With the Blues looking to keep touch with the top four places and Champions League qualification, Liam Rosenior and his squad knew that victory was paramount, with the head coach referring to the game as 'the biggest match of the season' during his pre-match press conference.

Here, we discuss three different aspects of the contest that ensured the Blues took all three points in SW6 – and make sure to check out further analysis of Joao Pedro's performance after he was named Player of the Match following his display on the Chelsea Official App.

Making Premier League history

For the first time in our Premier League history, Chelsea won a match after trailing by two or more goals at half-time, and what a dramatic way to complete the turnaround. Second-half goals from Joao Pedro, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez made the difference as three points placed us fifth in the standings.

Since being appointed as Blues head coach, Rosenior has become only the fourth English manager to win his first three Premier League games, and his tactical nous continues to be impressive, winning six of his seven games in charge, with the boss impressed by the 'spirit, fight and resilence' in the group.

Speaking post-match, our head coach played up the record-breaking statistic. He said: 'Hopefully this is a huge breakthrough for the squad. Someone just told me it was the first time in Premier League history that we have won from 2-0 down at half-time at home.

'That's a massive thing to do against a side in good form. There are a lot of postives, and also a lot of things to improve. I'm not shying away from that either.'

Last night's game was also the first time Chelsea have scored three goals in three consecutive games this season, and for the first time in 415 days. But it's fair to say the pivotal point in the game actually came during the half-time break.

Triple change success

After a 'self-confessed' lethargic first-half display, Rosenior rolled the dice and made three changes during the interval. On came Joao Pedro fresh from his heroics in Naples, followed by Cucurella and Wesley Fofana.

And it wouldn't take long to see the fruits of the change. Just 12 minutes into the second half, defender Fofana stepped into midfield before delivering a looping ball to the back post, where Joao Pedro nodded past the Hammers' goalkeeper.

Cucurella would level things up with a brave header from close range, securing goal contributions for all three half-time substitutes. As well as Marc's goal threat, his defensive ability was equally important. During the first 45, 56.8 per cent of West Ham's attacks went down their right flank (our left side from a defensive perspective), so Rosenior was clearly looking to shore up.

Both Marc and Wes helped contribute to our improved defensive solidity as West Ham's attacking output declined after the break. The away side went from four shots on target in the first half to just two in the second half, their key pass metric was halved from six to three, and their 62 final third passes went to 44.

And for the winning goal, it was Joao Pedro who assisted Enzo, becoming the first Chelsea substitute to score and assist in a Premier League game since Ben Chilwell in September 2022. A masterclass in substitutions.

Energetic Enzo

Although he wasn't awarded the Player of the Match award, it was a hugely impressive display from Enzo on his 150th appearance in Blue, and our head coach agreed.

Rosenior said, speaking after the match: '[Enzo] has been magnificent in my time with him, and his performance against West Ham - he covered the whole midfield.

'His arrival in the box in the 92nd minute summed up his performance in terms of his quality, his energy and the leadership he gives to the team, and he's an absolute pleasure to work with.'

The heat map certainly supports Liam's point, with Enzo's green markers appearing in both our attacking and defensive areas - and the touch map proves this too - with the Argentine midfielder making lung-bursting runs from deep while also finishing attacking moves inside the box.