Chelsea cannot buy a win at the moment. The big spenders were on the right path when João Félix displayed his glimmering talent, jabbing his new team into an early lead, but they soon lost their way. The dominance faded. Momentum slowed. It was too easy for West Ham to recover from a slow start and, when Graham Potter picks through a display that began well before descending into sloppiness, there will be concern at how his new-look Chelsea failed to summon any conviction during their pursuit of a winning goal.
Therein lies the problem for Potter as he strives to bed in all the unfamiliar faces in his bloated squad. Chelsea’s manager could dwell on an enjoyably impish display from Félix but overall his side were flat and confused. There was no drive during the second half. In fact Chelsea created nothing after Emerson Palmieri’s equaliser for West Ham, whose mini-revival has boosted their survival hopes. While this Chelsea project is in its infancy a run of two wins from 13 league games is far from satisfactory, particularly with this expensively assembled team so far off a place in the top four.
