Chelsea don't like making things easy, and this season they appear to be making it harder than ever. Thomas Tuchel's side went 1-0 down following some poor defending and nearly gave up their lead with another late mistake.
Reece James' poor header allowed the Hammers back in and when a collision with Jarrod Bowen left Edouard Mendy on the floor in pain, Maxwel Cornet put the ball in the goal and sent the away fans into delirium. VAR intervened and broke their hearts when Chelsea were awarded a free-kick and sigh of relief was sent around Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's substitutes made the difference as Ben Chilwell first provided some ingenuity to record an equaliser for the Blues before turning provider for Kai Havertz's winner. The German forward will be almost as relieved to record his first goal of the season as earning Chelsea three points late on.
READ MORE: Chelsea vs West Ham player ratings as Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz spare Blues blushes in win
The first 70 minutes were not always as entertaining as the final 20, and four off target shots between the teams in the opening half paints a pretty accurate picture. However, there were plenty of interactions to take note of and football.london takes a look at the moments you may have missed.
Thomas Tuchel's midfield frustrations
It was another slightly different shape for Chelsea as they earned three points at Stamford Bridge but it didn't always offer everything Tuchel wanted to see. Operating in a 3-5-2 allowed Conor Gallagher to settle into a more familiar and advanced position than in recent weeks, while Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek appeared to spend more time collecting the ball.
The German coach appeared to take umbrage with how is side attacked and in particular the pace of it. Tuchel first yelled at Gallagher to get the ball into the box after he attempted to find Marc Cucurella with a cross-field pass instead, before later shouting instructions at Kovacic.
The 49-year-old was keen to impress upon his charges that he wanted more players committing to bodies forward. Loftus-Cheek could not escape his head coach's calls either. The midfielder was sure to hear the call of "RUBEN! RUBEN!" in the second half ahead of Gallagher's substitution to ensure he stuck to his task with Mason Mount entering the fray.
Aubameyang's reaction to Ben Chilwell's goal
Chilwell's strike was a thing of beauty. It was perhaps unconventional in how it came about as the wing-back flicked on Thiago Silva's long ball and provided for himself to knock through Lukasz Fabianski's legs, but nobody could deny the quality Chilwell brought to proceedings.
Where Chelsea had struggled in front of goal, Chilwell finished with aplomb and left the Blues' latest No.9 with quite the standard to live up to. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may not have been on the pitch on Saturday, but watched on from the stands and had plenty of appreciation for the finish. The joy was apparent on the former Arsenal forward's face as he waved his hand as if he just heard the ultimate put-down in a rap battle.
Aubameyang will have his chance to add his own goals soon enough, and he is set to train for the first time on Sunday. Tuchel explained: "Yes, he trains tomorrow, but I cannot tell you if he trains with full contact or individually. We'll need to see. He has the mask, and the doctors tell me the mask is good and he feels comfortable with it.
"So he would be ok, but we need to check it, and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. We need to see how he feels about it. It's too early to make a prediction, but he'll be in training tomorrow morning, and we'll see."
Kepa's influence
Tuchel is not the only figure who is active on the sideline at Chelsea. Cesar Azpilicueta is taking an increasing role in letting the fourth official know when the Chelsea bench isn't happy, and some of his teammates on shirking from taking more responsibility either. On Saturday afternoon, Kepa Arrizabalaga turned coach.
The Spanish stopper lent over his railing to hand Havertz some final instructions, appearing to signal out a route of attack while grasping a match ball. Perhaps it even worked, as the 23-year-old's run went inside and allowed Havertz to tap home Chilwell's pass for the Blues to earn all three points.
Fofana's Chelsea experience
Wesley Fofana managed to help Chelsea to a win on his debut for the Blues and got a sense of the full experience of playing in west London. His first tackle was greeted with a rapturous cheer, with his efforts appreciated throughout the game as he put in a solid display.
It was of course, not a game without stress and the Frenchman could only fall to the ground to celebrate on his knees when Havertz scored in the 89th minute and his teammates rushed to the corner flag. The former Leicester star is clearly emotionally invested in his new club and was embraced by Thomas Tuchel upon the final whistle. The youngster was sure to show his appreciation to the Chelsea faithful as he walked around the Stamford Bridge pitch applauding supporters.
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