The new Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez was left to still search for his first win as the Chelsea manager, as Chelsea were defeated 3-1 by West Ham at Upton Park during the weekend.

This result will be more pressure on the new manager, despite being in the job for only a week. His first two matches ended in a disappointing goalless draws against Manchester city and Fulham. This has been followed by the defeat against West Ham, which has left the team in points behind the leaders Manchester United. Benitez said the prior to this match that he was confident Chelsea can lift the Premier league title this season.

However, he will have to concede that title this time around because of the significant gap that has been opened as a result of this defeat. Juan Mata opened the scoring for Chelsea in the first half following an assist from the struggling Fernando Torres. Chelsea created more opportunities in the first half of breathtaking football from the likes of Victor Moses, Eden Hazard, and Juan Mata. However, they were unable to extend the lead partly because of the poor finishing and partly because of the excellent defending by the opposition. In the second half, they were completely overrun by the home team and lost the match 3-1.

“I would say that it depends on the things that we can do on the pitch. So, if we improve on the pitch, it will be easier for everyone. The first half we could score two or three goals, finish the game, and it would be totally different. We didn’t do it. The second half, we didn’t start well, they were on top of us and then we couldn’t manage. It is difficult to explain when you are so good in the first half, how can you not manage in the second half?” said the Chelsea manager.