Marko Arnautovic strikes as West Ham put dent in Chelsea’s title hopes

Chelsea’s title ambitions were dented by a resurgent West Ham side, as a Marko Arnautovic strike saw them record a shock 1-0 win at the London Stadium.

David Moyes, who dropped England goalkeeper Joe Hart to the bench for the match, saw his new side cling on for the three points – his first victory as West Ham manager in five matches.

West Ham enjoyed several early chances, often profiting from errors from Davide Zappacosta.

Showing the kind of inventiveness and craft expected of the reigning champions – rather than the beleaguered relegation candidates – the home side took the lead after just six minutes when Arnautovic curled a wonderful left-footed shot into the bottom corner, after exchanging passes with Manuel Lanzini.

Tiemoue Bakayoko, playing in a more advanced position than usual, was guilty of failing to track his man in the build-up to the opening goal.

The Hammers sat back on the lead for much of the first half, committing numbers in the final third and frequently nullifying speculative crosses intended for Alvaro Morata.

Conte made positive changes in the second half, with Pedro and Willian replacing Bakayoko and Zappacosta, but they couldn’t break down a resilient West Ham in the final third.

Chelsea created two excellent chances to equalise in the final 10 minutes, but both were squandered: Morata volleyed a close-range effort wide and Hazard could have done much better with a wayward shot from the edge of the area.

The Hammers' first win in eight matches allowed them to overtake Crystal Palace into 18th place. Chelsea, meanwhile, might find themselves 14 points behind leaders Manchester City by the conclusion of the weekend.

Adam Cresswell and Marko Arnautovic were among West Ham’s star performers, but Ogbonna was exceptional in dealing with the aerial pressure that Chelsea delivered for most of the game.

West Ham: Adrian 7, Zabaleta 7, Reid 8, Ogbonna 8, Cresswell 8, Obiang 7, Noble 7, Arnautovic 7, Lanzini 8, Masuaku 8, Antonio. 7 Subs: Sakho 6, Ayew, 7.

Chelsea: Courtois 6, Azpilicueta 7, Christensen 7, Cahill 6, Zappacosta 5, Bakayoko 6, Kante 7, Fabregas 7, Alonso 6, Hazard 7, Morata 6. Subs: Moses 6, Willian 6, Pedro 6.

6 - GOAL! Antonio finds Arnautovic on the edge of the area and he plays a lovely one-two on the edge of the area with Lanzini. The Austrian places a left-footed shot low past Courtois!

21 - CHANCE: Azpilicueta sends in a powerful cross for Morata. Ogbonna clears as far as Hazard, who volleys just wide.

58 - CHANCE: Zappacosta cuts in on his right foot and shoots from around 25 yards. It goes narrowly wide.

84 - CHANCE: Kante picks out Morata wth a superb through-ball and the Spaniard is played onside by Masuaka. He volleys wide with a very powerful shot! That was a huge chance to equalise!

85 - CHANCE: Morata feeds Hazard on the edge of the box with a great flick, but the Belgian shoots high and wide! Another glorious chance!

Marko Arnautovic is the 140th different player to score a Premier League goal for West Ham.

David Moyes has won five out his last last six Premier League home matches against the defending champions. Four of those wins came against Italian managers.

This is Chelsea’s first defeat in eight league games.