Chelsea produced a dramatic comeback against West Ham, overturning a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Liam Rosenior’s side were jeered off at half-time, yet finished the night in fourth place after Enzo Fernandez struck a 92nd-minute winner.
The match marked the first time Chelsea had ever won a Premier League fixture after trailing by two goals at half-time. Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville had earlier put West Ham in full control, but the visitors finished with 10 players after Jean-Clair Todibo’s late red card.
Rosenior’s decisive response came during the interval, when three substitutions reshaped the game. Joao Pedro scored Chelsea’s first and later assisted Fernandez, while Marc Cucurella
added the second. The triple change followed an injury to Jamie Gittens and helped turn a flat team display into an aggressive, front-foot second half.
Reflecting on the turnaround, Rosenior pointed to mentality rather than systems. "There's many emotions, but I'm so happy for the players, Rosenior told Sky Sports. The fight, the spirit and commitment they showed in the second half. Tactics went out the window; it was about personality, quality and character. The players definitely showed that. "
Rosenior explained why he altered the line-up after a demanding Champions League trip. "I made three changes; we had the injury to Jamie Gittens. I sensed an energy before the game; it's very difficult going away to Italy [to face Napoli in the Champions League], the emotions of that game, and I made changes to the team. I trust my group, but the first half was nowhere near the level of application or energy. "
At the break, Rosenior urged calm and belief inside the dressing room. "I stayed calm with them and said we can turn what probably feels like the worst day of our season into the best, and they were magnificent in the second half. " The victory followed another recovery performance away to Napoli earlier in the week.
The result also extended Rosenior’s strong start in the league. Rosenior became the fourth English manager to win the first three Premier League games in charge, joining Bobby Gould in August 1992, Sam Allardyce in August 2001 and Craig Shakespeare, who won the first five, in April 2017.
Rosenior underlined that the squad is still in an early stage under new guidance. "I'm learning about this group very quickly, he added. I've been here three and a half weeks, we've played seven games. I've said I'm going to give them all a chance. Hato's an outstanding player, [Benoit] Badiashile's an outstanding player, so's [Alejandro] Garnacho. It wasn't about them individually, but our functionality in the first half wasn't there. You can see the fight, energy and spirit in the group, which they all have. To come back like we did in Napoli shows me a lot of really positive things. "
West Ham matched Chelsea’s attacking numbers but could not hold the advantage. Both teams had 11 shots with six on target. Todibo squandered a major chance to restore West Ham’s lead before Chelsea’s winner, then received a red card for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck, compounding West Ham’s frustration.
Historically, the defeat carried painful echoes for West Ham. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team lost an away league game after leading by two goals at half-time for only the second time, the previous occasion being a 3-2 defeat to Wigan Athletic in May 2011. The head coach criticised the drop in intensity after the break.
"Good first half, bad second half, he told Sky Sports. We played really well, controlled the game, defended well. We created a lot of danger. 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. 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. "
Chelsea’s comeback added another positive marker to Rosenior’s early tenure, reinforcing the squad’s reputation for resilience after demanding fixtures against Napoli and West Ham. For Nuno and West Ham, the match highlighted how small lapses, including Todibo’s dismissal, can undo a strong start in a tightly contested Premier League season.
