EPL 2016-17: Chelsea 2-1 West Ham - 5 Talking Points
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte began life in England on a positive note, as his side eked out a hard-fought win over their West London rivals West Ham. The Hammers came into the game on the back of a humbling record at the Stamford Bridge, where they last won in September 2002 and were looking for a positive start. However, it was not to be as the side came up short in terms of quality against a Chelsea team that did not look in the best shape.
Eden Hazard began the proceedings at the Bridge, comfortably scoring the penalty that was awarded to his side after Michail Antonio had brought down Cesar Azpilicueta inside the West Ham box. While the Hammers did not look threatening for large durations of the game, they equalised via a James Collins goal after the Chelsea defence failed to clear a corner.
Chelsea had to wait until the 89th minute to kill the game as Michy Batshuayi brought down a long ball for his strike partner Diego Costa and the Spaniard put away the chance with a well-taken goal.
With the first round of the Premier League done and dusted now, let’s take a look at the 5 talking points of the game between Chelsea and West Ham.
1) Two strikers might be the way forward for the Chelsea
With Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi at his disposal, new boss Antonio Conte has admitted that he could play with a 2 man strike force this season and we believe a move to partner Costa with the Belgian could reap rich rewards for the club. Both of them know where the back of the goal is and have showcased the ability to bring into other attackers into play and could very well complement each other’s skill sets.
Costa was largely isolated during the tie and looked increasingly frustrated as he endured a game where he made a number of mistakes in terms of passing, creating opportunities and decision making. However, he came to life as soon as Batshuayi was introduced on to the pitch, scoring the vital winner off the Belgian youngster’s lay off and if the short time they spent on the pitch together is any indication of their abilities, the duo could form a lethal partnership for the Blues.