Daily WHUFC News - 16th August

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United - WHU Official Site

Diego Costa netted a dramatic last minute winner for Chelsea to help the
west London Club secure a 2-1 victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
The Hammers looked to have salvaged a point after James Collins impressive
strike on 77 minutes cancelled out a penalty from Eden Hazard at the start
of the second half.
But Costa stole all the headlines for the home side on 89 minutes when he
drilled in a low shot from the edge of the box to hand Antonio Conte his
first victory as Chelsea manager in the Premier League.
It was harsh luck on Slaven Bilic and his players who showed great
determination to come from a goal down and force their way back into the
game.
The home side dominated the first half proceedings and could have opened the
scoring after 13 minutes when Branislav Ivanovic turned Cheikhou Kouyate
inside the box and fired a low shot which produced a fine save from Adrian
diving low to his left hand side.
Chelsea had claims for a penalty turned down on 19 minutes after Oscar went
down inside the area following a challenge by Winston Reid, but referee
Anthony Taylor waved for play to continue.
The home side continued to create the best openings and came close again on
the half hour mark when Hazard raced unchallenged into the West Ham penalty
box before striking a shot inches past the post.
The Hammers suffered a major injury blow on 32 minutes when club record
signing Andre Ayew was forced to leave the field and was replaced by fellow
summer signing Gokhan Tore who was making his Premier League debut against
his former club.
Adrian came to West Ham's rescue once again on the stroke of half-time when
he was in the right place to tip Willian's curling free-kick over the bar.
Bilic would have been hoping for a better response in the second half, but
they got off to the worst possible start when Antonio conceded a penalty
just sixty seconds after the re-start.
The Hammers full-back brought down Cesar Azpilicueta inside the box and
Taylor immediately pointed to the spot.
Hazard fired the spot kick straight down the middle and into the back of the
net giving Adrian no chance in the West Ham goal.
Costa was fortunate to escape a red card on 68 minutes following a late
challenge on Adrian, especially after he had been booked earlier in the game
and it was to prove crucial in the final outcome.
Bilic made his final change when he brought Dimitri Payet into the action
and the move paid off as the Hammers drew level on 77 minutes.
Payet's corner fell perfectly to Enner Valencia who saw his shot blocked.
The rebound fell to Collins and he made no mistake striking a fierce shot
into the corner of the net.
But the Hammers were unable to hold on to a draw and Costa scored the
winning goal on 89 minutes.
Nemanja Matic saw his long ball flicked on by substitute Michy Batshuayi
into the path of Costa and he fired the ball past Adrian.

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Kante; Willian
(Pedro 80), Matic, Oscar (Batshuayi 85), Hazard (Moses 85); Costa


Subs not used: Begovic, Aina, Fabregas, Loftus-Cheek


Bookings: Kante, Costa, Matic, Azpilicueta, Pedro


West Ham: Adrian; Antonio (Byram 52), Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Nordtveit
(Payet 66), Noble, Kouyate; Ayew (Tore 32), Carroll, Valencia


Subs not used: Randolph, Ogbonna, Obiang, Oxford


Bookings: Antonio, Collins


Referee: Anthony Taylor


Attendance: 41,521

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Bilic frustrated by Chelsea defeat - WHUFC Official Site

Slaven Bilic was in philosophical mood after his West Ham United side were
controversially beaten in their Premier League opener at Chelsea.
The Hammers manager admitted his injury-depleted team were not at their best
at Stamford Bridge, but James Collins' smart second-half strike looked set
to earn them a hard-earned point.
Eden Hazard – arguably the best player on the pitch – had put Chelsea ahead
from the penalty spot 90 minutes after half-time, and there was no disputing
that the Blues played the more enterprising football. However, West Ham
stuck to their task and were left feeling hard done by.
With a minute of normal time remaining, Diego Costa struck an agonising
winner – but not before the Brazilian had been booked and then escaped
further punishment when he brought down Adrian with a nasty-looking lunge.
"It's the first game of the season and we are already talking about those
kind of decisions," said Bilic. "From our point of view, of course we are
not happy with it.
"I saw the incident again and I don't think it was reckless. It definitely
wasn't a reckless one and it wasn't deliberate in my opinion, but it was,
late very late.
"Nine times out of ten, when you see that challenge on a goalkeeper he ends
up with a booking, but unfortunately this was the tenth time! Really,
though, I am more disappointed with the late goal than the incident with
Costa."
Bilic was asked repeatedly about his view on Costa's non-red card, but
insisted he was more concerned about his side's own difficulty in imposing
themselves on the game than referee Anthony Taylor's decision not to send
the Chelsea striker for an early bath.
"Of course when you concede so late in the first game it leaves you
disappointed and is a big frustration for us," Bilic continued. "We were so
close against a top side on their ground, but they deserved it.
"We were so close and we thought that's it, but let's be honest, apart from
the first 15 minutes and from the time we equalised, they were better than
us. They didn't create many chances, but we gave them the penalty from our
ball possession and the second goal was like that as we had the ball totally
under our control in the middle of the park.
"They were much more aggressive than us, they were there and winning the
second balls and, on top of that, they have players like Hazard who were on
form and on fire. You have to admit they were better than us.
"From the moment we equalised and from there we were in control of the game
as they lost their shape and changed their system and were playing long
balls, which I expected us to cope with a little bit better, but then they
scored a good goal."
To add injuries to the insult of conceding so late, Bilic also lost record
signing Andre Ayew to a thigh injury in the first half, while winger Sofiane
Feghouli was not involved after suffering a hamstring problem.
"Ayew has a thigh injury," he confirmed. "He told me it is not a big one,
but you never know and he will have a scan on Tuesday and we have to wait
for the result of the scan to know how long he will be out.
"Feghouli picked up something against Juventus which we didn't think was an
injury and he trained for a week, but he missed tonight because he is
injured."
Bilic and his wounded squad will need to regroup quickly, as the Hammers
travel to Romania on Wednesday for a UEFA Europa League play-off round
first-leg tie with Astra Giurgiu on Thursday evening.

