H/T Iron 1 Chelsea 1
The Hammers withstood a fierce 25 minutes or so when we feared they may be over-run to find a way back into the game.
For all their pressure, Chelsea – with the constant threat of Eden Hazard a real worry -failed to create really good chances and with the Hammers performing well at the back we slowly clawed their way back into things.
And they certainly had the best chance of the half when Declan Rice produced a brilliant pass for Andriy Yarmolenko who accompanied by Michail Antonio tested the Chelsea keeper with a fierce shot from close range which was brilliantly saved.
With the likes of Kante and Hazard buzzing around there was always danger but Jamie Carragher summed up their first 45 minutes when saying that Chelsea were finding it so hard because the defence was performing really ell and not in a manner associated with WHUFC in recent years.
That Fabianski had very little to look after apart from one long distance shot was a testimony to that.
Felipe Anderson had earlier produced a fine ball through which Antonio – slightly off balance had fired high but he and Yarmolenko always looked dangerous as the Hammers broke on Chelsea.