19/08/2000  Chelsea 4 West Ham 2
 
There were certainly some notes for caution for the Blues in the way that West 
Ham, especially early on, created holes in the Chelsea back four and caught them 
on the counter-attack.

Indeed, the Premiership title is still a long way off just yet unless Chelsea, 
who were without unsettled Frank Leboeuf in defence, manage to regain the solid 
defensive displays of last season and find some consistency.

However, their main weakness during the last campaign was in taking their 
chances and, in Hasselbaink and Stanic, they appear to have found not just one 
but two proven goalscorers.

Record 15 million pound signing Hasselbaink continued his goal-a-game record from 
the Charity Shield with a 31st-minute penalty while the rejuvenated Gianfranco 
Zola also struck a majestic free-kick after an equaliser by Paolo di Canio.

However, it was Stanic's first strike that will linger long in the memory as 
he juggled the ball with his right foot before letting fly with a volley that 
flew past keeper Shaka Hislop.

And after Frederic Kanoute had pulled a goal back for the battling visitors, 
Stanic - a 5.6 million pound summer signing - struck again in the final minute with a 
far post header.

The Croatian had made a stunning impact on his Premiership debut yet Chelsea 
will be aware that they similarly started last season with a flourish - a 4-0 
win against Sunderland - but then struggled to maintain the momentum.

This time around, however, they had managed to beat a side against whom they 
have struggled all too often, claiming just three draws from their previous five 
meetings.

Chelsea, who did not even include Leboeuf on the bench following his public 
criticism of Vialli - although the club officially insisted that he was injured
- made an unconvincing start to the game.

Loan signing Christian Panucci, taking Leboeuf's place in defence, was soon 
under pressure but it was Marcel Desailly who almost gifted the visitors the 
lead as early as the fourth minute.

The Frenchman played an attempted pass out of defence straight into the path 
of Davor Suker but the striker was denied by keeper Ed de Goey, with Panucci 
clearing the loose ball.

West Ham were certainly on top in the opening stages as they closed down the 
Chelsea midfield far more effectively than Manchester United ever managed in the 
Charity Shield last weekend.

However, all of their hard work was undone in an instant just after the 
half-hour mark when Hasselbaink raced clear onto a through ball and collided 
with keeper Hislop right on the edge of the penalty area.

Hislop vigorously protested his innocence, with West Ham debating whether 
contact was made at all and - if so - whether it was inside the penalty area.

But while Hislop escaped with a yellow card, referee Graham Barber still 
pointed to the penalty spot and Hasselbaink picked himself off the ground to 
send the keeper the wrong way with his spot-kick.

Chelsea's only previous real threats up to that point to a West Ham defence 
deprived of Rio Ferdinand through injury had been a drive by Roberto di Matteo, 
which was tipped over, and a free-kick just wide by Hasselbaink.

However, amid a succession of fouls, which included a booking for Panucci for 
dissent that resulted in the new '10-yard rule' being implemented, Chelsea 
seemed to have managed to exert a measure of control on the game.

Much of that was down to the incredible workrate of Dennis Wise, but it was 
only two minutes after the break that the Hammers caught the Blues on the 
counter-attack.

Although Kanoute initially looked to have taken too long to control the ball, 
right-back Mario Melchiot was so far out of position after threatening the West 
Ham goal that both di Canio and Suker were left unmarked.

Kanoute duly managed to slip the ball sideways to di Canio, who had a 
considerable amount of time to pick his spot before slipping the ball low past 
the exposed figure of de Goey to put the Hammers level.

West Ham looked to have regained control of the game but that was reckoning 
without the influence of Zola.

After Gustavo Poyet had been fouled on the edge of the area by Igor Stimac, up 
stepped the Italian to curl his dead-ball with such control and precision that 
Hislop was left rooted to the spot as the ball sped past him.

If that was a sublime effort though, it paled in comparison with the supreme 
strike by Stanic which sealed victory as he let fly from 35 yards with a volley 
after impudently juggling the ball with his right foot.

Michael Carrick forced de Goey to tip the ball around the post, while Kanoute 
pulled a goal back with a header from a corner.

However, Chelsea responded with Stanic's second goal of the game - a far-post 
header from a corner - in the final minute and they were home and dry.

Many more challenges lie ahead of the Blues but on the back of their Charity 
Shield victory against United, they have certainly staked an early claim to be 
taken seriously as genuine title contenders.