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Collins - It's a tough loss - WHUFC Official Site

James Collins said scoring on his return to the starting XI meant nothing as
West Ham United were controversially beaten 2-1 in their Premier League
opener at Chelsea.
The defender scored the Hammers' equaliser at Stamford Bridge only for Diego
Costa, who should arguably have been sent-off for a reckless late challenge
on Adrian, to net the Blues' 89th-minute winner.
For Collins, who helped Wales reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016, defeat was
hard to stomach after a determined rearguard action looked to have earned a
point in west London.
"It was tough," said the No19. "I don't think we played particularly well
and didn't deserve a win or maybe even a draw, but when you get to the 89th
minute at 1-1, you should be hanging on to a point. Obviously we didn't play
as well as we could, but it would have been a great point.
"You never think you have done enough against Chelsea because they're a
class team. They had a dip last year but they were right back on form
tonight and it was a tough game. We're obviously disappointed.
"The goal is no consolation and I should score more, to be honest, the
amount of time I go up for corners and that. It just dropped nice and I
stuck it in, but it would have been nicer if it was the equaliser and we'd
got a point."
West Ham need to get over Monday's disappointment quickly, as Slaven Bilic's
side head to Romania on Wednesday for a UEFA Europa League play-off round
first-round tie with Astra Giurgiu.
He added: "We go on to the next one. We've got a tough game away in Romania,
so we'll regroup, we''ll train on Tuesday, watch the video from the game and
take what we can out of it."

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Loan round-up - WHU Official Site

Josh Pask helped Gillingham reach the summit of League One at the weekend as
he was one of three young Hammers in loan action in the third tier.
The centre-back, playing his second fixture since joining the Kent outfit on
loan, played 90 minutes as the Gills beat Bury 2-1 at the Priestfield
Stadium.
The hosts were in front after just six minutes as right-back Ryan Jackson
opened the scoring, and it was two twelve minutes into the second half as
Antony Kay put into his own net.
Tom Pope pulled one back but Pask and Gillingham defended well to hold on
and record their second league win in as many matches having beaten Southend
United on day one.
Meanwhile, there was a debut for Lewis Page at new club Coventry City as
they picked up a goalless draw at home to Shrewsbury.
The Sky Blues, who were beaten by Swindon Town in their opening fixture,
picked up their first point of the season, with Page playing 90 minutes for
Tony Mowbray's outfit.
Also making his debut – albeit a second one at Bradford City – was Josh
Cullen, who returned to the Yorkshire club recently after an impressive
spell there last campaign.
The Bantams, looking to better their opening day draw with Port Vale, were
1-0 winners at the Hammers' Dev Squad opponents Peterborough United.
Cullen played the full match in midfield for Stuart McCall's team, who had
Jordy Hiwula – on loan from Huddersfield Town – to thank after he scored the
eleventh minute winner.
Elsewhere in the division, George Dobson – who has made one appearance so
far on loan at Walsall – was an unused substitute as the Saddlers were held
0-0 at Oldham Athletic.
Finally, Kyle Knoyle – on loan at Wigan Athletic after last term's spell in
Scotland with Dundee United – continued his recovery from injury and watched
on as the Latics thrashed Blackburn Rovers 3-0.
Will Grigg, Nick Powell and a Shane Duffy own goal gave Gary Caldwell's side
the comfortable victory to earn their first points of the season in the
Championship.

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From the Boardroom - David Sullivan - WHUFC Official Site

We are all disappointed that we could not take anything from the opening
game against Chelsea on Monday night.
But if we are honest we know that the performance was not good enough and
Slaven was the first to admit that after the game.
We raised the bar with our performance levels last season and the players
are capable of showing a lot more.
We know the importance of bouncing straight back and we have the ideal
opportunity to do that when we play Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League on
Thursday night and then Bournemouth at home on Sunday.
The injuries are hurting us badly and it is disappointing that Andre Ayew
will now face a spell on the sidelines.
We need to get Manuel Lanzini, Andre Ayew, Diafra Sakho and Sofiane Feghouli
back in action as soon as possible.
The good thing to come out of the Chelsea game was the impressive debut by
our new left back Arthur Masuaku and he will hopefully become a great
signing for the Club.

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Masuaku - This is a big week for the Club

West Ham United defender Arthur Masuaku is confident his side can bounce
straight following the defeat against Chelsea and knows the importance of
winning the next two games.
Masuaku had a mixed night of emotions following his debut for the Club at
Stamford Bridge.
The French defender was thrilled to play his first Premier League game, but
was upset that his side failed to take anything from the game after Diego
Costa scored a dramatic last minute winner.
Masuaku has stressed the importance of getting back straight back on the
winning trail and feels the players will have a point to prove when they
face Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League on Thursday and Bournemouth at home
on Sunday.
Masuaku said: "All the players were disappointed because we conceded the
goal in the last minute. I thought was the game was in our hands but
unfortunately we let in the second goal. We just have to keep working hard
together as a team.
"It was a great strike from Ginge to get us back into the game and I thought
Dimitri came on and changed the game because he has great quality and for me
he is a world class player.
"We saw what he can do as he crossed the ball in for the goal. It was
unfortunate that we could not hold but we have to move on now.
"I really enjoyed my Premier League debut as it was always my target to play
in England since I was a youngster.
"The Premier League is very fast and for me it was tough physically as I am
not 100 per cent yet. I just want to keep going, work hard and hopefully
show my best form.
"This is a big week for the Club and we have two important games in the
Europa League and then the first home game against Bournemouth. I hope we
are going to win the next two games."

