West Ham vs Chelsea FC: 4 Lessons Learnt

View image | gettyimages.com

There comes a stage when a team wins so many games that winning becomes a habit. They can ride into every match with such confidence that they know they are going to win no matter what happens.

On the other hand, when a team suffers enough defeats, it also becomes a custom and this can be seen through the body language of players. They make wrong and costly decisions. There are needless dismissals. Meanwhile, all this is accompanied by the sarcastic smirk of a manager who seems to be losing the ground beneath his feet with each passing fixture.

Sounds a bit like Chelsea FC at the moment doesn’t it?

The Blues suffered yet another defeat this season on Saturday and this time at the hands of a high flying West Ham. Under Slaven Bilic, the Hammers have now beaten all of the big boys in the Premier League in this campaign and sit 3rd in the table.

Chelsea were reduced to 10 men after Nemanja Matic was shown a rightful second yellow for a cynical block. Then, just to pile up the misery, one of Chelsea’s coaching staff (Silvino Louro) and Jose Mourinho himself were banished to the stands. The latter following an exchange of words with the officials at half time.

Defensive lapses ensured that West Ham would go one up before the break through a sweet strike by Mauro Zarate. Chelsea displayed some of their old resilience as they pulled one back through Gary Cahill only to concede again through an Andy Carroll header which turned out to be a winner.

Here are four things learned from the game at Upton Park.

Next: Schoolboy Errors