“Am I dreaming”, “Finally he benches that fraud” - Chelsea fans celebrate as Enzo Maresca drops 27-year-old from starting line-up to face West Ham

Chelsea fans are delighted with Robert Sanchez's exclusion from the starting lineup as the Blues gear up to face West Ham United in the Premier League soon (Monday, February 3). The Spanish goalkeeper has made a few high-profile errors in recent months.

The west Londoners have seen a dip in form since the turn of the year. Having been just two points behind league leaders Liverpool in December, Enzo Maresca's side now find themselves in sixth place.

They are a point behind Newcastle United (5th) and Manchester City (4th). However, Chelsea now have the opportunity to return to the Champions League spots with a win over West Ham as the Magpies and Cityzens suffered losses over the weekend.

Maresca's starting lineup to face the Hammers features a back four comprising Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella. Their midfield includes Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in a double pivot and Cole Palmer in the No.10 role. Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson make up the front three.

Maresca has opted to start Filip Jorgensen instead of his usual pick, Robert Sanchez, who's come under increasing scrutiny for his performances this season.

Chelsea fans are ecstatic that the manager has finally benched the Spanish goalkeeper as they took to social media to celebrate Sanchez's snub.

One fan wrote on X:

While another commented:

Here are the rest of their reactions:

"Sanchez finally dropped" one fan wrote

"Yessss! No Sanchez!!!" another exclaimed

"Finally, Maresca has the b***s to drop his favourite " wrote one supporter

"Sanchez should not even be on the bench!" claimed another

"Yessssss Sanchez straight to the show dimension, let’s win this" one fan stated

"Finally he benches that fraud" another commented

"no sanchez am i dreaming?" one fan wrote

Paul Merson urges Chelsea to replace goalkeeper Robert Sanchez

Arsenal legend Paul Merson urged the Blues to get rid of Robert Sanchez after his display in their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, January 25.

The Cityzens secured all three points thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden. Noni Madueke took the lead for Chelsea within three minutes, but his strike couldn't influence the result.

Sanchez had a night to forget as he was responsible for Haaland's strike in the second period. He bizarrely ventured outside his goal when the Norwegian striker was one-on-one with Trevoh Chalobah, and Haaland chipped it above him.

After the game, Merson sent a message to Enzo Maresca as he wrote on X:

"Got to get a top GK to go to the level Chelsea want to go …top GK’s win you points not lose you points."