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Farewell to Upton Park

West Ham United fans will never forget the Boleyn Ground.
For that reason alone, a stunning new book celebrating the Hammers' historic
home of 112 years entitled Farewell to Upton Park should be part of every
supporters' Claret and Blue collection.
Containing more than 230 exclusive and evocative images, which will chime
with every Hammer, from the characters that made the stadium great, to
nostalgic scenes at the historic Boleyn Tavern and inside the ground itself,
this is a book every fan will treasure for years to come.
Farewell to Upton Park will go on sale at the Stadium Store ahead of West
Ham's Premier League fixture with AFC Bournemouth on Sunday 21 August, where
a very special Hammers guest will be signing copies for supporters!
Officially endorsed by the Club, Farewell to Upton Park was the brainchild
of West Ham Season Ticket Holder and Daily Mail and MailOnline Head of Sport
Lee Clayton, while many of the images inside were captured by the Mail's
award-winning sports photographer Andy Hooper.
To celebrate the launch, the Club and publishers have teamed up to give away
ten copies in a special competition. To enter, simply follow us on Instagram
@westham and follow the simple instructions!
The book contains many pictures of Upton Park as I remember it, lots of
pictures of fans and inside and outside the ground and that matchday
atmosphere that we all loved
As a collection it forms a beautiful testament of what it meant to go to a
game and be among the fans at a stadium that will live long in the memory of
everyone who visited it.
A lifelong Hammer, Clayton is rightly proud of the publication that he and
Hooper have produced.
"The book is called Farewell to Upton Park and I've got to say it's a real
show of Andy's work," he said. "He is a brilliant photographer who I have
worked with for the last 13 years at the Mail and he has got a great eye for
these things.
"The original idea for the book came when I was talking with a fellow Season
Ticket Holder and we took a long walk around the area surrounding the Boleyn
Ground and thought 'We will never see this again' because there are not so
many reasons to return to the area now West Ham have left.
"I spoke to Andy, as he has an eye for those shots, and the Club have been
brilliant in allowing us in with the Board, the players and the management
and access all areas, which was a fantastic opportunity.
"All that is reflected in this book, which contains many pictures of Upton
Park as I remember it, lots of pictures of fans and inside and outside the
ground and that matchday atmosphere that we all loved."
We wanted this to be reportage and not pose any pictures, but rather be
moments in time that were observed and won't happen again
"It is really unusual for someone outside the Club to be given such access
and everyone inside was very friendly," he confirmed. "We worked in the
dressing room and tunnel area around the players and coaching staff, which
is traditionally a very difficult area to work in because you can't get in
anyone's way, but it worked well.
"Over time, you build up relationships and everyone was really friendly and
allowed me to take pictures. We wanted to show everything that happens off
the pitch which fans normally don't see at a match.
"We didn't want to set anything up because we want every photo in the book
to be something that happened naturally, be it the tea lady serving a cuppa
or Dimitri Payet doing keepy-ups in the dressing room.
"The book started off showing the architecture and the stadium to give fans
a memory of that, but the fans themselves became the book – the goal
celebrations make the most incredible pictures because the drama, emotion
and the passion that came out, particularly after Winston Reid's final goal
against Manchester United, were incredible.
"We wanted this to be reportage and not pose any pictures, but rather be
moments in time that were observed and won't happen again."
Hooper will describe his favourite images in the Official Programme
throughout the 2016/17 season.
*Farewell to Upton Park – The Official Celebration of West Ham United's
Home – 1904–2016 will be published by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd on Sunday
21 August 2016.

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Chelsea 2 v 1 West Ham United - BBC Sport
By Chris Osborne

Diego Costa's late strike gave Antonio Conte a dramatic winning start as
Chelsea manager as his side secured a season-opening victory over West Ham.
The Spain striker found the net from 20 yards in the 89th minute to spark
wild scenes at Stamford Bridge, with Conte celebrating among supporters.
Eden Hazard had put the Blues in front from the spot after Michail Antonio
fouled Cesar Azpilicueta.
James Collins levelled for the Hammers, but Costa's finish settled it.
After a disastrous start to last season, which led to Jose Mourinho's
sacking in December and a 10th-place finish, Conte's arrival at Chelsea will
at the very least inject passion and animation into a side routinely accused
of lacking commitment last term.
The former Juventus coach, where he won Serie A three times, is fresh from
taking Italy to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, where he displayed tactical
nous alongside animated touchline antics.
And Chelsea supporters hugged their new manager in delight as he sprinted
along the front of the stands following Costa's low shot had crept into the
net.
But the 27-year-old had been fortunate to still be on the pitch when, having
already been booked for remonstrating with the referee, he escaped a second
booking when he caught Hammers keeper Adrian high up on the shin with a late
challenge.
The question of whether Chelsea can mount a strong title challenge will
still remain after this display, with the Blues dominating possession but
failing to finish off the visitors until late on.
But the all-action, energetic performance of £30m midfield signing N'Golo
Kante - who won the title with Leicester City last season - and the vibrancy
of Hazard, were positive signs.
Belgium winger Hazard looked particularly sharp and creative, following an
impressive European Championship for his country.
However, Conte is likely to pursue further signings, with striker Michy
Batshuayi - a late substitute - the only other new arrival.

