Chelsea Trash West Ham 5-1, Heap Pressure on Potter

Chelsea delivered a ruthless attacking display on Friday night, storming back from an early setback to thrash West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium, leaving former Blues manager Graham Potter under mounting pressure just two games into the new Premier League season.

Potter, who took charge of West Ham in January, has now overseen just five wins in 21 matches. His new campaign has started in disastrous fashion, following up last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland with another heavy loss against his old club.

Lucas Paquetá briefly lifted spirits for the Hammers with a stunning strike to open the scoring, but the home side’s optimism quickly unraveled.

Chelsea punished them relentlessly from set-pieces, with João Pedro heading home the equaliser before Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández extended the visitors’ advantage.

The misery deepened for West Ham as Moisés Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah capitalised on defensive lapses and uncertainty from new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who endured a torrid night between the posts.

The emphatic win not only reinforced Chelsea’s title credentials but also intensified the scrutiny on Potter, whose tenure at West Ham already looks precarious after back-to-back heavy defeats.