West Ham United

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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui must "take some responsibility" for the way his side were set up in their 3-0 defeat by Chelsea.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Murphy said: "He has to take some responsibility for this performance. He didn't just change their system and go to three or five at the back - it was the man-to-man marking of Nicolas Jackson that was the problem.

"It was really strange and we don't see it very often. Their midfielder Edson Alvarez dropped in to play within the back three. He has got many qualities, but pace isn't one of them. It was non-stop in the first half.

"To man-to-man mark someone is difficult but, when you don't have the same physicality and pace, you need help. Alvarez wasn't getting any.

"[Konstantinos] Mavropanos and [Max} Kilman didn't come across a lot of the time and it just left so much space. Wan-Bissaka was trying to stick with Jadon Sancho, so he wasn't trying to help. It just carried on for the whole game."

Former Premier League defender Ashley Williams agreed, adding: "We were just bemused watching it. You could see it from minute one - it was so obvious.

"Julen Lopetegui has just assigned the wrong players to the wrong jobs.

"This is his tactics - that man has got to take a little bit of responsibility for this result."

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• Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth

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Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

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West Ham might have been 2-0 down at the time but many fans feel they should have been handed a way back into the game in the first half.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana seemed to grab hold of Crysencio Summerville inside the penalty area, and the Hammers debutant went to ground.

Referee Samuel Barrott declined to point to the spot - much to the ire of the London Stadium - but the incident was checked by the VAR team.

A statement from the Premier League Match Centre X account said in a post that the incident between Fofana and Summerville did constitute "sustained holding".

When is holding alone not enough for the officials to award a penalty?

Former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole disagreed with both Barrott and VAR with his assessment on TNT Sports when asked about the incident.

"I think it's a penalty. He's got hold of him, he's got the wrong side of him," Cole said.

"If you put your hands on someone in the box it's a penalty. Ultimately the referee is the professional and he's got the best view in the house. But I can really feel for West Ham."

Had the Hammers gone into half-time 2-1 down then the outcome to the contest might well have been different.

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West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the defeat: "It's a bad day, for sure. We lost one match that we had big expectations to compete much better [in].

"They have been soft goals that we have suffered [from]. Before the first goal, we had a clear chance with [Mohammed] Kudus but after we have to be more consistent and we cannot accept this action.

"To compete in the Premier League, you have to be more consistent. We had more of the ball than them, but the only stat that is important is that they scored more goals.

"The third goal was key and, at half-time, we were thinking one goal would be key for us to believe. It is true - we suffered early on in the second half."

On three successive home defeats in the league: "There is no excuse. In all of them, we can be more consistent. We have to be honest and know that we need to improve - this group and players will improve.

"The only thing we have to say to the fans is thank you. We have to give them things and the only thing you can give is your best."

West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen has been speaking to TNT Sports after the home defeat: "We were never in the game, which is an awful thing to say. The goals that they scored were easy on our part - two gifts.

"You have to be switched on in every moment. On the pitch, it felt quite easy to play through [us]. It was a disappointing day all-round.

"Of course, as a player and captain you have to lead and rally everyone together. We gave them too much respect in the end.

"A disappointing day. We accept the defeat. The game is done - we put it to bed and see what we can improve on.

"The games are coming thick and fast, [so we have] to put it right. We still have a lot of games to go and that is a positive for us."

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West Ham have started a league campaign with three consecutive home defeats for the first time in the club's history.

The Hammers have conceded five goals in the opening five minutes of Premier League games in 2024, which is at least three more than any other side.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on West Ham’s performance, external

What did you make of Chelsea’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui says he and Lucas Paqueta "don't talk" about the gambling charges and possible suspension facing the midfielder.

The 27-year-old was charged by the Football Association in May for allegedly getting booked deliberately "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market" and is facing a lengthy ban if found guilty.

Paqueta has struggled to make an impact since Lopetegui took charge of the Hammers following the departure of David Moyes, with his only goal involvement coming via a penalty in their 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa.

The drawn-out nature of the FA's disciplinary process means the Brazil international is likely to be available to play for much of this campaign.

"I'm happy with his behaviour and his commitment," Lopetegui said. "He's working very hard, he's trying to understand what we want. We're trying to help him to be better and better. He's an important player.

"I don't want to put this kind of responsibility on one player. He has to do the best he can about the offensive phase and defensive phase.

"When he is focused on the defensive work he is a much better player and we try to encourage him to always be focused in a defensive way as well as an offensive way.

"We don't talk about [the charges]. We talk about football, about the next match and about life. But not about this."

West Ham host Chelsea on Saturday and are yet to pick up a point at London Stadium having lost to Villa and defending champions Manchester City.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week five, he takes on singer-songwriter and West Ham fan James Smith, whose debut album, Common People, is out now.

First up this weekend is Chelsea's trip to the Hammers.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

This is a very difficult game to call because West Ham have not been playing particularly well and I am not convinced by Chelsea either. They were very fortunate to beat Bournemouth last time out.

I really do not have a clue how this one will go, so I suppose the sensible thing for me to go for is a draw.