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham: Slaven Bilic disappointed with sloppy mistakes

West Ham have brought in eight players over the summer and three of them
started - Arthur Masuaku, Havard Nordveit and Andre Ayew.
Striker Ayew, a £20m signing from Swansea, had a miserable night as he
limped off in the first half with a thigh injury.
And manager Slaven Bilic is likely to have also been disappointed with the
performance of his side, who struggled to get a foothold in the game and did
not produce a shot on target until Collins lashed home a loose ball after a
77th-minute corner.
Dimitri Payet, so often the Hammers' star last season, was restricted to
coming off the bench after his exertions for France at Euro 2016 and was
unable to make an impact in his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Man of the match - Eden Hazard
Much maligned for his performances last season, Eden Hazard was persistently
Chelsea's most potent attacking threat
What they said - 'We played like tigers'
Chelsea forward Eden Hazard told Sky Sports: "It was good to be back on the
pitch in front of our own supporters. We did very well and we played 90
minutes like tigers.
"It's not every year I score in my first game. Last season is finished - we
are looking forward to the future. We want to bring a lot of emotion to the
fans."
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic told Sky Sports: "When you lose a game and
concede late, of course you are disappointed. Apart from the first 15
minutes until we equalised, they were much better than us.
"They were better on the ball, in pressing and much more aggressive than us.
They had the individual class of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Willian.
"We came back into the game. We played well after 1-1, but we made the
mistake in the middle of the park. We gave the ball away and conceded a
cheap goal."
What's next?
Chelsea travel to Watford on Saturday after the Hornets started the season
with a draw at Southampton. West Ham have a trip to Romania on Thursday for
the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu.
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Diego Costa challenge: Chelsea boss Antonio Conte backs referee - BBC Sport

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says the referee "made the right decision" in
taking no action against striker Diego Costa after his challenge on West Ham
goalkeeper Adrian.
Costa, already booked, caught Adrian high on his shin in the second half.
Anthony Taylor did not produce a second yellow card and Costa went on to
make it 2-1 to Chelsea in the 89th minute.
Conte said he "did not see" the tackle, adding: "I saw Costa put the
pressure on the keeper and then try to stop."
Chelsea led 1-0 when Costa made the challenge and even though James Collins
equalised for West Ham, the Spain international settled the game with a low,
20-yard strike.
"It was not reckless or deliberate, but it was quite late," said Hammers
boss Slaven Bilic referring to the incident.
"He could have been booked again and so a red card. I am not frustrated
because of that, I am frustrated because of the late goal."
Referees have been instructed to book players who protest against decisions
this season and Costa was initially cautioned for chasing Taylor following a
penalty appeal.
"Diego is a good player and a passionate man - sometimes it happens that he
can receive a yellow card," Conte told Sky Sports.
"I think in the situation with Adriano the referee took the right decision."
Collins' goal was West Ham's only shot on target and striker Andre Ayew, a
£20m summer signing from Swansea, limping off in the first half is a concern
for Bilic.
"We have to wait on Andre Ayew," said the Croat, whose side travel to
Romania on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League qualifier
against Astra Giurgiu.
"It is a thigh injury and we will find out after the scan on Tuesday."
Conte has arrived at Chelsea with a reputation for being an expert
tactician, as displayed by taking Italy to the European Championship
quarter-finals, but also for being a passionate and animated character on
the touchline.
The Italian lived up that billing by rushing towards fans to celebrate
Costa's winner.
"I knew the Premier League only through television. I played against English
teams in the Champions League and Europa League, but playing this league is
very difficult," said the 47-year-old.
"There is a great intensity in the Premier League and it's very physical. I
don't know if I'll sleep tonight because the adrenaline is high."
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Chelsea 2-1 West Ham – Match Report - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 15 August 2016 at 11:26pm

