Player Ratings: Chelsea 2 West Ham 1 – Costa avoids sending off...

Player Ratings: Chelsea 2 West Ham 1 – Costa avoids sending off as Blues triumph late

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Chelsea kicked off the Antonio Conte era in the best possible fashion with a dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham Stamford Bridge.

Eden Hazard’s second half penalty was cancelled out by Hammers defender James Collins, but a Diego Costa goal in the 88th minute saw the Blues come away with a deserved win.

It gave the Blues the ideal start to the new campaign, but the Hammers were disappointing as they now set their sights on opening the Olympic Stadium next week against Bournemouth.

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois – 5: Had absolutely nothing to do for 75 minutes and couldn’t do much about Collins’ equaliser.

Branislav Ivanovic – 6: Looked strong going forward but lost Collins for his goal.

Gary Cahill – 6.5: Mopped up well and didn’t give Andy Carroll an inch.

John Terry – 6: Supported Cahill and was strong in a solid Chelsea defensive performance.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6.5: Won the penalty for his side early in the second half and defended well.

N’Golo Kantê – 7: An early booking but a solid first-up performance in Blue, distributing at 100% in the first half.

Nemanja Matic – 6: Kept working in a Chelsea midfield which dominated possession.

Oscar – 6: Managed to break up West Ham’s attack at times but was inconsistent with his distribution, particularly early.

Willian – 5.5: A disappointing performance from the Brazilian – he wasted set pieces and was replaced by Pedro after West Ham’s equaliser.

Eden Hazard – 7.5: Encouraging. Sharp in the first half and equalled his tally of home League goals from last season with a convincing penalty.

Diego Costa – 6.5: Positive-minded if not wasteful before scoring a clutch goal late to snatch three points. Fortunate to stay on the pitch after a late challenge on Hammers goalkeeper Adrian.

Substitutes

Pedro – 5: Had just 15 minutes to show his worth off the bench after West Ham’s equaliser.

Michy Batshuayi – N/A: Came on with five minutes remaining and provided the decisive touch for Costa’s winner.

Victor Moses – N/A: Replaced Hazard on 85 minutes to come on against his old side.

West Ham United

Adrian – 6.5: Made two sharp saves from Ivanovic early and Willian in the second half. Couldn’t do much about the penalty.

Michail Antonio – 4: Didn’t cope with Hazard, clumsily conceded the penalty and was replaced early in the second half. Really struggled.

Winston Reid – 5.5: Was favoured to Ogbonna and wasn’t all to convincing in the heart of West Ham’s defence.

James Collins – 7: Was solid defensively opposed to Diego Costa and scored a smart equaliser with 15 minutes remaining.

Arthur Masuaku – 7: Had a strong Premier League debut, largely quelling Willian on the right with his side under the pump.

Havard Nordtveit – 4: Compared to Masuaku, a disappointing Premier League debut and was pulled for Payet after an hour.

Mark Noble – 5: Another who struggled as Chelsea bossed midfield.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – 6: One of few who showed a willingness to get forward in a conservative Hammers performance.

Andre Ayew – 4: His Hammers debut was a disappointing one, injuring his thigh in the first half and not playing any further part after 30 minutes.

Enner Valencia – 3.5: An anonymous performance alternating off the wing and up front.

Andy Carroll – 5: Won his expected fair share of aerial duels but was isolated against Cahill and Terry.

Substitutes

Gokhan Tore — 4: Came on to replace Ayew but didn’t do much to inspire his new fans. Struggled to have any impact.

Sam Byram — 6: Made his side look much more solid after coming on in place of Antonio. Must start against Bournemouth.

Dimitri Payet — 5.5: Wasn’t his influential self when he came on but provided the delivery from the set piece which nearly snatched a point.

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