Witness Jackson’s stellar performance as Chelsea secures a commanding 3-0 victory over West Ham. Explore highlights and analysis of this dominant display.
Introduction:
But Chelsea extended its unbeaten run under Enzo Maresca with a dominant 3-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League. Nicolas Jackson was the difference-man: he scored twice for himself and set up one for Cole Palmer as the Blues feasted on West Ham’s fragile defense.
Jackson’s Early Brilliance Puts Chelsea in Control
Chelsea were in control of the opening stages as Jackson did not take any more than four minutes to score the first goal at the expense of West Ham’s defense. Ball broke through Alphonse Areola’s legs after well-timed Jadon Sancho pass who got his first start in Chelsea. The contribution from Sancho this time came when he provided pass to Christopher Nkunku’s winner against Bournemouth during the previous week.
See also: Nkunku’s Late Goal Secures a Vital 1-0 Victory for Chelsea
Jackson netted his second 14 minutes later. This time, having been fed an excellent through-ball from Moises Caicedo, he finished with the outside of his boot, giving Chelsea an easily comfortable 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes.
See also: Nkunku’s Hat-Trick Leads Chelsea to Comfortable 5-0 Victory: Carabao Cup
West Ham’s effort comes up just a little short
West Ham’s brief flashes of hope came in the 32nd minute when Mohammed Kudus found the bottom-left corner, only to have it ruled offside by VAR. The rest of the half was perhaps West Ham’s best till then, with some improvement, but Chelsea’s defense was still tough.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui undertook tactical changes as he started with Tomas Soucek in the first half, but the damage had already been done. It was an uphill battle for the Hammers to regain control and get some kind of result going.
Sealing the Whole Occurrence for Chelsea: Jackson and Palmer
Chelsea extended its lead in the second half when Jackson, often accelerated quickly past West Ham’s defense, set up a near-post finish by Palmer with only 68 seconds of the half elapsed. That was Palmer’s second goal this season, now in the Premier League.
Chelsea could have stretched it still further. Noni Madueke was denied by Areola on the hour mark, and the West Ham keeper made another excellent save to stop Nkunku’s header with 15 minutes remaining. That aside, the 3-0 scoreline was enough to take all three points and show off their excellent form.
Maresca’s Chelsea: The New Age of Attacking Football
Under Maresca, Chelsea have done fantastic, going on to win four out of their last five games. With Jackson and Sancho at the helm, the team is starting to come to decent foundations for the future. Maresca has already compared favorably with Pep Guardiola and has become the first manager since Guardiola to win his first three away games in the Premier League.
In four Premier League goals this season, Jackson’s contribution has been seen to be of paramount importance. His thinking on the game at least in the run-up to his first goal revealed a combination of intelligence with great composure. His link play, incidentally, was also a recipe for Chelsea’s attacking success as they broke through West Ham time and again through their combinations with Sancho.
Sancho, though, has barely made a ripple at Manchester United. The position of left winger is now a selling point for him: he trusts his instincts in front of goal, and that confidence on the left flank becomes a challenge for defenses.
Lopetegui Gets Off to Rocky Start with West Ham
West Ham’s slow start under Julen Lopetegui has raised many anxieties. Three consecutive home losses made Lopetegui the first West Ham manager to lose the opening three home league matches for his side. Though Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Chelsea are tough team opponents, the type of loss has been troubling the fans.
His game plan left West Ham’s midfield severely exposed, notably when he opted to drop Edson Alvarez into center-back for Chelsea and West Ham were forced to bring on Soucek at halftime though this may help, the damage was done after Chelsea’s early dominance.
The Hammers are already under a lot of pressure to improve their performance in another crucial London derby this time with Brentford.
Conclusion
Chelsea appear to have all their guns firing under Enzo Maresca, and maybe one such was glaringly apparent in their 3-0 victory over West Ham. The three points from the game saw Nicolas Jackson playing a starring role. His two goals and an assist added to Sancho’s resurgence prove Chelsea should be on top this season. West Ham, on the other hand, will hope Lopetegui in the near future as the team currently sits at 14th position with only four points accumulated from the five matches played.