LONDON :Chelsea came from a goal down to thrash a hapless West Ham United 5-1 on Friday and pile more pressure on home manager Graham Potter after two heavy Premier League defeats in as many matches.
Lucas Paqueta got the hosts off to a dream start when he unleashed a swirling shot past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez with six minutes on the clock but Chelsea hit back in the 15th through a Joao Pedro header and the floodgates opened.
After West Ham had a Niclas Fullkrug effort ruled offside, Pedro Neto sent Chelsea ahead on the volley in the 23rd and Enzo Fernandez made it 3-1 from close range on 34 after a pass from Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian.
Moises Caicedo added a fourth in the 54th, after goalkeeper Mads Hermansen pushed the ball to him off a corner, and Trevoh Chalobah became the fifth Chelsea player on the London Stadium scoresheet four minutes later.
Pedro’s goal, with the ball flicked on by Marc Cucurella off a corner, was the Brazilian’s first in the league for the Blues since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion last month.
The commanding scoreline in the cross-town London derby came despite Chelsea’s midfield talisman Cole Palmer being ruled out after he felt discomfort on the pitch during the pre-match warmup.
Manager Enzo Maresca told reporters the England international had “felt something” and went off as a precaution, with Estevao taking his place and Chelsea hitting their stride regardless.
The visitors were also without striker Nicolas Jackson, who was left out of the squad despite being available as the West Londoners await a possible transfer.
The result came as a welcome relief for the Club World Cup champions after their goalless opening draw against FA Cup holders Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
“I think in the last game we missed something. I think we don’t play our style but I think today, at the beginning, we started a little bit sloppy but the reaction from the team was very good. We showed a lot of energy,” said Cucurella.
The sense of foreboding at West Ham, already added to the list of possible relegation candidates after a 3-0 drubbing at promoted Sunderland in their opening game, only deepened.
The eight goals conceded in two matches is the most West Ham have shipped at such a stage in the top flight.
Their manager, serenaded by Chelsea fans singing ‘There’s only one Graham Potter’ at their former boss, has won five of 20 league games since he took over in January.
He is also the first West Ham manager to fail to get into double figures on points in his first 10 home Premier League games.
“To concede the goals in the manner we have gives us an impossible task,” Potter told Sky Sports television.
“When they’re cheap, like the ones we gave away, we have to do better.
“The team isn’t performing as well as we’d like and the results aren’t what we want. I have to take that responsibility. We’re not getting the most out of the players.”
Potter, who was also a teammate of Maresca at West Bromwich Albion in the 1990s when they shared rides to training, was a bookmakers’ favourite even before kickoff as a prime candidate for the sack.
Some West Ham fans were already heading for the exits before the break, with boos greeting the halftime whistle, and the exodus continued in the second half as the rout continued and Chelsea coasted to an easy win.
