PLAYER RATINGS: Alphonse Areola repays David Moyes’ faith with huge penalty save as Moises Caicedo has a debut to forget for Chelsea in 3-1 loss at London Stadium

Chelsea were beaten at the London Stadium on Sunday night by David Moyes’ West Ham.

James Ward-Prowse was the best of the bunch on his debut for the Irons, picking up two assists in the win.

The Moroccan picked off Nayer Aguerd and went home to give the Irons an early lead.

However, Carney Chukwuemeka equalized for Chelsea with a fine shot before the break, turning his right foot into the West Ham box before firing on target.

His game came to an early end when the midfielder was forced off before half-time, just after Chelsea were awarded a penalty… which saw Enzo Fernandez saved by Alphonse Areola.

Mikhail Antonio put his team ahead in the second half, with Ward-Prowse again getting the assist with a fine pass.

Things went the wrong way for the Irons when Aguerd was sent off for two yellow cards, but Moyes’ side bounced back and remained strong in defence.

The points were wrapped up when Moises Caicedo, making his debut from the bench, brought down Emerson Palmieri in the penalty area before Lucas Paqueta stepped up to convert from the spot.

Mail Sport (Ian Ladyman on numbers, Nick Emms on words) give their player ratings of the showpiece.

West Ham (4-2-3-1)

Alphonse Areola8

The goalkeeper grew into the match after conceding a penalty for a foul on Nicolas Jackson, which he himself redeemed by making a save from Fernandez. He looked confident and it will take some effort for Lukasz Fabianski to replace him.

Vladimir Coufal 5.5

The Czech international kept Ben Chilwell quiet on Chelsea’s left side but really didn’t have much work to do.

Kurt Zuma 6

With the captain’s armband on, Zouma put in a solid performance at the back. However, he was unable to keep up with Jackson’s runs on several occasions.

Nayef Aguerd 5

It was a mixed bag for the Moroccan, who scored the opener. However, he quickly went from zero to hero, with two unnecessary challenges getting him fired.

Emerson Palmieri 6.5

Emerson showed Chelsea that they may have let the wrong left-back go with a solid performance. He did well to win the penalty late after showing attacking intent.

Tomas Soucek 6.5

A stable performance from Soucek, who will undoubtedly lose his spot to Edson Alvarez in the coming weeks. A good team player who works a shift.

James Ward Prowse 6

Ward-Prowse had a memorable debut for the Irons, unlocking Chelsea’s defense on several occasions. He registered two assists as Hammers fans got to check out their new signing, but his overall play was little more than usual.

Jarrod Bowen7

Bowen was as always impressive for West Ham and threatened Chelsea with his attacking play. However, he was unable to maintain his impressive scoring record against the Blues.

Luke Paqueta 7

The Brazilian impressed despite the noise around him off the pitch. He focused on his football and scored a late penalty to complete his performance.

Said Benrahma 6.5

Benrahma made a good substitution for West Ham. He struggled to break down the Chelsea defense but put in a solid performance.

Michael Antonio 7.5

Antonio scored the cream of the crop and showed why he is still the first choice for Moyes’ side. He was a constant threat.

Substitutes

Edson Alvarez 6

Angelo Ogbonna6

Pablo Fornals6

Chelsea (3-4-2-1)

Robert Sanchez 6.5

Nothing special from Sánchez, who will not be too happy with his start at Chelsea. He responded well to keep the scores up early, but The Blues will have to stop leaking goals in the coming weeks.

Malo Gusto6

It was going to be a tough job for anyone to replace Reece James and Gusto stepped in today. Benrahma got the best of him once, but otherwise it was a reasonably solid full-fledged debut.

Axel Disasi 6

Disasi misplaced some of his passes and struggled along with the rest of the defense.

Thiago Silva6

No doubt Chelsea will plan for a future without Silva, but he was solid as always today. Mr. Trustworthy, despite the backlog.

Levi Colwill 5.5

Pochettino tries something new with Colwill, and he doesn’t look comfortable. Chilwell often leaves him without defensive support and that can’t be good for the youngster.

Ben Chilwell 5.5

Another victim of Chelsea’s new system. Chilwell was brought in as one of the farthest players. You should feel that one of the players on the bench is better suited for this role.

Enzo Fernandez 6

A nice pass from Fernandez made sure he enjoyed the match. However, getting up for the penalty was always a risk and he kept blushing. All in all a day to forget.

Conor Gallagher6

Gallagher has started the season well and shows why Pochettino wants to keep him. Quite a performance against a team interested in signing him.

Carney Chukwuemeka 7

One of the few bright sparks for Chelsea. Chukwuemeka was positive on the ball and got a fantastic goal. Typical of Chelsea’s luck, he went off injured.

Raheem Sterling 7.5

This was arguably one of Sterling’s best performances in a Chelsea shirt. He constantly looked dangerous and was the main creator. More of the same, please!

Nicholas Jackson6

Jackson has the potential to become one of the very best strikers Chelsea have ever seen. He did well to win a penalty, but his slowed play and ability to take on defenders and run in the back worried West Ham. Under Pochettino, the sky is the limit.

Substitutes

Mason Burstow6

Noni Madueke 6

Moses Caicedo 5

Mykhailo Mudryk4