again and again.
The Denmark Under-21 international must have been a relieved man to see the ball at the other end for long periods although there was one more hairy moment late on when he gave the ball away and Tosin Adarabioyo was forced to make a goal-line block to deny Mohammed Kudus.
Nonetheless, it would be a surprise if he doesn’t start against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and deny Sanchez the opportunity to face his old side.
Why Chelsea won’t sign a Sanchez replacement – but it might be time to look at Jorgensen
Maresca gets one over one of his predecessors
This was a match between a former Chelsea head coach who struggled in the past under pressure at this club and one beginning to feel it now.
Graham Potter was making his first return to Stamford Bridge as manager since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023. The Englishman paid the price for a disappointing seven months in charge and spent 21 months out of a job before taking over at West Ham.
You could tell how much this fixture meant to him from the opening minute, with Potter clearly desperate to prove a point.
He was animated on the touchline, urging his players on and jumping up and down in frustration whenever West Ham went close to scoring. That was particularly the case when Kudus sent a header against the post at 1-1. He did a 180 and shouted an obscenity. It was arguably the most passion Chelsea fans had ever seen from him in the dugout at this stadium.
This was also one of the best tactical displays Chelsea will have seen from him, too. West Ham were well organised defensively, shutting down Palmer in particular while always looking to counter.
The onus was on Maresca to change it. There were boos at the half-time whistle as those in the home end made it clear they were not impressed with what they were seeing.
Maresca had seen enough from a limp opening seven minutes of the second half and made his first double substitution, bringing off the ineffective Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson for Pedro Neto and Marc Guiu. He turned to his bench again nine minutes later, with Reece James and Noni Madueke making way for Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto. It worked.
When Palmer’s deflected effort off Wan-Bissaka completed the turnaround, it was Maresca’s turn to go wild on the sidelines, knowing full well what a massive result this was for him and the team.
Are Chelsea changing too much at centre-back?
Chelsea have not been that solid defensively all season but it has deteriorated since Maresca began rotating his back line on a regular basis.
In fairness to the Chelsea head coach, he did not have much choice to start with, due to a hamstring injury sustained by Colwill’s regular partner Wesley Fofana in December. That was soon followed by Benoit Badiashile being ruled out with the same issue.
Maresca has tried Tosin Adarabioyo, Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah alongside the England international, and they had won just once in seven league matches going into Monday night’s clash.
It was Tosin’s latest chance tonight and his first start alongside Colwill since Chelsea lost 2-0 to Ipswich Town on December 30.
Centre-back partnerships rely on building an understanding and it is no coincidence that Colwill’s form has dropped in recent weeks.
And it may have played a part in the ill-advised backpass that set up Bowen to score the opening goal in the 42nd minute, although he had looked flustered anyway by all the pressure Kudus was putting on him from the get-go.
What did Enzo Maresca say?
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told BBC Match of the Day: “Today was a tough game, especially mentally. When West Ham come here and sit back with 10 players behind the ball, it’s not easy, so you have to be mentally strong and you need to be patient.
“We had more than 10 shots in the first half. We had clear chances in the first half but unfortunately, we missed the target. With some changes the game completely changed. Overall, we completely deserved to win the game.”
What next for Chelsea?
Saturday, February 8: Brighton (Away), FA Cup fourth round, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET
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(Top photo: Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