West Ham lost their opening Premier League game this evening when Diego
Costa netted a dramatic last minute winner for Chelsea to secure a 2-1
victory at Stamford Bridge.
The Hammers looked to have salvaged a point after James Collins impressive
strike on 77 minutes cancelled out a penalty from Eden Hazard at the start
of the second half.
But Costa drilled in a low shot from the edge of the box to hand Antonio
Conte his first victory as Chelsea manager in the Premier League.
In reality the Spaniard shouldn't have even been on the pitch but Anthony
Taylor totally bottled his decision on a challenge Costa made on Adrian
which many including ex-referees viewed as an automatic red card offence.
The Hammers and Slaven Bilic will feel hard done by but in truth their
performance didn't deserve anything from the game. The team were slow on
the night, didn't look confident and rarely troubled the Chelsea back four
with constant aerial passes to Andy Carroll who resembled more of a Tom
Hanks character from Castaway than a well supported frontman. The side were
missing influencial playmaking stars such as Dimitri Payet (for most of the
game) and the injured duo Manuel Lanzini and Sofiane Feghouli which
obviously affected the flow of West Ham's usual attacking prowess. To make
matters worse, the Hammers lost record signing Andre Ayew, 32 minutes into
his debut for the club with what looks like a leg injury. The club will
surely be sweating on the results of that scan with the transfer window
closure just over two weeks away.
The home side dominated the first half proceedings and could have opened the
scoring after 13 minutes when Branislav Ivanovic turned Cheikhou Kouyate
inside the box and fired a low shot which produced a fine save from Adrian
diving low to his left hand side.
Chelsea had claims for a penalty turned down 6 minutes later after Oscar
went down inside the area following a challenge by Winston Reid, but referee
Anthony Taylor waved for play to continue.
The home side continued to create the best openings and came close again
when Hazard raced unchallenged into the West Ham penalty box before striking
a shot inches past the post.
Bilic was forced into his first change on 32 minutes when club record
signing Andre Ayew was forced to leave the field and was replaced by fellow
summer signing Gokhan Tore who was making his Premier League debut against
his former club.
Adrian came to West Ham's rescue once again on the stroke of half-time when
he was in the right place to tip Willian's curling free-kick over the bar.
Bilic would have been hoping for a better response in the second half, but
they got off to the worst possible start when Michail Antonio conceded a
penalty just after the re-start.
The Hammers winger brought down Cesar Azpilicueta inside the box and Taylor
immediately pointed to the spot.
Hazard fired the spot kick straight down the middle giving Adrian no chance
in the West Ham goal.
Slaven immediately replaced Antonio with Sam Byram and the ex Forest man
looked very downhearted.
Bilic made his final change when he brought on Dimitri Payet into the action
and the move paid off as the Hammers drew level on 77 minutes.
Payet's corner fell perfectly to Enner Valencia who saw his shot blocked.
The rebound fell to Collins and he made no mistake striking a fierce shot
into the corner of the net.
But the Hammers were unable to hold on to a draw.
Bilic wont have too long to dwell on tonight's result and performance as the
club travel to Romania on Thursday to face FC Astra in the 1st leg of their
Europa League Play-off tie against the side that eliminated them from last
season's tournament.

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Kante; Willian
(Pedro 80), Matic, Oscar (Batshuayi 85), Hazard (Moses 85); Costa

Subs not used: Begovic, Aina, Fabregas, Loftus-Cheek

Bookings: Kante

West Ham: Adrian; Antonio (Byram 52), Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Nordtveit
(Payet 66), Noble, Kouyate; Ayew (Tore 32), Carroll, Valencia

Subs not used: Randolph, Ogbonna, Obiang, Oxford

Bookings: Antonio, Collins

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: 41,521
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Ref Watch – Chelsea vs West Ham – Anthony Taylor - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 15 August 2016 at 11:32pm
Written by Sam Royden-Ryell

New season, new rules and a lot at stake in this highly anticipated season.
After a 7th place finish last season, a potential place in Europa League
group stage and smashing our transfer record, it's looking very good for
West Ham. Gameweek 1 of the new Premier League season started at Stamford
Bridge with a highly anticipated London derby against Chelsea. The referee
appointed for this game was Anthony Taylor.
Business as usual for Taylor in the first half with a handful of cautions
but nothing that he couldn't handle. The first caution of the game came
within the first four minutes when £32m summer signing N'Golo Kanté got
beaten to the ball by Andy Carroll before Kanté hacked down the West Ham
front man. Kanté couldn't have any complaints after that kind of challenge
as it came from behind but also as Carroll was progressing to the Chelsea
half.
One of the biggest decisions Taylor had to make in the first half was to
decide whether to award a penalty against Winston Reid after Oscar went down
in the West Ham penalty area. For me, Oscars fall was far too theatrical.
Oscar was in possession and skilfully flicked the ball past Reid and there
was contact from Reid without a doubt, however the contact wasn't enough for
Oscar to go down like he did and his fall clearly didn't convince Taylor
that it was worthy of a penalty.
Diego Costa was the second player to join Kanté in Taylor's book after Costa
was protesting Taylor's decision to wave away Chelsea's penalty appeal but
in an unacceptable manner. This season, new powers have been given to the
referees to protect themselves but also their assistants. Referees have been
urged to take a stronger stand on "intolerable behaviour" by players. This
includes running to contest decisions, arguing face-to-face with officials,
and "visibly disrespectful" actions will result in yellow cards. This makes
sense for me and I don't understand why this hasn't been brought in sooner,
but it's better late than never. You will see a lot of cautions this season
because of this new inclusion and it's no surprise that Costa was penalised.
Collins was the first West Ham player to be cautioned after the West Ham man
brought Diego Costa down just inside Chelsea's half. It was an unnecessary
challenge but rightly penalised by Taylor. There were a couple of strange
decisions, one being penalising Enner Valencia for attempting to challenge
for the ball when at hip height and Cahill attempted to challenge with his
head. Taylor gave a foul for a high boot against Valencia and this is
incorrect in my opinion. The fact Cahill put his head in an unnatural area
to challenge for the ball meant this shouldn't have been awarded against
West Ham.
Just two minutes into the second half and Taylor correctly awarded a penalty
to Chelsea after waving away one in the first half. Michail Antonio decided
he was going attempt to run the ball out from the back before getting
challenged by César Azpilicueta. Antonio made a horrendous attempt to win
the ball back but brought down Azpilicueta at the same time and kicked the
ball away in frustration which resulted in a caution.
Arguably the biggest question West Ham fans are asking – Should Diego Costa
have been sent off for a second bookable offence for his challenge on
Adrian? A natural instinct as a striker is always going challenge for every
ball and will chase every ball. However, Diego Costa's challenge was late,
it was reckless and it did deserve a second bookable offence. Costa's
reputation is always going to cause a stir because of the type of player he
is and he can be over aggressive on more occasions that not. If this was on
anywhere else on the pitch, Taylor would have more than likely blew for the
foul and cautioned the player, or in Costa's intense, second bookable
offence. Therefore, I feel that Costa is extremely lucky to still be on the
field and I do sympathise with Taylor as we do have the luxury of multiple
instant replays but it's a decision he did get correct amongst many he did
get correct which is a shame on his overall performance.
After Taylor got a high boot decision incorrect in the first half, Taylor
got a different high boot decision correct as Azpilicueta challenged for the
ball at shoulder height with Andy Carroll challenging with his head. This
was the correct decision rather than the Valencia challenge at hip height on
Cahill. Azpilicueta protested and was booked on this occasion.
Was Kanté lucky to stay on the pitch as well after the foul on Dimitri
Payet? Not for me on this occasion. Not every foul is punished with a
caution or red card. Kanté was generally going for the ball. Admittedly, he
was late but the attempt was there and Taylor correctly blew for the foul.
Diego Costa was amongst it again when he ran into Arthur Masuaku and went
down inside the box. Costa was obviously looking for a penalty but Taylor
was having none of it and waved it away almost instantly. Within the last
couple of minutes of the game, Pedro was cautioned after a nasty-looking
late challenge on Reid. A caution was the minimum punishment needed for that
type of late challenge with Taylor right on the spot to make that decision.
Overall, not a bad start to the season for Taylor. He continued the trend of
referees in this opening weekend to attempt to stamp out intolerable
behaviour by players. Arguably, the biggest decision was to determine
whether Costa's challenge on Adrian was deserved of a caution or not. Taylor
thought not, but replays showed that there was defiantly a case for a second
bookable offence. A very poor performance by West Ham with not much going
forward, a lack of composure and we didn't get into the game. We couldn't
keep the ball nor pass to our own players. We cannot rely on Payet to change
games as much as he is by far our best player. We need other players to
stand up in instances like this game against Chelsea and Slav has a lot to
think about before the first Premier League game at the London Stadium
against Bournemouth next week, which fans are expecting to win. Let us know
your thoughts @TheWestHamWay and @SamRoyden using the hashtag
#AskWestHamWayRef with your thoughts, opinions and questions.
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Chelsea performance was poor… but let's not panic! Bilic will fix this.
by Ben Cooper on 16 August 2016 at 2:18pm
This article was written by Richard Jones (@emagehtjr on twitter)

