West Ham United 1-5 Chelsea
Premier League, London Stadium, Friday 22 August 2025, 8pm BST
West Ham United’s difficult start to the 2025/26 Premier League season continued with a 5-1 home defeat by Chelsea on Friday evening.
After a bright start from the team in Claret and Blue the game turned in the Blues’ favour on the length of Jean-Clair Todibo’s boot.
West Ham had taken the lead through Lucas Paquetá’s 25-yard thunderbolt inside six minutes, raising hopes of a welcome home victory. The goal, created by a Nayef Aguerd challenge and an El Hadji Malick Diouf pass, was celebrated by the Brazilian’s trademark dance.
Those hopes were reduced when João Pedro headed in Marc Cucurella’s flick-on from a Pedro Neto corner on the quarter-hour mark.
Moments later, though, Todibo latched onto Paquetá’s pass and cut the ball back. Maximilian Kilman’s initial shot hit Jarrod Bowen and the ball span into the path of Füllkrug, who drove into the Chelsea net.
London Stadium erupted. Füllkrug grinned. Paquetá danced again.
However, the cheers dissipated, the German’s smile disappeared and Paquetá stopped dancing when VAR Jarred Gillett confirmed the French defender was offside, only marginally, but offside nonetheless.
By half-time, Chelsea had built a 3-1 lead with two goals that left Head Coach Graham Potter shaking his head, converted from a combined total of about eight yards by Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández.
First, on 23 minutes, Paquetá was robbed by Moisés Caicedo, perhaps illegally, on the edge of his own penalty area. Malo Gusto collected the loose ball, crossed and Neto nipped in front of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to half-volley past Mads Hermansen.
Then, on 34, Dane had no chance again as Estêvão latched into Liam Delap’s lay-off, sped towards the byline and centred for Fernández to score.
West Ham’s response before half-time was restricted to two overheads from Paquetá and Bowen, both easily saved by Sánchez, and a Bowen shot blocked by Cucurella.
Potter replaced Füllkrug and Jean-Clair Todibo with Callum Wilson and Freddie Potts at the break – the former for his home debut and the latter for his first Premier League appearance.
Fernández could have made it 4-1 on 50 minutes, but skied Neto’s cross from the penalty spot.
Caicedo then did make it 4-1 on 54, poking in after Hermansen failed to catch Fernández’s inswinging corner.
And it was 5-1 on 58 from another corner as João Pedro headed down and Trevoh Chalobah fired in.
With a four-goal lead, Chelsea relented and West Ham created chances for a consolation, but Wilson nodded wide, Sánchez acrobatically tipped Potts’ shot over the crossbar and both Kilman and Aguerd headed over.
Kilman’s block prevented Estêvão netting a Chelsea sixth, but Potter and his players will need to dig deep to turn things around, starting with a Carabao Cup second-round tie at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday evening.
West Ham United: Hermansen, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo (Potts HT), Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Ward-Prowse, Souček (Walker-Peters 69), Paquetá, Bowen ©, Füllkrug (Wilson HT)
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Scarles, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Irving, Marshall
Goal: Paquetá 6
Chelsea: Sánchez, Gusto (James 69), Tosin, Chalobah (Fofana 69), Cucurella (Hato 69), Caicedo, Fernández ©, Neto, Estêvão (Gittens 77), Pedro, Delap (Santos 61)
Subs: Jörgensen (GK), Gaga (GK), Acheampong, Essugo
Goals: Pedro 15, Neto 23, Fernández 34, Caicedo 54, Chalobah 58
Booked: Hato
Referee: Michael Oliver
Attendance: 62,462
