Christian Pulisic celebrates after putting the ball into the back of the net against West Ham United
Chelsea tightened their grip on third place in the Premier League with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over West Ham United, with Christian Pulisic coming off the bench to score a vital winner.
It seemed like West Ham would eke out a 0-0 stalemate, having put up a resolute defense all game until the latter stages of the London clash. Michael Dawson, the Hammers’ only fit center-half, was then adjudged to have brought down Romelu Lukaku in the box to earn Chelsea a penalty.
After being given a yellow card, referee Michael Oliver would then consult VAR and brandish a red card for the English defender instead. Jorginho stepped up to take the penalty but placed a tame effort into the arms of Lukasz Fabianski.
Just when it seemed the opportunity to take all three points had passed them by, Marcos Alonso, who had been impressive all day, pulled the ball back into the West Ham box for Pulisic to sweep home.
Jorginho’s blushes were spared as Tuchel’s men earned a crucial three points, with Pulisic sending Twitter into hysteria.
Here are some of the reactions:
Chelsea finally broke through West Ham’s stern defense late in the game
Christian Pulisic came off the bench to score a invaluable goal for Chelsea late in the game against WHU
It had been a bit of a struggle on the afternoon for the Blues, with West Ham putting on an admirable defensive display. Much had been said about David Moyes’ decision to put Declan Rice on the bench given the rumors linking him with a return to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Michael Dawson had a great game up until his red card offense, with the Hammers succumbing to the pressure eventually. Jorginho’s penalty was woeful and having not started the game, he’ll eye a return to Tuchel’s starting XI in the games ahead.
But with an effort such as that, he can’t expect to be coming back into the fold any time soon. On the whole, Tuchel’s men probably just deserved their victory given their strong second-half performance.
Next up for Chelsea is a trip to Old Trafford to face a Manchester United side who are seemingly at rock bottom.