Obviously the main question from last night is 'why is Antonio being played
at right back?'From Bilic's point of view, he wants an attacking right back
who can help support attacking moves going forward. Antonio suits that part
of the role very well, but defensively he just isn't going to cut it I'm
afraid. He is way too attack minded, too eager to get forward and this
leaves us exposed if we lose the ball unexpectedly. This weakness was
emphasised by the way we played last night in midfield with the poor
passing.
Antonio does not have a strong defensive instinct, the difference when Byram
came on was clear to see. Byram was clean in the tackle and didn't look as
shaky. However, the lack of match fitness of some key players and
unfortunate injuries were bigger contributors to the defeat.
Its possible that Bilic feels that the right back position is the only way
he can utilise Antonio in the team. Now, with the likes of Ayew, Feghouli,
Payet, and Tore, is Antonio dropped out of the starting eleven altogether if
he doesn't play right back? One thing is for sure and that is we can't have
Antonio playing at right back any more. I'm sure Bilic must realise this
now, he isn't naive.
Slaven is a very intelligent man and I believe he is just trying to make the
best out of what he has at his disposal. He has shown bravery by trying to
turn Antonio into a right back. However, I feel that Antonio is never going
to be that right back who will sense danger defensively.
I do not believe Antonio's future at the club is in doubt, far from it,
there are a lot of games to play this season and all of the squad will be
needed.
Some observations from the match itself:
The passing was poor, the tactics didn't work but this is not Bilic's fault,
its more down to the options he currently has.
We started the game well but as the game went on it became evident that it
was going to be one of those nights for u.
The mistake Antonio made led to a Chelsea goal.
We didn't have enough shots on goal ourselves.
Ayew getting injured was typical West Ham luck. Some of the referee's
decisions were not at all lucky for us either.
There were limited crosses for Carroll to attack until Payet came on.
The only highlight was the great finish by Collins on his weaker foot.
Nordtveit and Tore were both poor but I don't believe it's appropriate to
judge new signings after one game, I believe we have signed some real
quality and they just need time to bed in.

Moving forward:
If Sakho was fit and focused, it would of worked better with him as striker.
I believe we would of had more of an outlet on the break which gives you
that extra threat in away games on the counter.
Also, with Calleri soon to join up, I believe he will give us a different
option up front. He is comfortable on the ball, will work hard to stretch
defences and be a threat in the box.
It's not a time to panic and I think we will have a great season
COYI.
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If I were Antonio's agent… thewesthamway
by Mitch Foyle-York on 16 August 2016 at 10:04am

