Much of the focus is likely to fall on Wesley Fofana at Stamford Bridge when the player described as a “Rolls-Royce of a centre-half” hopes finally to make his Chelsea debut.
France Under-21 international Fofana, who took that accolade from former Leicester City teammate James Maddison when his move to the Blues was confirmed on transfer deadline day, made the long-mooted switch for a reported £69.5m/$80m, eclipsing the £63m/$72.5m Chelsea lavished on Marc Cucurella on the eve of the new campaign.
West Ham United will not mind missing out on the pre-match headlines. After losing their first three games, the Hammers won at Aston Villa and hit back to earn an encouraging draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday in a result that should have eased manager David Moyes’ concerns after that limp start from his squad.
The Sporting News is following the match live and providing live score updates and commentary.
Chelsea vs. West Ham live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Chelsea | — | — | — |
| West Ham | — | — | — |
Goals:
Chelsea vs. West Ham live updates, highlights from Premier League
40 mins from kickoff: It’s straight into the Premier League deep end for Paqueta, while Fofana is also thrust into the Chelsea defence from the off. Pulisic’s inclusion is interesting: it looks like a shift in shape from Tuchel, and the USMNT star should offer — in theory, at least — more mobility alongside Sterling than, say, Kai Havertz or Mason Mount. Tuchel’s thinking seems to be to outnumber West Ham in midfield and go for speed rather than strength against the David Moyes defence.
1 hour from kickoff: The team news is in, and it’s a full debut for Wesley Fofana. Chelsea look to be going 3-5-2, with Christian Pulisic partnering Raheem Sterling in attack.
Your Chelsea team news! 🔵@ParimatchGlobal | #CheWhu pic.twitter.com/j948ENkTX5
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 3, 2022
As for West Ham, Lucas Paqueta also makes his debut from the off. The former Lyon man looks to be starting as a No.10 behind Michail Antonio.
Lucas Paqueta starts! 🤩#CHEWHU pic.twitter.com/3lsV8wbzlj
— West Ham United (@WestHam) September 3, 2022
90 mins from kickoff: It’s fair to say Chelsea were one of the more active clubs in the transfer window, with new owner Todd Boehly apparently keen to sign just about anybody who’d ever pulled on a football shirt. In the end, they pushed through some late deals for Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria before the window closed, but only centre-back Fofana is in with a chance of a debut today.
Settling in! 🏡#FofanaIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/NhbEWkdadm
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 31, 2022
120 mins from kickoff: West Ham United have gone from one London derby to another: fresh from a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur, they now tackle Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs. West Ham United lineups
Wesley Fofana is straight in for his Chelsea, but N’Golo Kante is absent with hamstring trouble. Reece James and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are fit to feature again, as is Mateo Kovacic. Christian Pulisic partners Raheem Sterling in attack.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will miss out because of a fractured jaw, while another new arrival, Denis Zakaria, has not yet had his work permit application processed.
Chelsea lineup (3-5-2): Mendy (GK) — Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly, — James, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Cucurella — Pulisic, Sterling.
Chelsea subs: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Chilwell, Chalobah, Jorginho, Mount, Ziyech, Broja, Havertz
Defender Ben Johnson will miss the game after being substituted during the 1-0 win at Aston Villa with a problem that precluded him from the matchday squad for Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at home to Spurs.
There is no Gianluca Scamacca, who missed the Spurs match through illness, and defender Aaron Cresswell is also out. Club-record signing Lucas Paqueta, who arrived for £51m/$58.7m from Lyon last week, is set to make his debut as a starter in midfield.
West Ham lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski (GK) — Coufal, Zouma, Kehrer, Emerson — Rice, Soucek — Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals — Antonio.
West Ham subs: Areola, Randolph, Ogbonna, Coventry, Downes, Lanzini, Cornet, Benrahma
What time is Chelsea vs. West Ham?
Chelsea play host to West Ham at Stamford Bridge in London, England. It kicks off at 3 p.m. BST on Saturday, September 3.
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Date | Saturday, September 3 | Saturday, September 3 | Saturday, September 3 | Sunday, September 4 |
| Time | 15:00 BST | 10:00 ET | 10:00 ET | 00:00 AET |
How to watch Chelsea vs. West Ham United
UK: Chelsea vs. West Ham is not on live UK TV or streams because of the broadcasting blackout when it comes to 3 p.m. matches.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
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