WHUFC vs Chelsea -- July 1st, 2020

5 minutes till the end of the first half...

Willan steps up....


0-1

that takes us level on GD with Watford....

if the result stands it drops us back below them as well...

more from the Guardian...

"41 mins
PENALTY to CHELSEA
West Ham 0-0 Chelsea
Them's the breaks.

Moments after they have goal taken away by the eye in the sky, West Ham concede a penalty as Issa Diop impedes Christian Pulisic. Who didn't need much persuasion to go down.

David Moyes is puce."

12 games without a clean sheet...

we've lost 15 out of 15 when going behind to the opening goal...

Antonio wins a corner...

Soucek rises to meet it and again he gets the ball in the back of the net...

no call for VAR... no question...

1-1

Half time whistle goes...

1-1

players back out... bit of an event that there's actually highlights to discuss during half time...

Hammers kick off.

we're still only 1 point from 2nd bottom...

antonio goes out of his way to prove Blakey right as is touch lets him down again and kiss the ball harmlessly and pointlessly out of play...

even for a throw in from almost the corner flag, we keep 4 defenders back in our half...

and antonio scores... see, I'm right to want to keep him...

in the build up Antonio goes down cheaply looking for a penalty... the layers keep on playing... Bowen picks up the ball out aide... plays it into the middle of the 6 yard box where Antonio has realized he needs to be and he easily sinks it into the back of the net...


if this result sands... we'll be 3 points off 2nd bottom... and the relegation places...

I don't know why this seems so alien or unthinkable to West Ham (either players or manager) when we actually attack, when we actually put pressure on teams, we generally get something from it...

but for some reason we spend so much time defending and sitting back...

we are in the 70% area for possession in this second half and guess what... we're in the lead...

it's not rocket science...

"13:24
GOAL - West Ham 2-1 Chelsea
Michail Antonio (51 mins)
What a turnaround! All credit to the Hammers, it would have been easy to roll over at 1-0 down with that ruled out goal hanging over them. Now they lead!

Michail Antonio actually wants a penalty as he tumbles in the area, he's told to get up and get on with it and does. Jarrod Bowen gets the ball on the right of the area, takes on his man and thumps in a fine low cross which Antonio arrives on and slams in."

Ogbonna does well at the back....

Rice gets too easily dispossessed...

fortunately Chelsea are off side

Bowen works hard to set up Lanzini...

Lanzini takes an age to figure out how he wants to play the ball and he balloons a chance over the top... trying to curl it into the top of the goal...

hasn't scored in 2018 apparently... no surprises with shooting of that quality...

chelsea go close

Ogbonna hooks away the ball in front of an open goal

all Chelsea...

Lanzini goes in the book

we're sitting back too deeply... doing everything that costs us games...

Lanzini is replaced by Wilshire...

Wilshere goes mid, Fornals drops wide...

Rice goes in the book - another free kick to Chelsea...

the sitting back and hoping for the best tactic is not going well...

and there it is...

Willian free kick... Fab dives the right way but he shimmies to the opposite is first and so is a step away from the ball which goes past him... hits the post and rebounds into the back of the net...


2-2


this still counts as us dropping points from winning positions... even if we get to draw...

sloppy tasing gives the ball to Chelsea when we get it out of defense...

wave after wave of Chelsea attacks...

nothing but pressure pressure pressure...

15 minutes to go



Yarmolenko is coming on for Bowen...

I mean... why not take off one of our better players when we keep the anonymous fornals on the park...

Antonio almost gets in behind the defense but the ball rebounds off the keeper onto antonio and goes out for a goal kick...

West Ham possession comes to nothing... only one layer free for Ogbonna to play to but Cresswell can't keep himself onside and so another chance to change things goes begging and Chelsea comeback at us...

I for one am shocked - SHOCKED - that we gave up a second-half lead.

Then I'm actually shocked we took the lead back.

Holy shit.....


counter attack....

Antonio picks up the bal form Rice's clearance...

Yarmolenko is running goanward...

Antonio plays the ball out wide too Yarmo...

Yarmo picks it up... cuts inside....


boom...





back of the net...

here we go... 3-2

4 minutes of stoppage time to see this out...

if there was crowd in the stadium this game would be electric