Chelsea’s new signings and young players produced a brilliant display of football on Friday night. Without injured star Cole Palmer, the Club World Cup winners crushed West Ham 5-1 in the Premier League.
Palmer felt muscle soreness in the warm-up and could not play. His absence worried some fans. But Chelsea quickly showed there was nothing to fear.
West Ham struck first at the London Stadium. Lucas Paqueta scored in the sixth minute after Estevao lost the ball.
Chelsea responded with style. New signing Joao Pedro scored the equaliser in the 15th minute, his first league goal for the club.
Soon after, Pedro Neto made it 2-1. Captain Enzo Fernandez tapped in the third after a fine assist from Estevao.
Moises Caicedo celebrated his 100th appearance with a goal after the break. Academy product Trevoh Chalobah then scored the fifth from a corner.
Chelsea had five different goalscorers. Every player stepped up in Palmer’s absence.
Eighteen-year-old Brazil winger Estevao earned the man of the match award. He created Fernandez’s goal with a perfect pass across the box. That assist made him the youngest Chelsea player to provide one in the Premier League.
He could have scored in the second half. In the 73rd minute, he was clear on goal but hesitated too long.
Despite that miss, Estevao impressed fans and teammates. Left back Marc Cucurella praised his maturity and smart decisions. “He is young but very mature. All the new players brought great energy and talent,” Cucurella said.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp praised Chelsea’s control after going behind. “They stayed calm, they were aggressive, they pressed hard, and Caicedo was a monster in midfield,” he said.
The win pushed Chelsea to the top of the table, at least for one night. Chelsea looked like a side ready to compete for big prizes this season.