Chelsea held by West Ham 1-1 as their winless run extends
Chelsea’s Joao Felix (right) during Saturday’s EPL tie v West Ham at the London Stadium. Pic/Getty Images
Chelsea’s winless run in the Premier League extended to three games as Joao Felix’s first goal for the Blues was cancelled out by Emerson in Saturday’s 1-1 draw. Graham Potter’s expensively assembled side once again failed to live up to their price tags as the pressure mounted on the Blues boss.
Felix scores opener
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Portugal forward Felix put Chelsea ahead in his second appearance for the club, only for Italy defender Emerson to haunt his former team with an equaliser before half-time.
Ninth-placed Chelsea have won just one of their past eight games in all competitions and are nine points adrift of the Premier League’s Top Four.
Chelsea, without a win in their last seven away league games, splashed out more than £300 million ($362 million) on new signings during the January transfer window.
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Potter aware of pressure
Although Potter insists he is well aware of the pressure to get Chelsea back on track, the former Brighton boss has been unable to stop the rot and is certain to face further scrutiny about his position.
The Blues face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday and Potter desperately needs to steer his team through to the quarter-finals to earn some breathing space.
Failing to beat lowly West Ham was another black mark against Potter, with the east Londoners sitting just two points above the relegation zone. Felix returned for Chelsea following a three-game suspension and the on-loan Atletico Madrid forward posed an immediate threat when his goal was ruled out for a tight offside decision.
West Ham failed to heed that warning and Felix made them pay as he opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
New recruits to the rescue
It was a goal entirely constructed by Chelsea’s new recruits, with Mykhailo Mudryk snapping into a tackle on Jarrod Bowen before Enzo Fernandez curled his cross towards Felix, whose well-timed run beat West Ham’s offside trap as he volleyed home from six yards.
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