Relief for Blues as they drop the hammer on West Ham

CHELSEA manager Enzo Maresca labelled his team's 2-1 win over West Ham United a huge result as they came from a goal down on Monday to boost their hopes of a Top 4 Premier League finish.

A lacklustre Chelsea side trailed to Jarrod Bowen's strike three minutes before half-time but improved after the break with substitute Pedro Neto equalising before Aaron Wan-Bissaka's own goal sent the hosts into fourth place.

It was only the second win for Chelsea in their last eight league games.

"It is huge," Maresca said. "It was a tough game especially mentally. It is never easy when teams come here and wait and sit back. You need to be patient. There is no space, you need to move the ball and wait for the right moment.

"In the second half we came back and overall we deserved to win the game. They were waiting for our mistakes and you can't get frustrated."

Maresca made five substitutions during the second half with Neto making the biggest impact after replacing Jadon Sancho.

"It is always about the players. It is not about the manager. It was just a feeling we had (over the substitutions) during the game. I think we need to improve in the final third in terms of chances and being more clinical," Maresca said.

Chelsea have 43 points from 24 games, two more than champions Manchester City and Newcastle United.

On the top-four race, Maresca said: "We are there and hopefully we can be there until the end.

"Playing this kind of game in February, where we are still there is an important statement. It was a good weekend for us in terms of results and we knew today was even better."

It was a frustrating return to the Bridge for West Ham manager Graham Potter, who was sacked in 2023 after less than seven months in charge of the Blues. Almost two years after his ruthless dismissal, Potter returned to management with the Hammers last month, but he has mustered just one win from his first five games in all competitions.

"We gave everything. It was relatively even in terms of chances. We come away with nothing in terms of the result but there was lots to be positive about," Potter said.

"You look at the second half. The first goal was a bit of a turning point and we felt it was a foul, you need those things to go your way. We were doing well but we couldn't quite hang on."

Potter was frustrated that a potential Levi Colwill foul on Bowen was not given in the build-up to Chelsea's equaliser. But with West Ham sitting 10 points clear of the relegation zone, the former Brighton boss has breathing space to reshape the team in his style.

"The shape of the team was really good. You need a bit of luck. We felt unfortunate with the lead-up to the first goal but it wasn't to be," he said.

"The understanding of what we want to do is there, so we have to build on that."

Reuters and AFP