Chelsea recovered from 2-0 down at half-time to win a Premier League match for the very first time, with Enzo Fernandez scoring in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 win over West Ham.
Match Report
Nuno Espirito Santo's resurgent Hammers were on course for a third straight Premier League win at the interval, having ruthlessly punished a lacklustre Chelsea display.
Having made six changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace last week, Liam Rosenior saw his team fall behind when Jarrod Bowen's seventh-minute cross curled all the way in.
Crysencio Summerville's fizzing finish doubled West Ham's tally in the 36th minute, leading to Rosenior making three changes at half-time, introducing Joao Pedro, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella, and all three had key roles to play in Chelsea's fightback.
Fofana stepped out of the backline to supply a wonderful cross as Joao Pedro made it 2-1 in the 57th minute, then Cucurella pounced with a diving header to make it 2-2, after Liam Delap nodded against the crossbar under pressure from Maximilian Kilman.
Jean-Clair Todibo somehow prodded against the post with the goal gaping, and Chelsea made that reprieve count as Joao Pedro cut the ball back for Fernandez to sweep home, on the eve of the three-year anniversary of his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Tempers then boiled over in the closing stages, and Todibo was sent off for grabbing Joao Pedro around the throat, compounding West Ham's woes.
They remain 18th, five points adrift of Nottingham Forest, while Chelsea climb into the top four ahead of Manchester United's meeting with Fulham on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Chelsea show powers of recovery
Chelsea had never before tasted victory in a Premier League match after trailing by at least two goals at half-time, while it is only West Ham's second defeat in the competition after leading 2-0 at the interval (also 2-3 versus Wigan Athletic in May 2011).
Rosenior may have been regretting his decision to shuffle his pack at half-time, but his substitutions made the difference.
In Joao Pedro and Cucurella, this was the first instance of two substitutes scoring for Chelsea in a single Premier League match since September 2022 – also against West Ham (Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz).
And Joao Pedro's goal, assisted by Fofana, was the first time two substitutes combined to score a Premier League goal for Chelsea since Jadon Sancho assisted Christopher Nkunku's winner against Bournemouth in September 2024.
At the end of 101 chaotic minutes, Rosenior became the fourth Englishman to win his first three matches as a Premier League manager, after Bobby Gould in August 1992, Sam Allardyce in August 2001 and Craig Shakespeare (first five) in April 2017.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
4' Garnacho finds Enzo who has a shot blocked
7' GOAL! Bowen opens the scoring early to stun the hosts! Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
13' Highlight from Chelsea vs West Ham
15' Match Event for Chelsea vs West Ham
19' Palmer has a free-kick saved by the keeper
27' Jamie Gittens is unable to continue and is replaced by Pedro Neto
32' Caicedo slices a shot so badly that it almost goes out for a throw-in
36' GOAL! Summerville scores a stunner to double the lead! Chelsea 0-2 West Ham
39' Diouf appears to catch Pedro Neto in the face with his trailing arm
48' Mateus stings the palms of Sanchez with a vicious shot from the edge of the box
51' Highlight from Chelsea vs West Ham
56' Cucurella produces a brilliant low cross, but Delap can't get proper contact
57' GOAL! Pedro rises high to nod into the bottom corner! Chelsea 1-2 West Ham
64' Super save from Areola to tip a Caicedo piledriver over the crossbar
68' Castellanos drags his shot narrowly wide of Robert Sanchez's far post
70' GOAL! Cucurella nets the rebound with a diving header! Chelsea 2-2 West Ham
74' Another Cucurella on the stand?
86' Match Event for Chelsea vs West Ham
90' Highlight from Chelsea vs West Ham
Line-ups
Chelsea XI: Trevoh Chalobah, Robert Sánchez, Badiashile, Cole Palmer, Enzo, Caicedo, Gusto, Garnacho, Liam Delap, Gittens, Jorrel Hato
Subs: Cucurella, Reece James, Pedro Neto, Wesley Fofana, João Pedro, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, Guiu
West Ham XI: Areola, Soucek, Bowen, Mavropanos, Wan-Bissaka, Taty Castellanos, Todibo, Crysencio Summerville, Pablo, Mateus Fernandes, El Hadji Malick Diouf
Subs: Callum Wilson, Traore, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Mads Hermansen, Freddie Potts, Soungoutou Magassa, Oliver Scarles, Mohamadou Kanté
talknorris
300
Super sub! No Chelsea fan will pass without liking this guy.
AFerZfWS8043
187
Well Deserved !! I don’t care about what happens later in the season, but this coach has brought back the fighting spirit in the team !!! 🫡🫡
Jheart
132
Let’s appreciate our coach, he may be bad in starting lineup but he knows how to make good changes. 💪💪💪
VIKINGSB
93
WHAT A COME BACK! IF I DIE BURY ME IN CHELSEA'S KITS CUZ I MAY COME BACK!...
Samclef123
76
Chelsea u really proved to be called World champion tonight,what a terrific comeback as a match. I give u my accolades,u earn my respect tonight.
Amgnonijunior
60
One minute of silence for those who missed the game😳😳 what a game what a comeback KTBFFH 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Andredu
41
If you want to check out the gif, just click here: https://www.matchgif.com/v2/live/matchGifs?match_id=54154477&language=en
AmanuelyohanisHail
37
2nd half was unbleavable,... like if u love chelsea
Crgoat7
25
proudly Chelsea fan🤗🤗🤗🤗
tepcilns
22
It's time we start using our best players to play matches, enough of all this average players being used to play important matches. Every game in Epl is very important now. the fight for the champion's league spot has just started. Secondly, not every time Chelsea will be lucky to come from behind to win a match.
ice411
12
What a comeback though 😮🔥 From 2–0 down at halftime to win 3–2? That’s proper character. The subs changed the game, the tempo went up, and you could feel the belief once the first goal went in. That’s the kind of mentality Chelsea fans have been crying for.
boedklmnsu
11
Thanks be to Almighty God for giving us this great opportunity.
Akposky1
10
Adam Traore to Pedro "You nor deh fear me and my chest"?? 🤣🤣🤣
Sebabdiouz
9
If it took players like Joao Pedro, Cucurella and Enzo Fremandez to come from the bench to beat 3-2 against West Ham who led Chelsea 2-0 during the first half, then there is piont retaining the services of Badiashile, Delap, Gittens, Garnacho , Aderabiyo, etc. These players are simply below Chelsea standard. They are earning their fat salaries without any commensurate return on investment by Chelsea owners. These incompetent players are just occupying space and blocking chance for really competent players to come in. They must be sacked from Chelsea immediately!
ice411
9
The hammers thought they had hammered but were instead hammered ... 😊😁🤣... Its called the Roseinor effect.... serious comebacks 🙏
Zakcdinrz
8
Thank God Gittens won’t play in the next coming games. Speedy recovery to him though!
ice411
8
The difference between Garnacho and Cockroach is just the arrangement of letters
Horlahyemi
8
Man Utd should come and take their Garnacho back Ajax should come and take their Hato back and anyone interested in Badiashile should come get him for free