Chelsea put in a commanding performance against West Ham United to secure a 3-0 win and their third of the Premier League season.
The Blues put their London rivals to the sword, dominating in transition to dispatch the Hammers. It was their second away win in the top flight this term, after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 at Molineux.
Nicolas Jackson scored two goals in the opening 18 minutes to put his side in a very comfortable position before even a quarter of the game had gone by. His first came from a pass by Jadon Sancho, which the Senegalese striker met with great intent, driving into the Hammers box and slotting through Alphonse Areola’s legs.
His second was set up by a carving pass by Moises Caicedo, who also put in a superb showing. It split the Hammers’ defence open, and Jackson simply ran onto it and slotted home with the outside of his foot.
The 22-year-old set up the Blues’ third. It was scored by Cole Palmer to give his side an almost unassailable lead.
There were some superb performances from Chelsea, not least from Jackson and Caicedo. Palmer was as superb as ever and continued his sparkling form in a Chelsea shirt.
Palmer’s stats vs. West Ham
It has been a simply astounding start to life at Chelsea for England international Palmer. As per StatMuse on X, the 22-year-old has 39 combined goals and assists in 38 Premier League games for the West London outfit. With 16 goals and 11 assists, he is the only player in the English top flight with ten or more goals and ten or more assists in 2024, according to StatMuse.
On Saturday, he was no different, getting on the end of Jackson’s pass, driving into the Hammers’ penalty box and firing past French goalkeeper Areola, into the top corner, before dropping his iconic ‘Cold Palmer’ celebration. It was a superb finish from the Manchester City academy graduate.
The attacker’s stats, via Sofascore, were also impressive. Palmer had 30 touches of the ball at the London Stadium, with a 78% pass accuracy, He created one big chance, won five fouls and an impressive six out of eight ground duels.
Tom Olver of The Metro also thought the 22-year-old was impressive in East London. He gave Chelsea’s number 20 an 8/10 for his efforts, praising him for the way he ‘combined brilliantly’ with Jackson for the third goal.
It was not just Palmer who impressed at the London Stadium, with another of his teammates also putting in an impressive performance.
Tosin Adarabioyo’s stats vs. West Ham
The player in question here is defender Tosin Adarabioyo. After joining on a free transfer in the summer, the 26-year-old, who is also formerly of the Man City academy, made his first Premier League start for the Blues.
It is perhaps no coincidence that Enzo Maresca’s side kept back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season with Adarabioyo in the side. Although he only played 28 minutes in the previous game against Bournemouth, he helped the Blues keep a 1-0 lead intact and was crucial against the Hammers, too.
The former Fulham defender had 61 touches at the London Stadium, more than Palmer, and had an 88% pass accuracy to go with that. He also made an impressive five clearances, showing just how important his defensive contributions were. Adarabioyo also completed one dribble, at a success rate of 100%.
Stat
Number
Touches
61
Pass accuracy
88%
Passes completed
45/51
Clearances
5
Dribble success rate
100%
Ground duels won
2/3
His performance was also rated highly by Olver, who gave him an 8/10 rating just like Palmer received. The Metro journalist credited the defender for being ‘an assured presence at the back’ against Julen Lopetegui’s side.
He has certainly shown he has the quality to start at centre-back for Chelsea. Given he now has helped keep two clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, Maresca must surely continue to back Adarabioyo and give him another start next up against Brighton.
On the evidence of yesterday’s showing, the summer signing has certainly warranted an extended run in the side.
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