

After overcoming an early deficit, Chelsea defeated West Ham 5-1 on Friday to secure a decisive victory. Lucas Paqueta gave West Ham the lead early on, pointing to his club emblem as he joyfully celebrated being exonerated of any wrongdoing related to spot-fixing. Chelsea's quick response saw Joao Pedro score from a corner. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez increased the lead, while Trevoh Chalobah and Moises Caicedo took advantage of errors made by Mads Hermansen, West Ham's new custodian, to finish the thumping.
Chelsea were without Cole Palmer, who withdrew during warm-up due to a muscle injury. His absence gave Brazilian youngster Estevao his first Premier League start. Estevao impressed with his pace and assisted Fernandez for Chelsea’s third goal. West Ham’s limited transfer activity this summer and errors from £20 million goalkeeper Hermansen contributed to the heavy defeat. Caicedo scored Chelsea’s fourth, and Chalobah added the fifth after Hermansen mishandled another corner.