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Why Neto was unhappy with Madueke, Jackson masterclass - 5 things spotted in West Ham vs Chelsea

Pedro Neto was not happy with Noni Madueke in the second half of Chelsea's comfortable win over West Ham
-Credit: (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)


Chelsea moved into second place in the Premier League table following a comfortable 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday afternoon. Following last weekend's late victory at Bournemouth, Enzo Maresca made three changes to his team as Tosin Adarabioyo, Enzo Fernandez and Jadon Sancho came into the side in place of Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga and Pedro Neto.

The Blues made a brilliant start to the game with a goal from Nicolas Jackson inside the first four minutes as he combined with Sancho to slot the ball home. Jackson was to double his tally in the 18th minute as Chelsea made it 2-0 as the striker finished confidently after a superb through ball from Moises Caicedo to release him.

Chelsea put the result beyond any doubt one minute after the restart with Cole Palmer finding the net emphatically after linking up with Jackson from a quick break. The Blues continued to have plenty of chances on goal to extend the scoreline and went close to making it four in the final 15 minutes as Christopher Nkunku was denied at point-blank range by Alphonse Areola.

Here are five things we spotted in the game at the London Stadium.

Sancho rewarded

It was no surprise to see Sancho come into the Chelsea XI for his first start since making the move from Manchester United prior to the summer transfer deadline. Introduced at the break at Bournemouth last Saturday, the winger made an instant impact on proceedings and eventually provided the crucial assist that Nkunku finished off three minutes from time.

As Neto did not do enough in the first half at the Vitality Stadium, Sancho was rewarded for his bright cameo with a starting spot. Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Maresca said: "Jadon starts today and it's a big opportunity for him. I wouldn't say it was a simple decision, even though he did very well against Bournemouth, because we had many good players for that wide position such as Misha [Mudryk] or Pedro Neto."

As was the case at Bournemouth, Sancho got another assist to his name, this time with only four minutes on the clock, following a one-two with Jackson, who finished off expertly after racing down the left and into the area. Sancho continued to have a say on the game and made a few dangerous runs into the West Ham box with his quick feet and movement causing problems for the hosts.

However, he would only be on the pitch for 57 minutes as Neto replaced him just prior to the hour mark. He's made a very promising start to his Chelsea career.

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Right-back experiment

One of Maresca's three Chelsea alterations came in defence as he made a change at right-back. Still without Reece James and Malo Gusto through injury, Tosin came into the Blues side in place of Disasi and that in turn saw Wesley Fofana move across to right-back in order to accommodate the incoming player.

That's exactly how Chelsea finished last week's game at Bournemouth following Disasi's struggles in a position which certainly isn't his strongest. The Frenchman just didn't look comfortable there at the Vitality Stadium and it was no surprise at all to see him replaced in the team by Tosin.

If there are going to be occasions where both James and Gusto are out injured, Fofana may well be the emergency option down the right. The ex-Leicester City man was perhaps lucky to get away with one just prior to the 30-minute mark after Crysencio Summerville went down in the area after the Chelsea man had hold of his arm.

VAR did take a look at the incident but went with the original on-field decision, thus saving Fofana and the Blues in the process.

Jackson impact

Jackson is doing everything he can to silence those who question his place in the Chelsea team as their starting striker. Linked with a move for a new frontman ahead of the new season, the west London club weren't able to bring in a new striker before the deadline and the Senegal international has remained their No.1 choice up front despite Nkunku's return from injury.

Hitting 17 goals in his debut season for Chelsea, the youngster could possibly be on track to beat his tally from 2023/24 after making it four goals for the season with a double at West Ham. Both were extremely good finishes from the ex-Villarreal ace after the chances he passed up at Bournemouth one week ago, and the same goes for his assist for Palmer's goal at the beginning of the second half.

Chelsea do appear to have a very promising striker on their hands who is only going to get better with the more experience he gets under his belt. That in turn is maybe bad news for Nkunku as he will have to make do with a place on the substitutes' bench for the time being rather than having the prominent role in the starting XI he is desperate for.

Why Neto was not happy with Madueke

Chelsea had opportunities to add to their three goals with West Ham having some gaping holes at the back throughout. Benefitting on a couple of occasions from winning possession from West Ham corners and subsequently breaking upfield rather quickly, one of those chances saw Noni Madueke test Areola in the Hammers goal.

Set free by Palmer and running clear of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the England international opted to shoot at goal rather than squaring for substitute Neto who was in a good position across the box. Madueke's decision to go himself didn't sit well with the Portuguese international, who could be seen with his arms out wide and questioning his teammate's choice as he made his feelings known.

On the up

The Premier League table makes for very good reading for Chelsea fans right now after their third Premier League win of the season. The Blues are second in the table following the lunchtime game in the capital, although they could drop a couple of positions come the end of the day with a handful of teams having the opportunity to leapfrog them.

Even if that is the case come 5pm on Saturday afternoon, Blues fans should be extremely pleased with the team's form amid big question marks heading into the new season following some questionable pre-season results. Only Man City have beaten the west London club in the 2024/25 season and it is a shame they couldn't get a winner in the recent home draw with Crystal Palace.

Chelsea are only going to get better under Maresca, who has already made his mark on the team, and they do appear to be on the up right now. Win at home to Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday and they will go into October sitting in a very good position in the Premier League standings.