EPL 2016/17: West Ham United 1-2 Chelsea, 5 Talking Points

Diego Costa scored his side’s second goal of the game

#3 Model of efficiency... almost

STRATFORD, ENGLAND - MARCH 06:  Cheikhou Kouyate of West Ham United closes down Gary Cahill of Chelsea during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea at London Stadium on March 6, 2017 in Stratford, England.  (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Cheikhou Kouyate and Gary Cahill wrestle for the ball

Once Chelsea had the lead, all the missing pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. They pounced on every loose ball and set off on the counter. While the hosts managed to clear their lines quite regularly, they failed to move the ball back up the pitch quite as swiftly as Chelsea.

By the time Bilic’s side got their heads up to look for space, Chelsea’s back three would morph into a five with mechanical efficiency.

Finding no way through a crowded Chelsea defence, the Hammers switched back to utilising both flanks in an attempt to cross to Andy Carroll, famous for his aerial ability. However, the Blues caught on to that trick as well. Cesar Azpilicueta did a brilliant job of cutting off any threat from the former Liverpool forward in spite of his much smaller stature.

The Spaniard ensured he could not get a clear header on at least a couple of occasions while keeping him isolated for a vast majority of the night.

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