Chelsea managed to grind away a comeback win against West Ham despite another concerning performance.
As usual this season, the Blues had issues across the pitch. The midfield lacked creativity, even though Mateo Kovacic returned to the lineup.
The defenders generally carried themselves well – but set-piece defending remains a massive problem. Moreover, they were only saved by VAR from conceding a second goal.
However, the biggest issues lay at the opposite ends of the pitch. In goal, a lot has been said about Edouard Mendy’s recent struggles, and he did nothing to allay our concerns.
He panicked during the corner that led to West Ham’s opener and while he was probably fouled before the Hammers’ cancelled equaliser, he should’ve dealt with the situation much better.
Up front, Christian Pulisic failed to justify Thomas Tuchel’s trust when given the first start of the campaign. The American was anonymous and had only one shot attempt that was blocked.
After 60 minutes, he was deservedly subbed off, along with Conor Gallagher. The latter should’ve benefitted from a formation change that gave him a more attacking role – but he could not get much right either.
