Chelsea 2-2 West Ham: Five Talking Points

West Ham failed to capitalize on their dominance by letting away late goals at the end of both halves as Chelsea have kept Guus Hiddink's Premier League unbeaten record alive. Yes, we are saying that for Chelsea vs West Ham at Stamford Bridge, and this was how the match was predicted to go down pregame.Starting the game 2 points behind Manchester City, West Ham came into game with the chance of entering the top four and started as the better team. They soon took the lead, Manuel Lanzini taking advantage of some shoddy advantage to work himself in a position to take a shot, and then curling a spectacular 25-yarder around Courtois.After that, the game settled down, with Chelsea failing to threaten while West Ham crafted one or two opportunities. However, on the cusp of halftime, Cesc Fabregas equalized with a majestic free kick.Chelsea started the second half poorly, and soon Dimitri Payet took advantage of more lacklustre defending by threading a brilliant reverse ball to a wide open Andy Carroll, who shot straight at Courtois but the Belgian keeper made a poor attempt at a saveable shot.West Ham were 2-1 up at Stamford Bridge and despite some chances from Chelsea, looked the better side who would extend their advantage. However, Ruben Loftus-Cheek raced clear in the dying stages before being tripped by Antonio. The referee then gave a very debatable penalty. Fabregas equalized from the spot much to the delight of the Chelsea faithful.

#1 West Ham miss chance to win

While Leicester City’s rise has been well-documented, West Ham have had arguably just an incredible a season when you take into account the injuries that plagued the side mid-season. Coming into this game on the back of a draw at Old Trafford, West Ham were arguably the favourites as Chelsea have little left to play for.

However, if they are to pull off what seemed an impossible initially, then they will have to win games like this.

Apart from the two goals, Aaron Cresswell twice came very close to adding goals to the game with his overlapping runs. Antonio, Payet and Lanzini were up to their best in the game as well, routinely finding room in the middle and crafting opportunities. Indeed, after Carroll’s goal towards the end it was West Ham who appeared likelier to score the third than Chelsea getting an equalizer.

However, the fact that Loftus-Cheek was in behind the defence at the 89th minute when West Ham are holding onto an away lead was criminal and while they may blame the officials, this should have not happened in the first place. West Ham cannot afford more results like this with the two Manchester clubs and a resurgent Liverpool in close proximity and challenging for the sole Champions League spot.

#2 Chelsea look to have given up

With Eden Hazard’s injury and Diego Costa’s suspension, Chelsea fielded a weaker than normal starting lineup and it showed. Most of the players, except the youth, failed to turn up at the first half and it took Andy Carroll’s second-half goal for some of the players to spring into life. Willian, especially, was a player who was vastly improved after the break.

Chelsea’s defensive problems have failed to iron themselves out and the situation is unlikely to improve under Hiddink’s tenure. The midfield is now lacking the dynamism that we saw in the early quarters of Guus’s second coming, with Oscar in particular unrecognizable from the player we saw 18 months ago.

The Brazilian’s fall from grace has been staggering and his inconsistency has been incredible for a player of his calibre. Meanwhile, John Obi Mikel has been serviceable but he still has his limitations and Chelsea require Nemanja Matic back to his best or a suitable replacement going into the next season.

Finally, despite having an incredible five players who identify as first team centre forwards at the club, Chelsea’s striking depth is starting to look increasingly threadbare and overreliant on Diego Costa who is prone to injuries and suspensions. Bertrand Traore is very young and has not properly adjusted to Premier League football; Loic Remy’s 18 months of mostly bench time seems to have had it’s toll and the player is having a major crisis in confidence.

Also, it is looking more and more unlikely whether we will see Alexandre Pato in a Chelsea given that Hiddink opted to send Loftus-Cheek on the pitch instead of him when chasing a goal. And then, you encounter Radamel Falcao.

7 games still remain in the season, but it looks they will be a grim watch for Chelsea fans.

#3 Did the officials get it wrong?

While the start of the season featured Chelsea being on the receiving end of a dubious call from the official almost every single week (a fact Mourinho never failed to overlook), recently they are starting to get some decisions their way as well. After two offside goals against Everton and Norwich, Chelsea were denied a penalty against Stoke that looked like it should have been given.

In the 89th minute, Willian won possession and superbly dribbled right through the West Ham midfield before slipping young Ruben Loftus-Cheek in with a delightful through ball. Having made a good run, it looked like the youngster was in place for a clear shot at goal.

However, just as he was about to compose himself, Michail Antonio who was on the wrong side appeared to trip his legs and/or shove his back. Replays showed however that the contact was arguably outside the box, while there are suggestions that Loftus-Cheek may well have tripped himself on the way through. However, the referee issued the penalty and did not deem it as a clear goal scoring opportunity as the ball was going away from goal. Antonio was cautioned, and Fabregas converted for his second goal of the night.

#4 Hiddink gives the youth more chances

One of the major positives from Hiddink’s caretaker reign is that he has given the youth a fairer chance than probably any other manager Chelsea have had in the Roman Abramovich era. Given the form of Bertrand Traore, Hiddink has already opted to play him over notable internationals such as Loic Remy and Pato in crunch situations.

Kenedy has also seen significant first team action, with Hiddink preferring him as a fullback over Baba Rahman or in an attacking capacity. While the match today was not pretty viewing for the Blues, there is no denying that the sight of a young Chelsea-made youngster running through in the last minute to earn a penalty is a sight many have yearned for in West London.

With the season looking dead and buried, Hiddink may well give more opportunities to the youngsters going forward.

#5 Cesc Fabregas emerges as a leader

Cesc Fabregas has emerged as one of the leaders of the Chelsea dressing room in the last few months. Labelled as a rat by Chelsea fans and some rumours, Fabregas took offense to the statements that questioned his loyalty to Chelsea and repeatedly issued public denials about reports criticizing his commitment for Chelsea.

A few months removed from the event, it appears as if the Spanish international was committed to Chelsea given his passion on the pitch. Fabregas was vocal throughout the game, standing up for his teammates at all occasions. Visibly frustrated when the referee called a debatable foul on a tackle from Loftus-Cheek, he argued for some time in defence for his team-mate.

Also, when Adrian kicked the ball away after the penalty, he reminded the referee of this and saw Adrian get cautioned. He also stepped up and took responsibility, taking a free kick ahead of Willian to score and then scoring a crucial penalty at the death.

On a day where John Terry returned to the side, it was Fabregas who looked like the real captain on the pitch. Of course, it’s rash to form judgements from one game, but Fabregas increasingly looks like a future captain with John Terry’s impending departure from the team and Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill facing very uncertain futures at the club.