The Hammers are alive! 3 things we learned

West Ham earned a surprising 1-0 victory at home to Chelsea on Saturday. Here are three things we learned from the match.

West Ham beat Chelsea at the London Stadium on Saturday, clinging on to a 1-0 lead for almost 90 minutes following Marko Arnautovic’s early goal. Here are three takeaways from an excellent match.

Masuaku an unlikely talisman

If you predicted that Arthur Masuaku, once forgotten left-back, formerly of Olympiacos, would be the man, of all men, to turn West Ham’s season around, congratulations, you are the only person who has ever thought that about Arthur Masuaku.

But the Frenchman has been one of the Hammers best players since David Moyes took over the club at the end of November. He was crucial in their 1-1 draw against Leicester three weeks ago and even better here.

Michail Antonio, Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini were the key players in terms of creating chances, and the center-backs were all superb, but it was Masuaku more than any other player, who gave life to the Hammers.

He attempted, and completed, nine (nine!) dribbles in the first half alone, flashing several pieces of skill flamboyant enough to make you wonder whether he knows his team are in the relegation zone. But it worked, time and again, breathing life into a team desperate for inspiration.

Chelsea struggle against lesser side, again

Chelsea, who were probably playing better than any team into the league heading into the weekend, have now lost four matches this season, to Manchester City, Burnley, Crystal Palace and West Ham.

With the exception of City, and with respect to high-flying Burnley, those are not the sorts of teams Antonio Conte’s side should lose to. They were almost unbeatable against teams outside the big six last season, thanks to an imperious defense and their quality on the break.

This season, it appears to be their weakness. On top of the loss here, the Blues conceded first to Newcastle last week and gave up two against Watford back in October. They have, to be fair, beaten the likes of Bournemouth, Swansea and West Brom, but it’s a concerning trend.

Chelsea weren’t just beaten here. They were bad. West Ham defended well, but the Blues’ lacked any real quality around the box, managing only two shots on target over the 90 minutes, both speculative efforts from outside the area.

Chelsea have never really looked like title contenders this season, but if they can’t cut out these sorts of performances against bottom-half side, they’re going to find themselves in the thick of a difficult race for the top four.

Antonio impresses up top

There are more enjoyable roles than playing up front by yourself for a team that spends most of a match defending deep in their own half, but few are more important, as Michail Antonio showed in an excellent all-around performance.

The Englishman hasn’t really nailed down a specific position since breaking into the West Ham team two seasons ago, playing as a full-back a center-forward and several places in between. Given his quality driving forward with the ball at his feet, a wide role makes the most sense. But Antonio was superb as a lone center forward against Chelsea, holding up the ball well and harrying opposition defenders relentlessly out of possession. West Ham’s service into him wasn’t always great, but his willingness to close down any ball anywhere made it work.

Chelsea’s pressure, which increased steadily as the game progressed, may well have proved too great if not for Antonio’s ability to work all three of the visitors’ center-backs by himself. He was moved to left wing-back after 70 minutes, and his work finally caught with him less than 10 minutes later, when he collapsed to the floor, apparently with exhaustion.

With Andy Carroll out of form and Chicharito just back from injury, it’s possible David Moyes never intended for Antonio to be a long-term starter up front. But he’s shown over the past two games, both against elite opposition, he’s the best option in the squad.