Christian Pulisic earns Chelsea last-gasp win over West Ham

Blues secure London derby bragging rights with 1-0 victory while manager Tuchel reveals defender Rudiger will be leaving club

Substitute Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring the only goal of the game in Chelsea's Premier League win over West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Getty

Chelsea's Christian Pulisic scores the winner. AFP

Jorginho misses a penalty for Chelsea. Getty

West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski after saving Jorginho's penalty. Reuters

Jorginho after his penalty miss. Getty

West Ham defender Craig Dawson fouls Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku and concedes a penalty. AFP

West Ham's Craig Dawson reacts after giving away a penalty. PA

Tomas Soucek of West Ham goes to block Chelsea's Kai Havertz. EPA

West Ham manager David Moyes. AFP

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy catches the ball in the first half. AFP

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah passes the ball under pressure from Said Benrahma of West Ham. Getty

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel with Declan Rice of West Ham after the match. Getty

Christian Pulisic’s last-minute goal handed Chelsea a 1-0 Premier League win over 10-man West Ham after a woeful penalty miss from Jorginho looked set to cost his team all three points.

Second-half substitute Pulisic swept home Marcos Alonso’s low cross from the left at Stamford Bridge on Sunday to seal Chelsea’s first home win in four matches in all competitions.

The American attacker’s finish also handed Jorginho a major reprieve, with the Italy midfielder having missed a penalty with just four minutes left on the clock in an incident that also saw West Ham reduced to 10 men.

Craig Dawson was sent off for hauling back Romelu Lukaku in the box, gifting Chelsea the perfect chance to turn a dispiriting performance into a much-needed win.

Jorginho stepped up and delivered his trademark hop, skip and sidefooted penalty effort – only to see Lukasz Fabianski guess correctly and pull off an easy save.

“It works for us normally 100 per cent,"said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. “It was never necessary to change. It can happen. Hopefully, it is an unusual thing.”

After their heartbreaking Champions League exit to Real Madrid and a 4-2 defeat by Arsenal on Wednesday, Tuchel was delighted with the victory at Stamford Bridge.

“It feels like a giant step,” he added. “We have some games in hand. It was necessary and I am glad. The atmosphere is like this in the dressing room. We also deserved a bit of luck after the last results and how they were created here in our stadium.

“We controlled it but could not find spaces. It was also not the moment to take every risk after our recent results. We wanted to control their counter attacks. The red card maybe opened more space to allow the late answer.”

Tuchel also revealed that key defender Antonio Rudiger would be leaving club at the end of the season.

Rudiger has established himself as a vital presence in Tuchel's defence, with his leadership and wholehearted displays making him a fan favourite.

He missed the victory on Sunday due to a groin injury but was watching the match from the stands.

Chelsea are currently unable to offer new contracts to players following sanctions placed upon the club's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, by the British government because of the war in Ukraine. Chelsea is currently operating under a special license as it looks to conclude a sale.

Tuchel said he and Chelsea “gave everything” to keep Rudiger. “The situation is that he wants to leave the club,” the German said. “He informed me of this is in a private talk.

“We gave everything – me and the club – but we could not fight any more because of the actions. Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but out hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision.

“He is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing. We will miss him a lot.”