Ashley Cole slams Chelsea FC star after 3-2 loss at West Ham
Ashley Cole criticised Marcos Alonso for his poor defensive work after Chelsea FC lost 3-2 to West Ham at the London Stadium on Wednesday night.
West Ham looked to have broken the deadlock when Tomas Soucek managed to bundle the ball over the line to give the Hammers a first-half lead in the 36th minute.
However, the Czech Republic international’s goal was disallowed after it was adjudged that Michail Antonio was in an offside position.
Willian broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute when he netted from the penalty spot after Christian Pulisic was adjudged to have been fouled in the area.
But West Ham were level on the stroke of half-time when Soucek capitalised on his superiority from set pieces with a well-earned goal.
The Hammers then defied their position in the Premier League table to edge ahead in the London derby thanks to Antonio’s third goal of the top-flight campaign.
Willian looked to have given Chelsea FC a springboard to go on and claim three points when the Brazil international levelled with a free-kick with 18 minutes left to play.
But it was the Hammers who secured three points when Andriy Yarmolenko managed to beat Rudiger and finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga with a left-footed finish in the 89th minute.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was quick to slam Alonso for his failure to track the Ukraine international’s run after the Chelsea FC left-back had pushed forward to support an attack.
Former Chelsea FC defender Cole backed up Neville’s point in his post-match analysis of Yarmolenko’s late winner.
“They’ll be disappointed,” Cole told Sky Sports. “The things I hate about full-backs is they’re happy to run forward but not track back.
“Chelsea FC needed a point here. A point would have been good result for Chelsea FC.
“Could Alonso have tracked back? Could he have anticipated earlier? Could he have shown the same intensity to get back as he did to get forward? Yes. Alonso needs to run back quicker.”
Cole added that his former team-mate Frank Lampard will be upset with the west London side’s defence after their defeat at the London Stadium.
“Chelsea had a lot of possession,” Cole added. “They couldn’t break West Ham down. Chelsea would have expected to win. Coming off the pitch, Frank will be fuming with how Chelsea have defended.”
Chelsea FC’s 2-1 loss to London rivals West Ham was their first Premier League defeat since the return of top-flight action after the coronavirus pandemic.
The Blues had beaten Aston Villa and Manchester City to establish a cushion over the chasing pack in the top-four race but their loss at West Ham opened the door for Manchester United and Wolves.
Leicester’s 2-1 loss at Everton means that just four points separates Brendan Rodgers’ side in third place and sixth-placed Wolves.
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