I think it's fair to say that every West Ham fan's heart melted when they
saw Antonio leave the field last night, his face riddled with despair and
frustration. At first, like most West Ham fans, I decided to trust Bilic
with his decision to play Antonio at RB. However, since then, we have seen
nothing but mistakes from the natural winger.
I have often made the case that Bilic doesn't see Antonio as the way
forward, in terms of his attacking unite. Look at the rest of our attacking
midfielders: Payet, Lanzini, Tore, Feghouli and Ayew. They are all
playmaking midfielders, who like to nip in and out of each other. Antonio is
the complete opposite. He simply doesn't pass Bilic's checklist, he's far
too raw and direct for Bilic's liking.
So where does this leave Michail Antonio? Surely now Bilic has realised he
simply can't play him at RB? For the record, I must say I was disgusted with
the lack of respect Bilic showed Antonio after subbing him last night.
Antonio doesn't deserve this, he was-arguably-our second best player last
season. Not only has Antonio been denied a chance to play a huge role in our
attack this season, he has (almost) been replaced by Tore, Feghouli and
Ayew. He must be thinking "what more can I do?".
I love Michail Antonio, but if I were his agent I would be telling him to
reconsider his position at the club. This situation is a lose-lose. It isn't
fair on him, it's tarnishing his reputation, and it's not fair on the team,
who are paying the ultimate price for this foolishness. No one is benefiting
from Antonio playing RB. Of course I don't want Antonio to leave, but for
the sake of his career I honestly think he should already consider moving
on. Unless Bilic reassures him that he will be getting the chance to play
plenty of first team football as a winger from now on.
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Chelsea 2-1 West Ham Utd - KUMB

Filed: Monday, 15th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

Diego Costa grabbed an 89th-minute winner for Chelsea in tonight's Premier
League opener at Stamford Bridge on a night when he could - and perhaps
should - have been booked FOUR times.
The Spanish international - who was already on a yellow before committing
three further bookable offences, all of which referee Anthony Taylor
ignored - struck the winning goal with seconds to spare after James Collins'
77th-minute strike looked to have rescued a point for the Hammers.
West Ham, missing the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Manuel Lanzini and Aaron
Cresswell also started without Dimitri Payet, who is still recovering from
his Euro 16 exploits.
And despite enjoying the bulk of possession in the opening half hour, the
Hammers failed to seriously test Thibaut Courtois until Collins recorded
United's first effort on target with his goal, 13 minutes from time.
By that time the hosts had perhaps deservedly taken the lead through a
47th-minute Hazard penalty, conceded by Michail Antonio who inadvertently
felled Cesar Azpilicueta inside the box.
The right winger, playing again at full back was rewarded by being instantly
replaced by Sam Byram - and ignored by manager Slaven Bilic as he trudged
dejectedly back to the visitors' dugout.
Thereafter Byram proved an able replacement for Antonio, playing on the
opposite side to new signing Arthur Masuaku who was one of three players
making their Premier League debuts in United's starting XI.
Havard Nordtveit and Andre Ayew also started for the first time although the
latter's evening was cut short just 35 minutes in after he suffered a thigh
strain, an injury that will be assessed tomorrow morning. Gokhan Tore made
his debut from the bench as a replacement for the stricken Ayew.
Chelsea, despite looked in control after taking the lead were always
susceptible to a sucker punch holding such a slender lead. And it was James
Collins who delivered what appeared to be a knockout blow when he steered
the ball through a cluster of bodies to draw West Ham level 13 minutes from
time.
That was until Costa fired across Adrian from an acute angle to win all
three points for the hosts with little more than a minute of normal time
remaining. Controversially, because had referee Anthony Taylor applied the
letter of the law correctly the Spaniard might have been dismissed twice
before scoring his goal - and once more again thereafter!
Booked for dissent in the first half, Costa deliberately raked Adrian's shin
in the second only for Taylor to simply award a free kick; the ugly
challenge was quite possibly worthy of a straight red on its own.
Minutes later his attempt at simulation inside West Ham's penalty area also
went unpunished, as did the removal of his shirt whilst celebrating the
winning goal. Although they were poor tonight, it's fair to say the Hammers
haven't had the best of luck with match officials at Stamford Bridge this
calendar year.

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Club sponsor criticises Antonio selection - KUMB

Filed: Monday, 15th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's principal sponsor Betway has slammed manager Slaven
Bilic's decision to persist with winger Michail Antonio at right back.
In an extraordinary message posted via their official Twitter timeline
following West Ham's 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, the gambling firm - who
have worked hard to engage with the club's supporters since forging the link
with West Ham - called the decision to play Antonio at right back an
"accident waiting to happen".
Slaven And whilst that opinion might chime with the club's fanbase, the vast
majority of whom have called for Antonio to be restored to his favoured and
most effective position - it will cause more than a modicum of embarrassment
for the club.
Antonio, who was exceptional on the right flank during his first season in
the Premier League was responsible for conceding the penalty that led to
Chelsea's opening goal in tonight's clash.
The 26-year-old former Forest star was rewarded for his error by being
immediately substituted by Slaven Bilic, who replaced him with Sam Byram.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Costa not reckless, says Bilic - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 16th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

Slaven BIlic refused to criticise Chelsea's Diego Costa for his challenge on
Adrian following last night's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea.
The Hammers boss, who saw his team concede in the final minute of normal
time felt that the striker's challenge - whilst late - was not particularly
dangerous.
"It's the first game of the season and we are already talking about those
kind of decisions," he told the media post-match. "Of course, from our point
of view, of course we are not happy with it.
"I saw the incident again and I don't think it was reckless. It definitely
wasn't a reckless one and in my opinion it wasn't deliberate, but it was,
late very late.
"Nine times out of ten, when you see that challenge on a goalkeeper he ends
up with a booking, but unfortunately this was the tenth time! Really,
though, I am more disappointed with the late goal than the incident with
Costa."

