No Palmer, No Problem as Chelsea Run Wild at West Ham

Chelsea’s new signings and young talents hit their stride in the absence of injured talisman Cole Palmer on Friday as the Club World Cup winners ran wild in a 5-1 Premier League demolition of West Ham United.

Palmer was ruled out after suffering some muscle soreness in the warmup but his teammates swiftly allayed any fears of that being a setback.

After conceding an early goal at the London Stadium, Chelsea hit back with goals from five different players inside an hour to take over at the top of the standings, even if only for one night, after two games.

“You could name any Chelsea player as man of the match, they were absolutely fabulous, especially after losing Palmer before the game and they were a bit rattled going 1-0 down,” said former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports television.

“But they stayed calm and composed and the quality they possessed, they look like a big team who are going to compete this season.

“Defensively they did not have any problems and there were a lot of impressive performances. They were excellent and aggressive, got after the ball, (Moises) Caicedo was an absolute monster in midfield and it was a really emphatic, big win.”