West Ham United manager Nuno Espírito Santo has expressed disappointment at his side’s second half performance after their frantic 3-2 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The Hammers raced into a shock two-goal lead at the break, but conceded three times in the second half, including a stoppage-time winner by Enzo Fernandez.
Jarrod Bowen gave the visitors an early lead inside seven minutes, before Crysencio Summerville added a second in the 36th minute.
“Good first half, bad second half. We played really well, controlled the game, defended well. We created a lot of danger”, Nuno said after the match.
“At half-time I said we needed to defend, to do things properly, keep the same idea, control the game and manage the momentum.
“We knew Chelsea would react, but we defended badly and should have done better. We could avoid it, crosses into our box, we had bodies to control it better.”
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior made changes at the halftime and it produced immediate impact as Joao Pedro pulled one back minutes after his introduction.
Marc Cucurella, another substitute, leveled matters in the 70th minute of the encounter. Fernandez then struck the winner in the second minute of stoppage time as the Blues completed the comeback.
Chelsea moved ahead of Manchester United into fourth place with the win, while West Ham remain five points adrift of safety.
“It’s a reaction [to retreat] but it’s not what we should have done. We should have kept the same idea as the first half.
“Three at the back was about controlling, we were not able to do it with our wingers.
“I’ll not speak about my players, what I have to tell them I will do that personally.”
West Ham United will be back in action next Saturday when they face fellow strugglers Burnley, while Chelsea face Arsenal on Tuesday in the EFL Cup semifinal second leg.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
