WEST HAM 2-1 CHELSEA: BLUES' LEAGUE CUP ADVENTURE BROUGHT TO A HALF BY BILIC'S MEN
Ben Spratt
A late strike from Gary Cahill was not enough to keep Antonio Conte's team alive in the competition, as the Hammers took an impressive win
West Ham reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup as they beat Chelsea 2-1 on Wednesday, although the tie was the latest game at London Stadium to be marred by unsavoury scenes in the stands.
On a night when Slaven Bilic's men finally seemed at home on the pitch in unfamiliar surroundings following their move away from Upton Park, goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Edimilson Fernandes clinched victory.
Roared on by a vociferous crowd, Kouyate crashed a glorious header into the net as both sides attacked in a thrilling first half.
Fernandes' storming strike - his first goal in English football - doubled West Ham's advantage shortly after the break, with their teething problems at this new stadium suddenly appearing a thing of the past, although off the pitch stewards struggled to keep rival fans apart and missiles were thrown.
With issues at the London Stadium regarding the segregation of home and away fans, there had previously been disturbances in Premier League fixtures against Watford and Middlesbrough - leading West Ham to stamp down on some supporters and outline a plan to tackle the trouble ahead of this fixture.
Antonio Conte's Blues won the teams' early-season Premier League clash 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, but, even with captain John Terry back from injury, they could not get contain the Hammers, Gary Cahill pulling one back with the last kick of the match shortly after Eden Hazard had struck the frame of the goal.
The returning Terry flicked an early Willian corner over, and the Brazilian then contributed a fine flick to set N'Golo Kante away into the area, with Darren Randolph standing up to make a firm right-handed stop.
But, after 11 minutes, West Ham led through a stunning opener.
Mark Noble's cross from the left was deep and found Kouyate just inside the box, but the Senegal international rose to direct a magnificent header beyond Asmir Begovic into the far corner.
With the noise levels cranked up another notch, the hosts sought a second; almost finding it as Michail Antonio squeezed a low shot narrowly wide after Dimitri Payet tumbled under pressure from
0 comments: