With 15 minutes to play, Thomas Tuchel decided to go all-in against West Ham United. The Chelsea head coach had already instructed Hakim Ziyech to ready himself but decided the Moroccan alone wouldn't be enough to win what had been an attritional contest at Stamford Bridge. Further firepower was needed.
So Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku were called back from their respective warm-ups and joined Ziyech in the dugout. Moments later, the trio were introduced in unison by Tuchel. It felt like a statement of intent, a warning to West Ham that there would be no let-up in the closing stages as Chelsea searched for a winner. And so that proved.
Ziyech and Pulisic combined instantly down the Blues' right. Lukaku lurked with menace on the shoulder of Craig Dawson, who had been imperious in the West Ham defence during the contest but hadn't been overly troubled by either Timo Werner or Kai Havertz, the latter of which had spent much of the game on the right flank.
