Chelsea’s nemesis strikes
Hernandez scores against Londoners as sub for sixth time
Javier Hernandez often hurt Chelsea when a super-sub at Manchester United and he did so again as he left the bench to earn West Ham United a precious point in their battle against English Premier League relegation. The 1-all draw yesterday also ended, if there was any hope left, Chelsea’s Champions League chances.
It was David Moyes, when he was Old Trafford manager, who sold Hernandez and he inherited him again at West Ham, for whom the Mexican has struggled to make the starting line-up. But there was an unerring certainty when he met a Marko Arnautovic cutback and swept the ball home with what was effectively his first touch.
“It doesn’t matter what the result, Chica’s going to score,” Hernandez, known as “Chicarito”, said before adding: “I am joking.”
Even so, the 29-year-old has scored in no fewer than six matches after getting on as a substitute against Chelsea and, furthermore, has scored against them in every competition, from the Community Shield to the Champions League.
But it was no laughing matter for the deposed champions, whose head coach, Antonio Conte, did not conceal his boiling frustration as his side slipped 10 points behind the top four in what has been a dismal run.
The top four is over. And, soon, it seems, will be Conte’s career at Chelsea as the Italian spoke like a man whose time at the club is spent.
“We must improve, but, this season, I’m repeating this many times and I’m getting bored. You’re listening always to the same: not clinical,” he said. “We must be realistic. If we are not able to win this type of game we are talking about what? About what?”
About a new man in charge, for sure. Chelsea have just six victories — one on penalties — in 20 matches in 2018 and just two in their past eight Premier League matches. That tells its own story — of a team who appear to be struggling to raise themselves.
“I’m very frustrated and I hope my players go home and stay frustrated because, in this way, we have the right mentality,” the Italian said. “Otherwise, if we accept this result and say we were unlucky today, we are not building anything positive for the future.”
A future without him. Maybe Chelsea should have been out of sight before Hernandez entered a game that began with fulsome, heartfelt tributes to Chelsea’s former captain Ray Wilkins, who died last week.
The Chelsea players wore Wilkins’ No 8 on the back of their training tops as they warmed up, there was gen- erous applause, joined in by the West Ham supporters, and a huge banner in Wilkins’ honour, and it also felt appropriate that it was Cesar Azpilicueta who scored what seemed might be the winning goal.
Azpilicueta is a model professional and he touched his black armband in celebrating after poking the ball past goalkeeper Joe Hart. “A really poxy goal,” was Moyes’ assessment in reference to a collective failure to defend a Victor Moses cross and an Alvaro Morata header that led to the goal, and he was right.
After that, though, West Ham defended magnificently, with bodies on the line and Hart making two outstanding second-half saves, although it was 19-year-old Declan Rice who was man of the match for a faultless performance on the right of the three-man defence.
Further forward, Arnautovic led the line tirelessly and smartly and that was summed up when Gary Cahill erred with a weak header as he cut out a Mark Noble cross. Arnautovic reacted quickly to find Hernandez — and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was beaten.
“Chicharito has made a career of scoring goals,” Moyes said of the forward who Chelsea had been interested in. “You can name loads of strikers who are instinctive and know where the goal is to score, something you can’t teach or coach, he’s got all that.”
Hart, meanwhile, produced the kind of restorative performance that he desperately needed as he superbly tipped over a fierce shot from Marcos Alonso and then did even better to tip a header from substitute Olivier Giroud, which bounced up off the turf, against the post and away for another corner. West Ham almost snatched a win only for N’Golo Kante to recover and brilliantly tackle Arnautovic as he bore down on goal.
West Ham are six points clear of relegation and have rallied with a win and a draw after the horrific home defeat against Burnley. “After that situation, the club and the team have done a brilliant job, and the supporters,” Moyes said. They have.
Much to Chelsea’s frustration. ENGLAND FRANCE GERMANY