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Not good enough, warns Sullivan - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 16th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has criticised Slaven Bilic and his
squad for their below-par performance at Stamford Bridge last night.
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 thanks to a last-minute effort by Diego Costa,
who should have been dismissed earlier in the game for a reckless challenge
on West Ham goalkeeper Adrian.
And Sullivan, speaking via the club's website this morning said that the
team were simply "not good enough" against Antonio Costa's side.
"We are all disappointed that we could not take anything from Chelsea on
Monday night," he said. "But if we are honest, we know that the performance
was not good enough.
"We raised the bar with our performance levels last season and the players
are capable of showing a lot more.
"We know the importance of bouncing straight back and we have the ideal
opportunity to do that when we play Astra Giurgiu on Thursday night and then
Bournemouth on Sunday."
Sullivan was also full of praise for debutant Arthur Masuaku - and keen to
see the return of several players currently sidelined by injury.
"One good thing to come out of the Chelsea game was the impressive debut by
our new left back; hopefully he will become a great signing for the club,"
he added.
"But the injuries are hurting us badly and it is disappointing that Andre
Ayew will now face a spell on the sidelines. We need to get Manuel Lanzini,
Andre Ayew, Diafra Sakho and Sofiane Feghouli back in action as soon as
possible."
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The opposition view: Chelsea - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 16th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

You'd think they'd be happy with an opening day win - yet there were still
plenty of moans emanating from West London. Welcome back to a new season of
the OV....

"Well that was bloody brilliant. I had a feeling that West Ham were bad
opponents to face on the opening day, but I thought that was the best I have
seen us play in over a year. The way we won back possession so effectively
with such high intensity made West Ham look incredibly uncomfortable on the
ball, and this was reflected in the fact that they really struggled to
string a meaningful attack together all game. Their goal was their first
shot on target, and was born from rather dubious circumstances, but other
than than the nervous goal mouth scramble at the end, they created next to
nothing. Great win, great performance matched with a cracking atmosphere."
- mclovin83

"West Ham resorted to playing deep and actually played well defensively.
Hazard was marked by three players at times. To dominate West Ham like we
did shows how much we have improved. It was refreshing to see a solid
midfield which West Ham didn't have an answer for."
- Fendieta

"Let's face it, on another day it could have been easily a stalemate. We
didn't create a single clear-cut chance at home against only West Ham and
Costa should have been sent off before he got the chance to score that
winning goal. Maybe that's the so-called lucky part... It's really a very
small margin between lost, draw and victory in this game."
- bola

"Worst performance by far the ref. Oscar penalty wasn't given, Costa second
yellow, Costa penalty at the end probably should have been and Carroll
diving for the high foot which lead to their goal. Azpilicueta didn't even
have his foot up. This is why I'm not a fan of the new rules. Referee's have
zero accountability and these types of sh*t show performances will become
the norm now."
- Rusty-Man

"I wouldn't be surprised if the FA make another case against Costa, thanks
to those clueless pundits. I couldn't understand the first yellow card, was
that for talking to the referee? It's funny [Manchester] United basically
had the game gifted to them by a team in the bottle half and they are
everyone's favourite to win the title, We beat a top eight team from last
season, and all because the referee didn't send off Costa..."
- icecoolguy22

"That booking for 'dissent' is a stupid rule, what classifies dissent? Seems
like any form of somewhat raised voice is a booking, Costa was hardly
screaming in his face. There's going to be a lot of very soft red cards this
year for all teams."
- bluelion111

"The Mail opens with'Diego Costa swung a right boot,more in desperation than
expectation'. His challenge on Adrian probably should have been a yellow,he
got away with that one. I have more of a problem with his booking for
dissent earlier. Was his questioning of a decision any worse than others
seen doing similar throughout the weekend? Common sense needs to prevail
with this new law, clearly weaker referees will use it as a tool to control
and more so against players they may dislike. I'll be very surprised if this
is the last time Costa gets booked for this offence."
- charierre


"It's funny, after a few months away from the PL and Chelsea-related news, I
forgot how absurd some of the coverage we receive is. The press and social
media acting as if West Ham were hard done by because Costa lost out on a
50/50 and didn't get a second yellow after a very soft first, and totally
ignoring that Oscar should have had a peno in the first half, and that their
goal only came by way of an abysmal dive by Carroll."
- Jonty

"We definitely deserved to win this one. We looked energetic and hungry, and
confidence is definitely coming back with the likes of Hazard and Costa. I
can't remember the last time we won a game at the death, such a great
feeling. Funny that all the pundits could talk about was how poor West Ham
was, and Costa should have been sent off. Make no mistake, West Ham is a
good team playing away, they will get plenty of points on the road."
- icecoolguy22

"Let's be real here...we played well in patches but ultimately we lacked
creativity from the midfield and Conte got lucky. You can do as many Mr
Grimsdale impersonations as you like Conte, but I haven't seen anything yet
to that says we'll compete against wither of the Manchester teams."
- doctorblue
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Sponsors apologise for Antonio tweet - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 16th August 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's principal sponsors Betway have issued an apology after a
tweet criticising Slaven Bilic's selection of Michail Antonio at right back
was published on the company's timeline.
Following last night's 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge a post on the Betway
account slammed Bilic for playing the right-winger in defence. "Antonio has
been an accident waiting to happen in defence," it read. "West Ham fans will
hope that's the end of the experiment."
But having received much criticism from supporters since, Betway backtracked
and issued an apology on their timeline this lunchtime, as you can see
below:
Despite the furore caused by the offending tweet, a number of supporters
have expressed support for the message it carried.

"Betway have apologised, although I'm not sure why," wrote one supporter on
the KUMB Forum this morning, "as it's a fact many of us concur with."



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