Chelsea 1-0 West Ham: Player Ratings as Pulisic scores last-minute winner

The Blues returned to winning ways by claiming a narrow win over West Ham.

Chelsea defeated West Ham 1-0 in their Premier League derby on Sunday. Thomas Tuchel’s side bounced back from their last week’s loss against Arsenal as the Hammers failed to leapfrog Manchester United.

Pulisic gets it done at Stamford Bridge!

Chelsea established their dominance early on at their home stadium but did not find too many chances during the first half.

As soon as the second period started, however, the Blues showed significant signs of improvement. Their shaky backline provided a few chances for the Hammers to score the opener.

But Chelsea’s control of possession ultimately led to more and more goalscoring opportunities in the final 20 minutes. Following a few missed chances by Timo Werner and Mason Mount, the hosts saw West Ham go a man down in the 86th minute.

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Following a quick run from Romelu Lukaku, Craig Dawson brought the Belgian striker down inside the box. The referee awarded the Blues with a penalty in addition to sending off Dawson.

It seemed like a perfect chance for Chelsea to seal off the win, but Jorginho missed the penalty. The Blues, however, intensified their attacks and finally clinched the match-winner in the 90th minute.

An inch-perfect cut-back from Marcos Alonso found Christian Pulisic, who smashed a precise low shot into the bottom corner of the net as soon as he received the ball.

What’s next for Chelsea?

Chelsea stay third in the Premier League, five points ahead of Arsenal as their closest rivals. With so many in-form teams pushing for a top-four finish, the Blues must keep on winning to hold on to their Champions League qualification.

Tuchel’s side will face Manchester United in their next league game at Old Trafford.

Player Ratings

Chelsea: Mendy (7), Azpilicueta (7), Silva (7), Christensen (7), Loftus-Cheek (7), Kante (7), Jorginho (6), Alonso (7), Mount (6), Werner (6), Havertz (5).

Bench: Pulisic (7), Ziyech (6), Lukaku (6).

West Ham: Fabianski (8), Coufal (6), Dawson (5), Cresswell (6), Johnson (7), Soucek (7), Noble (6), Masuaku (6), Fornals (5), Benrahma (5), Yarmolenko (6).

Bench: Rice (6), Bowen (5), Lanzini (5).