Premier League game descends into added time chaos as Arsenal, Chelsea post vital wins
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Chelsea battled back from two goals down to beat West Ham 3-2 in a feisty London derby in the Premier League, thanks to goals from halftime substitutes Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella and a added time Enzo Fernandez winner.
The Hammers, struggling to climb out of the relegation zone, went ahead in the seventh minute through captain Jarrod Bowen and doubled their lead in the 36th when Crysencio Summerville hit a bullet shot past Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior's three halftime substitutions, however, fired up his side who had looked disjointed and tired after their victorious midweek trip to Napoli, mistiming tackles and misplacing passes.
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In the 57th minute, Wesley Fofana crossed for fellow substitute Joao Pedro to head home at the far post and in the 70th Marc Cucurella brought Chelsea level with a diving header.
Fernandez completed the comeback two minutes into added time when he fired in a cutback from Joao Pedro.
After West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo missed in front of the goal, Fernandez swept in the winner from inside the box.
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Jean-Clair Todibo was sent off for putting his hands on Joao Pedro during a scuffle. Stan
The dramatic finish sparked a mass confrontation between the players and Todibo was sent off for violent conduct after grabbing Pedro around the neck.
It was the second dramatic comeback win in four days for the Blues under new coach Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea started with key players on the bench after beating Napoli 3-2 in the Champions League.
Rosenior told reporters he understood the frustration of the Stamford Bridge crowd at the break.
"I would have booed us in the first half. Our performance was nowhere near the level it needed to be," he said.
"So to see them after the game, 45 minutes later, so happy and delighted with what they saw from the team, makes me very proud."
"Hopefully, this is a huge breakthrough for the squad," said Rosenior, who joined Chelsea less than a month ago after coaching sister club Racing Strasbourg in France.
"There's a spirit and fight and resilience in this group that I really, really like."
West Ham coach Nuno Espirito Santo said his side had been in control until they allowed Fofana too much space to cross for Chelsea's opening goal.
Nuno Espirito Santo of West Ham United looks on. Getty
"And then after that, it's like survival," he said.
Chelsea climbed to provisional fourth place in the Premier League table, two points ahead of Manchester United.
Earlier, Noni Madueke was instrumental in laying the foundations for a 4-0 win over Leeds United that got Arsenal back on track after their recent wobble, setting up the 27th-minute opener for Martin Zubimendi and sending in a wickedly curling corner that Leeds keeper Karl Darlow could only fumble into his own goal after 38 minutes.
Noni Madueke of Arsenal celebrates after Karl Darlow of Leeds United scored an own goal. Arsenal FC via Getty Images
His cross for the opener was his first assist of the season and although he was denied being credited for Arsenal's second, it was a display that would have provided comfort for Mikel Arteta.
Madueke was a late replacement for Bukayo Saka.
"(Saka) wasn't comfortable to start the game, so immediately we made a decision to make that change and bring Noni in," Arteta said after Arsenal's first win in four league games that sent them seven points clear at the top.
"He was ready, because you cannot do that in two minutes. The way he prepares, the way he's waiting for opportunity, He really impacted the team," Arteta said.
Madueke, 23, said it was the first time he had started a game at such short notice.
"I didn't know what happened to B. In terms of the time I had before the game, it was not much, maybe five minutes to warm up and go out and play," Madueke said.
"It's the first time that's happened to me, so I was just happy that I was going to get to play from the start, to be honest. As an attacker, you always try and make an impact in an attacking sense, whether you can score or create goals or create chances, wreak havoc and pose a threat."
It was not just Madueke's contribution that augured so well for Arsenal's hopes of winning their first title since 2004.
Forward Kai Havertz made his first Premier League start for almost a year while Brazilian duo Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both impressed after coming off the bench, Martinelli providing an assist for Viktor Gyokeres and Jesus wrapping up the win with a brilliant individual goal.
Arteta could even afford to start skipper Martin Odegaard on the bench while another England forward, Eberechi Eze, made a late cameo off the bench.
"We're going to have to navigate through different moments in the game, and we're going to need everybody fulfilling the role that they have on the day, and I think the players executed that incredibly well," Arteta said.