Smith's prediction: 2-1

We always do well against Chelsea, especially at home. I don't think they have been amazing so far this season and, although we haven't either, I do reckon we will beat them.

I'd love to say there will be loads of goals but I don't mind what the score is, as long as we win.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Earlier, we asked you for the five players who have scored more than 40 Premier League goals for West Ham.

Michail Antonio is West Ham's leading Premier League goalscorer while Paolo di Canio, Mark Noble, Jarrod Bowen and Carlton Cole have all passed the 40-goal mark for the Hammers in the competition.

Can you name the five players who have scored more than 40 goals for West Ham in the Premier League?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

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West Ham have faced more shots than any other side across the opening four Premier League games this season.

At 18.25, it is the highest number of shots they have faced per game since 2010-11 when they were relegated (18.26).

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The issue around the footballing calendar and the demands being placed on players right now is a difficult one.

First, we need to take into consideration the really high demands on the body that go on all-year round with few breaks, especially for international footballers and those in teams competing on multiple fronts.

I know the men's and the women's games are different, but we got exposed to these issues when we went from amateur to professional. There was a lot of loading, a lot of games and the result of that was a higher risk of injury and we have seen a lot of anterior cruciate ligament injuries now in the women's game.

From the fans' side, their point is often that players get paid a lot of money but I think that is irrelevant. That is just the industry players are in and, if you take out the money, they are still human beings.

The governing bodies need to look at who they consult with about changes in the calendar such as World Cups being held in winter and summers where there is just a couple of weeks off before going straight back into it. The changes and fixtures that are put in are there to generate more money, which makes it difficult. As a business, it is about money.

We talk about mental health a lot and you wonder, where is the time to switch off and have that time away from playing? To have that family time which is a deep human need? At some point mentally, if not physically, it will take its toll.

None of us want to see players striking, but players need to be listened to. What do they need to do to make change happen?

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Newcastle are monitoring 18-year-old Norwegian forward Sindre Walle Egeli, dubbed the next Erling Haaland, with West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Brentford also interested in the £25m-rated teenager. (Daily Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at home against Chelsea (12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Defender Emerson "fortunately" did not pick up a "big knock" in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Fulham but "we have to review". Elsewhere, Lopetegui added: "We are trying to recover all the players. We need to wait until tomorrow to know more about the players with little injuries."

• He had a message for Hammers fans: "Very grateful. They always support us, not only in home matches but away too. We feel that and we are very happy for this. We want to give them good news and good matches."

• On not picking up a Premier League point at home so far this season: "All of the teams have quality and are able to beat anyone. It's true we've had tough matches so far, but that's in the past."

• Lopetegui is also pleased with how the squad is adapting to his style: "I am very happy with the players. They are working hard every day [and] with this commitment I am sure step by step we are going to improve."

• On Saturday's London derby against the Blues: "We know that we are going to play against a big team with top players. Good coach, good idea and they are trying to develop one way to work and play."

• On West Ham's recent strong home record against Chelsea: "That's in the past. It's not going to help us in this match. Every match is different. We know we're playing a strong team, and we have to be ready."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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It feels like West Ham fans can be quite hard to please.

Under David Moyes, they were getting results, won the Europa Conference League, but were not playing pretty football and in the end the fans were not happy with that.

They wanted attractive football and I remember quoting last season - "you're happy to play attractive football without results?" And they were saying "yep, it's better than what we watch every week, we pay all this money to watch rubbish under David Moyes".

But when you have somebody that comes in with a completely different philosophy, which Julen Lopetegui does have compared to what Moyes had and the players were used to, it is going to need patience.

What I would say to West Ham fans is, we have seen what Lopetegui did and built at Wolves, which was good, and we look at what Andoni Iraola has done with Bournemouth since he arrived. He struggled in those first nine games of the season, but the owners have put trust and patience in him to build something.

It can take time when there is such a big shift in styles, it can take time for players to gel and connect and I think that is where West Ham are at right now. Given that patience, Lopetegui can get them to where they want to be, but it is a patience game.

The fans have asked for it and it will take time to transition the team from the defence mindset to become this expansive, front-footed, open team. The club made that decision to push Moyes out and bring Lopetegui in and now they have to stick with that.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

West Ham portray themselves as a family club. That sometimes does not show itself, particularly around ticket price rises this summer - although the club will still argue, for a London team, they are one of the cheapest in the Premier League.

However, they do a huge amount of community work and have tried hard to maintain and nurture their links to the supporter base.

It will have been particularly sad therefore to learn young Hammers fan Elliott Eley had passed away.

Elliott was only 11 and was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease shortly after he was born. The illness affects the digestive and immune systems and currently has no cure.

He was a mascot on the opening day of the season when the Hammers played Aston Villa and got to walk out with skipper Jarrod Bowen. He was also a guest of the club on a training ground visit in the summer.

The club released a statement and posted on social media, external to say it was "devastated" to learn Elliott had passed away.

West Ham and Manchester United are keen on 29-year-old Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, who is unhappy after losing his place at Bayern Munich. (Sun), external

Meanwhile, the Hammers, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Wolves are among the admirers of Red Bull Salzburg's 24-year-old French defender Oumar Solet. (HITC), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column