Humiliation at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea 5 West Ham 0 

Never felt confident going into this, with some justification. Chelsea take the lead after 15 minutes when a cross bounces off Zouma to Palmer who lashes home. At 1-1 Jarrod Bowen is unlucky to hit the bar with a header from a corner. The second goal sees the ball come off Zouma again and the Hammers again fail to win the second ball, with Gallagher shooting home. 

The third sees the unmarked Madueke get a free header from a corner. Gallagher hits the bar for Chelsea while Jarrod Bowen is again unlucky to see a shot hit the bar at 3-0 down. The second half sees Alvarez hauled off and Ward-Prowse on. We're certainly not getting enough from big-name signings like Alvarez, Paqueta and Kudus as the season disintegrates. 

The fourth, two minutes after the break, is an embarrassing lob over the top, with Emerson floundering and Madueke crossing for Jackson to tap home. Paqueta releases Emerson only for him to shoot wildly over. Bowen hits the bar yet again before Jackson gets a fifth from another long ball with Zouma and the back line again outpaced. Even VAR can't save us.

So it's 5-0 with the board partly to blame for turning Moyes into a lame-duck manager through the public pursuit of replacements, though the players have to look at themselves too. But Moyes is responsible for a terrible transfer window and not being able to organise a Moyes-like defence. We have the worst defensive record in the league outside the bottom three. West Ham need Mavropanos and Aguerd fit and full backs who can defend. If only we hadn't sold Craig Dawson.

Moyes has made real progress for most of his time as boss but the heavy defeats at Palace and Chelsea suggest the players are ageing and no longer doing it for him, though they should be as professionals. This feels like the end of the Moyes era.