Chelsea drop points again after a 1-1 draw at West Ham

Chelsea drop points again after a 1-1 draw at West Ham as Graham Potter continues to struggle with his expensive team - Premier League

Mhykalo Mudryk tussle with Aguerd of West Ham in their 1-1 draw on Saturday at the London Stadium. (Photo credit: BBC)

Chelsea lost two precious points away to West Ham and you wonder how many cigarettes are left in Graham Potter’s pack to smoke considering the history of hiring and firing at Stamford Bridge.

Potter had Joao Felix back from a three-match ban following his red card against Fulham on his debut, and his impact didn’t wait long to be felt.

Noni Madueke and Mhykalo Mudryk ruled the flanks, while Kai Havertz led the line upfront.

West Ham named an unchanged side from the one that earned a hard-fought point at Newcastle, with Thilo Kherer getting the nod despite being hauled off for injury last weekend.

It was Chelsea that took the lead, a deserved one on the balance of play.

Mega-money signing Enzo Fernandez sent a delicious ball into the West Ham box, and Felix timed his run to perfection to tap past Lukas Fabianski.

A lovely first Premier League goal for Joao Felix! 👏 pic.twitter.com/nPWt1BcAHt

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 11, 2023

Felix had the ball in the net earlier, but he was rightly ruled off, Havertz thought he had doubled the lead too not long after, but the flag was up again.

Against the run of play, former Chelsea fullback Emerson bundled the ball home from a set piece, and the goal rattled the visitors as they rallied to keep things together.

The first half ended goalless; David Moyes would be the happier manager.

The second half didn’t produce a single legitimate shot on target, but both sides went for it.

Chelsea would rue a referee's decision not to award a penalty after Tomas Soucek handled clearly in the box, but VAR saw nothing done.

Soucek, the Czech international who came on for the injured Lucas Paqueta in the first half, thought he had snatched the win for the Hammers, but VAR chalked it off for offside.

Chelsea stayed ninth after the draw, their third in a row in the league, while West Ham moved up to 15th, at least until others around them played.