Graeme Potter is on Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham after a winless Premier League run was extended to three games as Joao Felix’s first goal for the Blues was canceled out by Emerson. Chelsea confirmed that it is still “ongoing”.
With the pressure on Bruce’s bosses, Potter’s expensively constructed side once again failed to live up to their price tag.
Portuguese forward Felix put Chelsea ahead in his second appearance for the club, but Italian defender Emerson was hampered by his former team with an equalizer before half-time.
Ninth-placed Chelsea have won just one of their last eight games, leaving them nine points behind the top four in the Premier League.
Chelsea, without a win in their last seven away league games, spent more than £300m ($362m) on new deals in the January transfer window.
Potter claims he is fully aware of the pressure to keep Chelsea on track, but the former Brighton manager has failed to stop the corruption and his position is sure to come under further scrutiny. .
“The second half was a reflection of where we are in the Premier League in terms of consolidating new players and getting players up to speed.
“I think you saw the potential in the first half. You can’t control what people say from the outside. See how it is and keep working.
“They’re a good group and I’m excited about the team and the potential it has, but it’s still a work in progress.”
The Blues will face Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 first leg, and Potter will need to give his team some breathing room to reach the quarterfinals.
A failure to beat lower-ranked West Ham was another weakness against Potter, with the East Londoners sitting just two points above the relegation zone.
Felix returned to Chelsea following a three-match ban, and the on-loan Atlético Madrid forward became an imminent threat when a goal was ruled out following a tough offside decision.
West Ham failed to heed the warning and made them pay as Felix opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
– Chelsea’s stumbling block –
Enzo Fernández curled the cross towards Felix before Mihailo Madric tackled Jarrod Bowen. Felix broke West Ham’s offside trap with a timely run and volleyed home from six yards.
Chelsea dominated the first half with a calm play that has been difficult to gather this season.
West Ham were finally threatened when Kepa Arrizabalaga blocked Michael Antonio’s backheel attempt from Bowen’s cross.
However, Chelsea lost focus and took the lead in the 28th minute.
Vladimir Kufar’s cross spilled Bowen, but Emerson unmarked the far post.
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke made his first start since joining from PSV Eindhoven in January, but a hard-hitting strike saved by Lukasz Fabianski cut the inside and almost gave him the advantage. I got it back.
Fabianski made a good save against a Felix free-kick, while Antonio nearly headed a Reece James free-kick to Ownnett.
Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm in the second half, with Potter bringing on Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech.
West Ham thought they had won with eight minutes remaining when Kepa shoved a Declan Rice header into Thomas Soucek, but the midfielder’s tap-in was disallowed for offside against Rice.
Conor Gallagher’s shot hit Soucek’s arm in injury time, but VAR refused to award a penalty.
smg/number
