A late VAR reprieve came to Chelsea’s rescue as they drew 1-1 away to London rivals West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tomas Soucek looked set to secure a comeback win for the Hammers in the 82nd minute, but review showed Declan Rice was offside just before the crucial strike to spare Chelsea another defeat.
The Blues had earlier enjoyed arguably their best spell since the appointment of Graham Potter in the first 25 minutes, Joao Felix scoring a well-worked opener after returning from suspension.
But former Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri equalized soon after and while the visitors dominated much of the next hour, their woes in front of goal meant they were at the mercy of VAR in the end.
Chelsea’s determined start had West Ham struggling and they survived an early scare when Joao Felix saw a goal disallowed for offside.
In the 16th minute, however, he put the visitors ahead when he tapped in Enzo Fernandez’s cross from the left.
Kai Havertz’s disallowed goal seemed to cost West Ham – who were missing Lucas Paquet to a shoulder injury – their life soon after.
The equalizer came on the half-hour mark, Emerson pouncing after Jarrod Bowen flicked on Vladimir Coufal’s right wing.
Chelsea were back in the ascendancy after half-time, but clear-cut chances were hard to come by.
It briefly looked like Chelsea would pay for it.
Rice headed in from the free kick and Soucek converted the rebound, but the Englishman clearly strayed offside.
West Ham had a break of their own moments later when Conor Gallagher’s shot hit the hand of the falling Souček, but the penalty was not awarded.
West Ham player ratings (3-4-2-1)
GK: Lukasz Fabianski – 6/10 – Made a few decent saves, although he wasn’t tested a huge amount.
CB: Thilo Kehrer – 6/10 – Defended well, even if he was a little clumsy at times, and was decent in possession.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna – 6/10 – Led his backline well, dominating in the air and organising those around him.
CB: Nayef Aguerd – 7/10 – Continues to impress after showing what he was capable of at the World Cup, not putting a foot wrong at the back.
RM: Vladimir Coufal – 6/10 – Performed his defensive duties well but couldn’t create much going forward.
CM: Lucas Paqueta – N/A – Was forced off with injury after just 13 minutes.
CM: Declan Rice – 6/10 – Was dependable as ever, but could’ve offered more with his passing.
LM: Emerson – 7/10 – As well as getting a goal, Emerson created a few chances and worked hard at the other end.
AM: Jarrod Bowen – 8/10 – Created one goal and numerous other opportunities for his team-mates on the right, being one of the biggest threats on the pitch.
AM: Said Benrahma – 5/10 – Struggled to make his mark on the game, taking just 17 touches in 67 minutes.
ST: Michail Antonio – 6/10 – Proved to be a real handful for the Chelsea backline, holding up the ball and linking the play well, but his finishing could’ve been better.
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek (13′ for Paqueta) – 6/10
Flynn Downes (67′ for Benrahma) – 5/10
Danny Ings (67′ for Antonio) – 5/10
Ben Johnson (80′ for Aguerd) – N/A
Manager
David Moyes – 7/10 – Ensured his team stood firm at the back and created chances of their own throughout the game.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10 – Had a quiet afternoon, only facing two shots on goal, and couldn’t do anything about the one that went in.
RB: Reece James – 6/10 – Was as good as ever in an attacking capacity but wasn’t great at the back and could have done better for the West Ham goal.
CB: Thiago Silva (c) – 7/10 – Made a few strong blocks and tackles and didn’t do anything wrong.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – 6/10 – Wasn’t quite as dependable as his partner and picked up a yellow, but didn’t have a bad game by any means.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 5/10 – Was solid enough at the back but offered precious little going forward.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6/10 – Won the ball well in the middle of the park but was hardly a creative force.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 8/10 – Picked up an assist with a lovely cross and ran the show for his team for most of the game.
RM: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – Looked a real livewire when on the ball but lacked an end product.
AM: Joao Felix – 7/10 – Took his goal excellently and created a few more chances but his decision-making was questionable at times.
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk – 5/10 – Was a threat early in the match but faded as the game went on, failing to cause West Ham problems.
ST: Kai Havertz – 5/10 – Missed a decent chance and struggled to stay onside.
Substitutes
SUB: Hakim Ziyech (67′ for Mudryk) – 5/10
SUB: Conor Gallagher (67′ for Loftus-Cheek) – 5/10
SUB: Mason Mount (67′ for Madueke) – 5/10
SUB: Ben Chilwell (67′ for Cucurella) – 6/10
Manager
Graham Potter – 5/10 – Went with an attacking lineup and the bold decison didn’t pay off with his side struggling to prevent counter-attacks, leaving them vulnerable.
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