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Chelsea continued their strong start to the season with an impressive 3-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday, September 21. One player seemingly interested in the Blues’ performance was their former academy graduate, Michael Olise, who now plays for Bayern Munich.
Enzo Maresca’s side looked sharp from the outset, with Nicolas Jackson netting the opening goal in the fourth minute. The Senegalese forward continued his excellent form, adding a second goal in the 18th minute to double Chelsea’s lead.
Though West Ham showed signs of getting back into the match, Cole Palmer eventually scored the third goal just after halftime (47’), ultimately sealing all three points. It was certainly an enjoyable evening for the Chelsea fans, as their team moved up to fourth place in the table with 10 points.
Michael Olise, the former Chelsea academy star, was spotted watching the game on his way to Bayern Munich’s match against Werder Bremen. The 23-year-old winger was also linked with a move to the Blues last summer. Despite interest from the west London side and Manchester United, he signed for the German club after they struck a €60 million deal with Crystal Palace.
Fans quickly noticed Olise watching the game, with one commenting on the 'hope of seeing him play for Chelsea' again. The Frenchman played for the club's youth side from 2009 before moving to Manchester City in 2016.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, secured a dominant 5-0 victory, with Olise contributing two goals and two assists in the rout. The former Crystal Palace winger has had a strong start to the season, having already scored five goals and provided three assists in six games across all competitions.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca pleased with dominant performance against West Ham United
Chelsea didn’t have the best start to their season, as questions were raised following their poor pre-season results. The scrutiny on Maresca intensified after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, followed by a surprising 1-2 loss to Servette in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers second leg. They still qualified via a 3-2 aggregate win.
However, the Italian manager seems to have turned things around. Chelsea have now won two consecutive games while showing gradual improvement in performances. Most importantly, Maresca appears to have found his ideal starting lineup, which has paid off in recent weeks.
After their dominant victory over West Ham United, the 44-year-old expressed his satisfaction. He particularly praised the performances of Jackson and Palmer, both of whom found the back of the net.
He said via Football.London:
"It’s probably the way the players are buying the idea and the different style. Since I arrived, that has been top. The way we are working off the ball. Today, the performance from Nicolas [Jackson] and Cole [Palmer] was top; not only because they scored but we prepared the game expecting three against two because they build with three players and we expect that."
"If we understand that we need that and with the desire, we can probably build something important."
Chelesea’s next test will be against Barrow at home in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, September 24. It will be followed by a clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at home in the league on Saturday, September 28.
