Chelsea sets historic away record as Maresca matches Guardiola's winning streak

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca saw his side again breeze past West Ham 3-0 at London's Olympic Stadium, with Nicolas Jackson shining in a clinical display with a double and an assist for Cole Palmer. The victory secured Chelsea's third successive away win of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign and, in turn, made Maresca the first Blues boss to achieve that feat since September 2016.

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This result marks a milestone not only for Blues, who earned their fifth win in six Premier League matches against West Ham, but also for West Ham, as the team has suffered their worst streak of home defeats at the start of a season. Having lost three in a row at their own stadium, Julen Lopetegui's team is in an uncomfortable situation at the beginning of the competition.

Nicolas Jackson: key goals and assists

If there is one word to describe the performance of Nicolas Jackson in this game, that would be "decisive." The Senegalese attacker was lethal in front of goal, scoring in the 3rd and 17th minute, with lots of tactical intelligence and bedding into good combinations with his teammates. The cherry on top for an impeccable performance was an assist presented perfectly for Cole Palmer's early second-half goal.

More impressively, though, was Jackson's work off the ball. Always on the run, always pressing the opponents' defence - he was an integral part of Maresca's game plan. "He works tirelessly for the team without the ball," said the coach during his post-game interview.

Enzo Maresca: a promising start

The arrival of Enzo Maresca has brought some much-needed vitality into the Chelsea team, with the numbers certainly not lying. This makes Maresca one of the few coaches to have won three away games in a row since his beginning days, replicating what Pep Guardiola had done in 2016. More impressively, Chelsea has recorded five back-to-back away wins in the Premier League for the first time since Thomas Tuchel's era in 2021.

The post-match press conference by Maresca reflected his satisfaction with the performance of his team, while underlining that they needed to keep improving. "It was a good game, a good result, but we still have loads of things we can improve on. We can attack better, we can defend better, but overall, we're going in the right direction," stated the coach. Here is where one finds the philosophy of Maresca-in maintaining balance and strategy.

Cole Palmer: the star in the making

Another standout has been Cole Palmer. Since his arrival at Chelsea in 2023, this young player became one of the biggest promises of English soccer. With a total of 27 goals across all competitions since his arrival, Palmer is second only to Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts over this period. His contribution in the game against West Ham was equally essential, with a goal that sealed Chelsea's win early in the second half.

With his goalscoring ability, Palmer is a player with sharp vision and refined technique. This was reflected in his positioning to receive Jackson's assist for the third goal. His increasing influence points to him being pivotal to Chelsea's future success.

West Ham in crisis: worst home start

On the other side, things could not be more different with West Ham. The club currently has the worst start of the season in years, having suffered three consecutive home defeats. Equally, for Coach Julen Lopetegui, this is an uphill task if he must try to reverse this streak of unimpressive performances. West Ham hasn't just been struggling with the scoreline; it has shown serious defensive problems, especially in the early minutes of matches. The side have conceded five goals inside the opening five minutes of Premier League fixtures this year alone, at least three more than any other club.

These stats are indicative of a lack of focus and preparation right from the kick-off and have really placed West Ham at a significant disadvantage right at the beginning. That loss to Chelsea, where they were down 2-0 before the 20-minute mark shows just how this is an ongoing issue.

Positions

This win takes Chelsea up to the fourth position on the ladder with 10 points from five matches and emphatically establishes their stake for the top positions in the premier league. Also, the unbeaten run by Maresca just shows that the team is in the right direction, and this understanding between players like Jackson and Palmer will prove to be vital for them to keep the momentum going.

Meanwhile, West Ham needs to turn things around rather quickly. A mere four points in five games puts Lopetegui's team in an uncomfortable position-a little too close to the drop zone. If these results go on like this, this poor level of performances is going to bring increasing pressure on the Spanish coach as the season unfolds. Defensive solutions need to come fast if West Ham is to achieve anything this season.