Chelsea slumped to a 3-2 loss at the hands of West Ham United in the Premier League meaning the Hammers have managed to do the double vs their London rivals this season.
The Hammers won the match thanks to a swift counter-attack in the 89th minute but more than a good move from the home side, this goal had Chelsea blunder written all over it.
And speaking after the match, former Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole explained how a series of poor and naive errors cost Chelsea three points and a chance to move to third on the Premier League table.
“I think they’re gonna be disappointed. Things I hate about full-backs are that they’re happy to run forward and not track. I get they’re pushing for it, the last five minutes of the game, but you need a point here – a point would’ve been okay for Chelsea,” he told Sky Sports, as per Football London.
“Alonso, could he have recovered quicker? Could he have gotten back? Could he have run back with the intensity he did when running forward? Probably, yes. Could he anticipate it a little bit earlier? Yes.
“Rudiger, it’s difficult when you’re playing against a left-footer and he pops inside. He’s tried to move his feet, he’s probably thought, ‘I’m gonna try and get a block in’.
“It’s a great finish. As units, as players, you’ve got to want to work and not be happy to be beat. I think Alonso needs to run back quicker.
“I think Chelsea had four players back. Antonio does so well to hold it up. Maybe Christensen could’ve gone with him, dropped off. Rudiger could’ve maybe looked on his left shoulder, seen Yarmolenko running, maybe he could’ve dropped off quicker.
“They’ve reacted too late. Yes, you’re pushing. But first and foremost, you’ve got to defend.”
Chelsea have been in fine form since the resumption of the season but this loss to West Ham United have opened up a number of issues which people had been overlooking since the Blues were picking up wins.
There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done during the course of the summer but the immediate concern from Frank Lampard will be to hold onto their Champions League status next season.
And as far as West Ham United are concerned, the win vs their London rivals has given then some much-needed breathing space in terms of moving away from the relegation battle.
