Chelsea produced a comeback for the ages at Stamford Bridge, overturning a two-goal half-time deficit to defeat West Ham United 3-2 in a pulsating Premier League London derby and surge into the top four, Softfootball reports.
Fresh from a dramatic UEFA Champions League comeback win over Napoli in midweek, Liam Rosenior rang the changes to his starting XI, but the early signs suggested the gamble had backfired. West Ham burst out of the blocks and took the lead inside the opening quarter-hour, Jarrod Bowen’s teasing delivery from the right sneaking past Robert Sánchez at the far post to continue the Hammers’ habit of fast starts.
Chelsea struggled badly to gain a foothold, with Cole Palmer unable to spark life into a disjointed attack. West Ham repeatedly found joy down the flanks, and their superiority was rewarded again nine minutes before the break. Bowen was involved once more, this time feeding Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose cut-back was emphatically finished by Crysencio Summerville to give the visitors a deserved 2-0 cushion at the interval.
The atmosphere turned hostile at the break, but Rosenior reacted decisively, introducing João Pedro, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella. The changes transformed the contest. After Sánchez kept Chelsea alive with saves from Bowen and Mateus Fernandes, Fofana surged forward and delivered a pinpoint cross that João Pedro nodded home to ignite the comeback.
Momentum swung firmly in Chelsea’s favour. Alphonse Areola was forced into an outstanding save to deny Moisés Caicedo from distance, but the pressure eventually told. Malo Gusto’s looping header struck the bar via Max Kilman, and Cucurella reacted quickest to smash in the rebound and level the scores.
Both sides had chances to win it, with West Ham agonisingly close when Jean-Clair Todibo struck the post from close range. However, it was Chelsea who delivered the decisive blow deep into stoppage time, as João Pedro’s clever pull-back was calmly turned home by Enzo Fernández, sealing a remarkable turnaround on the anniversary of his arrival at the club.
After the game, Chelsea shared via its official X handle an exclusive photo mash up celebrating the winner of tonight’s game Enzo Fernandez as he reached a new milestone of 150 games played for the blues. They posted:
The victory marks the first time Chelsea have ever won a Premier League match after trailing by two goals at half-time, extending the feel-good factor after their midweek Champions League heroics against Napoli. Attention now turns to domestic cup duty, with the Blues heading to the Emirates for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final against Arsenal, trailing 3-2 and hoping to summon yet another unforgettable comeback.
