Substitute Christian Pulisic's 90th-minute goal earns Chelsea a thrilling win
After an early mistake by his Italian teammate, Christian Pulisic's 90th-minute goal allowed Chelsea to win at Stamford Bridge. Substitute Pulisic arrived at the box just in time to direct Marcos Alonso's superb pass home
Christian Pulisic scores their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, LondonChristian Pulisic saves Chelsea minutes after Jorginho's blunder
Both teams raced through the first half at a snail's pace, with little imagination or fluency. There was not one shot at goal at either end. Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham United was closest to the goal, but he, too, was wide.
Chelsea was also unable to overpower West Ham United's back-three that featured fullbacks Ben Johnson, Aaron Cresswell, and Craig Dawson, who were more of a contingency as centre-halves as Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop, and Kurt Zouma were all out, injured.
Chelsea tried to make the run but was stopped by Dawson multiple times. Dawson stopped Timo Werner's attempt, diverted another by N'Golo Kante, and sent the ball towards the goal, with West Ham United goalkeeper Fabianksi adjusting accordingly and making the save.
Tuchel reshuffled his striker team as West Ham United continued to play dangerously. Hakim Ziyech, Romelo Lukaku and Christian Pulisic replaced Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Craig Dawson was dismissed in the 85th minute for refusing a goal scoring opportunity to Romelo Kokuaku. He pulled down the Belgian player before he could attempt to score the ball.
Jorginho was awarded the penalty, but West Ham United's Lukasz Fabianski saved it. Jorginho's penalty was more of a back pass, as he rolled it straight down the middle goal. This made it easy for the goalkeeper.
Lukasz Fabianski was able to save Jorginho's weak attempt from the spot. However, this was not the end.
Chelsea continued to move forward, and Marcos Alonso sent in a low cross in the 90th minute from the left. Christian Pulisic was on hand to sweep the ball into the net from about the spot where Dawson was not guarding.
Goalscorer Christian Pulisic reacts to the win
Pulisic was overjoyed by the win and was particularly proud to have performed in front of his fans. He also weighed in on playing more for the side and making a difference.
"It feels good to be more secure in the top four," Pulisic said. "We needed a win at home, and it feels great in front of our fans. We need to finish the season strong ... some good league games, and then a final. I needed to come in and make a difference and show I want to be playing," Pulisic continued.
This result secured Chelsea's position in the top four, ending a string of home defeats. Thomas Tuchel's team ended a consecutive losing skid at home against Brentford and Arsenal.
But the forward line will continue to concern the manager before their final matches.
Chelsea moves five points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal with the win. They still have a match against them. They can also consolidate their position by beating struggling Manchester United on Thursday.