West Ham 2 Chelsea 1: Kouyate and Fernandes secure Hammers place in EFL Cup last eight
SLAVEN BILIC has been desperate to see his side lay down a marker in their new home and the West Ham boss got exactly what he wanted with victory over Chelsea in a match marred by sickening scenes of violence at the London Stadium.
Posted Thursday, October 27, 2016 by Dailystar.co.uk
Cheikhou Kouyate opened the scoring for West Ham against Chelsea in the FA Cup
An early header from Cheikhou Kouyate provided the perfect antidote to pre-match security fears although there was a mass confrontation between rivals fans leaving the stands which confirmed exactly why there was a mass police presence and more than 1,000 stewards on duty.
Bilic’s side saw out the final moments of the game buoyed by the cushion of Edimilson Fernandes’s second half strike which ensured Gary Cahill’s 94th minute reply counted for nothing.
And coming after the weekend win over Sunderland here, Bilic is entitled to feel his side is finding their feet following their controversial move to the former Olympic stadium.
It helped that this EFL cup clash was played against a backdrop of a charged atmosphere – filling the stadium with the kind of noise that has been missing so far this season - until it turned to hate.
But Bilic can be satisfied his side are showing signs of rediscovering last season’s form.
The visit of Antonio Conte’s side for the first London derby at the Olympic Stadium was always going to provide a test for the east end club, on and off the pitch.
Edimilson Fernandes got his first goal for West Ham against Chelsea in the EFL Cup
Antonio Conte saw Chelsea's three game winning streak end against West Ham in the EFL Cup
John Terry came close to silencing the home supporters after just three minutes.
The Chelsea skipper was back in action for the first time since picking up an ankle injury.
And he immediately made his presence felt when he met Willian’s corner at the near post and flicked a volley narrowly over the bar.
Blues boss Conte had made seven changes from the side that crushed Manchester United on Sunday.
But that didn’t affect their momentum with N’Golo Kante following Terry’s effort with a powerful shot that forced a full-length save from Hammers keeper Darren Randolph.
But the home side quickly found their feet and Kouyate’s superb header ensured it was Slaven Bilic’s side who took control.
Mark Noble whipped a deep cross from the left-hand flank and Kouyate jumped ahead of Terry to direct the ball beyond Asmir Begovic.
Terry was playing in a three-man backline alongside David Luiz and Gary Cahill for the first time.
And the Chelsea defensive unit looked decidedly flaky as Bilic’s men attempted to build on the early strike.
Slaven Bilic's West Ham have now won three games in a row
With Diego Costa starting on the bench, Chelsea lacked punch up front with Michy Batshuayi missing a sitter before the break.
And Conte’s side were left facing an uphill task when they fell further behind just three minutes after the restart.
Payet was causing plenty of problems for the visitors and when his shot was parried by Begovic, the ball was eventually worked to Ferndandes on the right flank.
And the Swiss youngster confidently cut inside onto his left foot to drill his effort past the Chelsea keeper.
Cahill bundled home his reply in added time but it came too late to burst West Ham’s bubble.
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