For the second time in just six days, Graham Potter’s West Ham United started fairly well before falling to pieces. As Sunderland on Saturday, see Chelsea on Friday.
Well, you cannot say the Hammers lack consistency.
Those self-imposed blunders left Jarrod Bowen ‘fuming’ on Wearside and, just six days later, they reared their ugly, mirror-smashing heads once again as Chelsea took advantage of West Ham’s oh-so familiar failings.
A destructive tendency to switch off when crosses come swinging in. And, perhaps even more concerningly, a bright start giving way to a rapid disintegration and a heavy defeat. After Sunderland scored three times in 31 minutes at the Stadium of Light, Chelsea rattled in five in 43 at the London Stadium.
For captain Bowen, the frustration is made even more acute by what could have been.
The skipper saw Lucas Paqueta thump the hosts in front against Chelsea after Nayef Aguerd – stepping into midfield – made the sort of high-pressing interception the Hammers have spent plenty of time on the training pitch trying to perfect.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesJarrod Bowen praises Nayef Aguerd role in Lucas Paqueta’s West Ham United stunner
Paqueta’s seventh minute screamer will now go down as one of the greatest meaningless goals in modern Premier League history.
A swerving, fizzing strike which left Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea net bamboozled. Not a night for the goalkeepers, that’s for sure.
While El Hadji Malick Diouf will claim an assist, it was Aguerd who tracked Estevao into the Chelsea half and intercepted a loose touch.
“You look at basics. You know, you get yourself in a great position in the game. The first goal, I think it came [after] Nayef stepped in and pressed,” Bowen says. “And we’ve got to press really well.”
Bowen baffled by West Ham collapse in 5-1 Chelsea loss
Unfortunately, that was one of very few times West Ham’s high-pressing worked as planned. Max Kilman, in particular, was guilty of darting out of defence on a few occasions and leaving himself mired in no-man’s land.
As Aguerd again followed Estevao into midfield, Kilman chased out Liam Delap. But, pinned by the broad-shouldered Chelsea striker, both Aguerd and his central defensive partner were taken out of the game by a clever flick-on and an Estevao burst before Enzo Fernandez tapped home the visitors’ third.
There was still plenty of time to fight back at that point, however.
“In those difficult moments, you’ve just got to know that you are still in the games. Stay in the game! This is the Premier League, you are going to have those moments when you are under pressure but you’re going to have those moments where you are going to have to play as well,” Bowen demands.
“I’ve got to do better, we have to do better.”
Graham Potter says everyone has to do better as a collective at West Ham ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/vR3wXUr019
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 22, 2025
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“When you concede five goals, that whole thing is out the window. [The challenge becomes] don’t be embarrassed and let it get to six, seven, eight.
“We gifted them goals really, and you can’t do that against any opposition. We learnt that at Sunderland last week, and then we’ve done it again tonight.
“They got a goal after we went ahead, and then we had one disallowed [through Niclas Fullkrug]. Then they go 2-1 up, but there’s a long way still to go, so we have to know that we’re still in the game, and stay in the game, which we didn’t do.”