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Arthur Masuaku scored a late winner as West Ham fought back to beat Premier League leaders Chelsea 3-2 in a thrilling London derby.
Thiago Silva’s header put the European champions in front at the London Stadium, but Manuel Lanzini thumped a penalty home in the 40th minute to level following mistakes from Jorginho and Edouard Mendy.
Mason Mount’s magnificent volley at the end of the first half put Chelsea back into the lead, but Jarrod Bowen curled in a superb low strike to pull the Hammers level once again.
The Blues – bolstered by Romelu Lukaku’s presence off the bench at half-time – pressed for a winner, but slumped to their second top-flight defeat of the season after Masuaku’s cross caught Mendy out at his near post with three minutes of normal time remaining.
Silva opened the scoring in the 28th minute after a cagey start to the game, Lukas Fabianski getting fingertips to the Chelsea defender’s downward header from Mount’s corner, but failing to keep it out when he should have done better.
The Brazilian followed up with a goal-saving block off the line just two minutes later, getting into the perfect position to prevent Vladimir Coufal’s fizzing low drive from finding the bottom corner with Mendy beaten.
West Ham equalised against the run of play, however, as Jorginho’s poor back-pass played Mendy into trouble and the goalkeeper was caught in possession by Bowen before bringing the Hammers forward down and conceding a penalty that Lanzini whipped emphatically into the top-left corner.
Mount then put Chelsea back into the lead just before the break with a fantastic volley, arrowed into the bottom-right corner from a floated Hakim Ziyech ball.
The Hammers got back on level terms again 11 minutes into the second half, when Bowen cut onto his left foot on the edge of the box and rifled a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Bowen spurned a glorious chance in the 75th minute, but West Ham snatched all three points when first-half substitute Masuaku scored his first Premier League goal with a cross from the left that sneaked inside the near post beyond Mendy’s despairing dive.
What does it mean? Chelsea could relinquish top spot
Defeat for Thomas Tuchel’s side could see them slip to third place on Saturday, with Manchester City and Liverpool getting a chance to capitalise when they travel to Watford and Wolves, respectively.
West Ham ensure they keep their place in the top four, moving four points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal.
Hammers claim another big scalp
West Ham have now won three top-flight games in 2021 against teams starting the day in one of the top three positions in the league, their most in a calendar year since 1983.
David Moyes’ fearless side beat Liverpool by the same scoreline last month and look capable of going the distance in the battle for Champions League qualification.
Blues’ stern defence is breached
This defeat means Chelsea have now conceded more than once in a game in all competitions for only the third time in 53 matches under Tuchel, having also done so previously against West Brom and Aston Villa.
Key Opta Facts
– The Hammers have won four of their past seven home Premier League matches against Chelsea (D1 L2), after having come out on top in just one of their previous nine.
– This was Chelsea’s first Premier League defeat after they were leading at half-time since December 2018 against Wolves under Maurizio Sarri – they had been unbeaten in 48 league games when ahead at the break before this loss (W40 D8).
– Masuaku scored his first Premier League goal in his 96th appearance for West Ham – it was his 29th attempt at goal in the top flight.
– Mount has scored and assisted in three of his past four Premier League starts for Chelsea, scoring five goals and assisting three times in these appearances.
What’s next?
Chelsea face Zenit away from home in the Champions League next Wednesday, while West Ham host Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League the following day.
