On a late Monday evening in the new season of the English Premier League, the final match of the first round took place.
At Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Chelsea faced West Ham. Antonio Conte, making his debut in official matches as the manager of Chelsea, was not disappointed - Chelsea celebrated their first victory after a tough battle and a late goal.
The entire match was intense, although Chelsea players were more dominant with the ball. In the 11th minute, Branislav Ivanovic had a good opportunity to score for Chelsea, but Adrian reacted sharply to his shot.
There were no significant episodes in the remainder of the first half, but Eden Hazard was particularly dangerous on the left flank. Additionally, West Ham lost Andre Ayew to injury in the 35th minute, who was replaced by Gokhan Tore.
The second half started successfully for Chelsea, who had a penalty kick opportunity in the 47th minute. Michail Antonio's unsuccessful tackle earned Chelsea a penalty, which Hazard successfully converted with a powerful shot.
After the missed goal, both teams did not blindly seek to equalize the score and a stalemate prevailed. However, in the 77th minute, West Ham took advantage of their almost only opportunity in the game, as James Collins sent the ball into Thibaut Courtois' goal after a set piece.
Chelsea did not plan to settle for this result and in the 89th minute, they could celebrate a winning goal when Diego Costa directed the ball into the net from about 23 meters. Antonio Conte and his team could rejoice in the victory and the first points.
Result:
Chelsea 2 - 1 West Ham
47' [1 - 0] E. Hazard (penalty kick)
77' [1 - 1] J. Collins
89' [2 - 1] D. Costa
Tournament table:
