In a surprising twist at the London Stadium, West Ham, despite playing with 10 men, secured a remarkable 3-1 victory over Chelsea, thanks largely to the performance of their £30 million acquisition, James Ward-Prowse. This debut performance for the Hammers demonstrated Ward-Prowse's expertise, particularly in set-pieces, as he set up two goals for teammates Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio.
The action-packed match saw a series of notable events, right from Ward-Prowse's assist in the early seventh minute, where Aguerd managed to nod in an impeccable cross. This posed another concern for Chelsea, marking their 13th consecutive match conceding a goal, a slump reminiscent of their 1996 form.
Nevertheless, Chelsea showed their mettle with young talent Carney Chukwuemeka scoring his first goal for the team. He capitalized on a clearance from Kurt Zouma, demonstrating great poise before sending the ball past West Ham's goalie, Alphonse Areola.
The spotlight, however, remained on Lucas Paqueta, who was recently in the headlines due to an investigation by the Football Association over potential betting rule breaches in his native Brazil. Despite these off-field controversies, he nearly scored in the first half and ultimately sealed the game in stoppage time with a penalty.
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez missed an earlier penalty opportunity after Tomas Soucek fouled Raheem Sterling. This proved costly as Michail Antonio soon catapulted West Ham into the lead, thanks again to an assist from Ward-Prowse.
Mauricio Pochettino, in a bid to turn the tides, introduced Chelsea's latest record signing, Moises Caicedo. But his attempts were thwarted when West Ham’s Aguerd was shown a second yellow, reducing the Hammers to 10 men. This seemingly advantageous position did little for Chelsea, as they failed to capitalize, with their efforts culminating in a deflected shot from Noni Madueke.
In the final moments, as Chelsea fans were seen departing in disappointment, Paqueta's penalty, resulting from a foul by Caicedo on Emerson Palmieri, drove the final nail in Chelsea's coffin. This win is a testament to David Moyes' leadership and the team's resilience, making their mark early in the season.
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