Chelsea Back To The Top Four After Successful Comeback Against West Ham

Chelsea turned things around for three points at home to West Ham United (Instagram/@chelseafc).

JAKARTA - Chelsea got up to beat their former manager Graham Potter's side, West Ham United, with a score of 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

The goal of substitute Pedro Neto (64') and Aaron Wan-Bissaka's own goal (74') after falling behind through Jarrod Bowen's goal (42') lifting the Blues back to fourth in the Premier League on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

Portuguese player Joao Felix is not included in Chelsea's squad because the forward is in the process of completing a loan to AC Milan before the winter transfer window closes.

The result brings Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester City who are in fifth place and Newcastle United in sixth place, and four points adrift of Nottingham Forest who are in third place.

Jarrod Bowen, in his first game after missing a month from a broken leg, put Hammers ahead when he used feedback from defender Levi Colwill three minutes before halftime. He fired a left-footed shot that Filip Jorgensen failed to reach.

The goal brought the match into life after the chaotic first half. Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, and Jadon Sancho then had a good chance, but failed to produce goals.

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made sure West Ham took the lead in the first half as he parried Palmer's free kick over the crossbar three minutes after the opener.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, who was recently criticized for failing to make substitutions on time, added Neto to replace Sancho and Marc Guiu to shift Nicolas Jackson seven minutes into the second half.

The hosts looked even more excited after making the change. The Portuguese winger, Neto, immediately equalized in the 64th minute after getting the ball from Fernandez's bouncing shot. After a long VAR check to find out about the offside, the goal was approved.

Palmer scored a winning goal 10 minutes later, with his cross deflected by Wan-Bissaka into his own net which left West Ham coach Potter desperate to return to Stamford Bridge.

It was Chelsea's second win in their last eight league games.

"It's amazing. It was a difficult game, especially mentally. It was never easy when the team came here and waited and defended."

"You have to be patient. There is no room, you have to move the ball and wait for the right moment."

"In the second half we got up and overall we deserved to win the game. They are waiting for our fault and you must not be frustrated," said Maresca.

Chelsea tried to score a third goal with chances for Palmer and Fernandez, but West Ham was always thwarted.

Jorgensen, who was chosen to replace the fault-prone Robert Sanchez, thwarted the visitors' chances through Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos in the final minutes.

"This victory comes from a very important lag for us. We have to be consistent, this is the most important thing," Neto told Sky Sports.

The return of Chelsea in the last four was positively welcomed by Maresca. He will try his best to defend the Champions League zone.

"We were there and hopefully we can stay there until the end."

"Playing in a game like this in February, where we were still there, was an important statement."

"It was a good weekend for us in terms of results and we knew today would be better," said Maresca.

Meanwhile, the result disappointed Potter, who was sacked in April 2023 after failing to find a winning formula in seven months on duty at Chelsea.

The 49-year-old has only been in West Ham for less than a month with two defeats, one draw, and one league win so far. However, Bowen was delighted by the progress of the team under Potter.

"The performance has been much better since the new manager came. It's a good time to get back to the squad. I wish us a good future," said Bowen.

West Ham, who are 15th with 27 points, have now won one of their last 19 league games at Chelsea, four draws and lost 14 times.