Alejandro Garnacho slammed as new footage emerges after Chelsea win vs West Ham
Alejandro Garnacho had a shocking first half as Chelsea came from behind to beat West Ham on Saturday.
Chelsea beat West Ham 3-2 at Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Fernandez‘s stoppage-time winner completing the comeback.
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville had put the Hammers two goals ahead in the first half, but substitutes Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro levelled the scores after the break for Liam Rosenior‘s men.
Garnacho lost the ball 12 times against West Ham, and was slammed by the Chelsea fans for his lack of effort.
In the game’s final moments, chaos erupted as Jean-Clair Todibo was dismissed for grabbing Pedro by the neck.
Alejandro Garnacho exposed by new footage
Chelsea fans were massively frustrated by Garnacho‘s performance in the first half.
One ugly moment saw the winger give the ball away with poor passes twice in the space of five seconds, with the second drawing audible groans from the home fans.
And defensively, the 21-year-old was nowhere to be seen. Time after time, Jorrel Hato was left to defend against both Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
| Alejandro Garnacho | vs West Ham |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Accurate passes | 22/28 |
| Accurate crosses | 0/4 |
| Duels won | 1/5 |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
It was no coincidence that both West Ham goals came from Garnacho and Hato’s side, and it was no surprise to see them both withdrawn at the break.
The winger let Bowen in front of him in the build-up to the first goal, and failed to stop the forward’s cross, which looped into the net.
And the second goal saw Wan-Bissaka in acres of space, having left Garnacho completely, with the right-back providing the cross for Summerville to finish well.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day on Saturday, Shay Given said: “In front of Hato, you’ve got Garnacho, who probably didn’t help him out too much in the afternoon.
“Again, Hato with the ball in the air, he’s not that physically strong there but still doesn’t get a clear header and keep an eye on Garnacho here.
“Can he do more to defend or help his mate? I think he can. I think he can match up the run here from Bowen – he doesn’t – and then you think he gets back in a defensive shape, he’s got to get close.
“He’s got to stop the cross and stop the danger into the box. That ball shouldn’t be coming in, and yes there’s a bit of confusion in the box between Sanchez but Pablo puts him off.”
What Liam Rosenior said about Garnacho
Earlier this month, in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, Garnacho provided the opposite role.
The winger appeared off the bench and scored twice for the Blues, saving an otherwise poor display by keeping Rosenior’s side in the tie.
Such is the way football works that Garnacho found himself on the other side of the coin on Saturday.
But Rosenior was keen to defend the winger, along with the other players substituted at the break, Hato and Benoit Badiashile.
“It’s easy right – the individuals came off and then people will look at them,” he said. “That wasn’t on them. It was a collective poor performance in the first half.”
But the Englishman will face a decision on Tuesday, when Chelsea travel to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg against Arsenal.