Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer had been carrying a groin complaint in the days leading up to the victory over West Ham. Palmer was withdrawn from the starting line-up before kick-off and was replaced by Estevao.

The Blues responded emphatically at the London Stadium, winning 5-1 with goals from Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalonah.

On Palmer’s availability, Maresca said: “Cole in the last four or five days was not 100%.

“Today he tried the warm-up, but he felt something. So we prefer not to take any risk to get worse. And we’ll see in the next hours if it’s something important or not.

“The Palace game, he was not 100%. But he is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Tonight again he tried again, but it was not very good.”

Maresca was also asked whether the result demonstrated Chelsea are not entirely dependent on Palmer. He refused to accept simple headlines about reliance on a single player and outlined the context from the past season.

He said: “You know already how I feel, that I don’t care about.

“You are there to say things and people, in general, they are there to say something. The ones that they say that we are just a Cole team, for sure, Cole is our best player, no doubt. For sure, when we have Cole, we are a much, much, much better team.

“But I think we already showed last year, in two or three months, where Cole, unfortunately for us, was not 100%. When we achieved top four, that no-one expected. And the most important thing, no-one asked me in the first season to finish top four in the Champions League. They asked me in two years (to finish) in the Champions League.”

The manager’s comments underlined a cautious approach to Palmer’s injury while noting the squad’s capacity to deliver a comprehensive win in his absence.

Chelsea punished an alarmingly disjointed West Ham side to record a 5-1 victory that left more questions than answers for Graham Potter. From the first whistle the gap in organisation was obvious: basic defending repeatedly failed, and by the 33rd minute the “match” was essentially over as any kind of contest. That was the moment of Enzo Fernandez’s easy third and when many fans began to leave.

West Ham were poor across the board. Set-pieces were exploited with three goals coming from dead-ball situations. Aerial vulnerability was exposed when Joao Pedro’s first arrived with a header and other goals flowed from corner deliveries. On the ground, simple passing often broke down, most clearly in the sequence that led to Pedro Neto’s goal when three West Ham players lost possession.

There were frequent instances of players being muscled off the ball and several clear chances conceded from yards out. It was hard not to feel sympathy for Mads Hermansen, who finally saved an Estevao effort in the 72nd minute only to be met with ironic cheers earlier.

Tactically Potter’s approach did not suit this group. Midfield was slow and Chelsea dominated the area, while Niclas Fullkrug was effectively isolated in attack. An additional centre-half created confusion in positioning rather than stability, and simple errors were punished repeatedly.

Chelsea, for their part, showed several promising signs. Joao Pedro was influential, scoring and creating opportunities, and Neto caused persistent problems for the hosts. Estevao Willian produced the pass for Fernandez’s strike. Five different players scored for Chelsea, and Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah gained confidence from their rare goals.

There is growing debate over Potter’s future and whether he fits the club. Some point to the manager’s emphasis on a “Performance” culture clashing with the current structure, which does not resemble the progressive model in which such an approach has previously thrived. For now the result is clear: Chelsea underlined their attacking potential while West Ham must urgently fix the defensive disorder that made this defeat so comprehensive.

Chelsea suffered a late setback as Cole Palmer was withdrawn just minutes before kick-off against West Ham. The decision came after Palmer “felt something” and was replaced immediately by young Brazilian Estevao, who made his first start for the club following a debut off the bench against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Enzo Maresca told Sky Sports that the substitution was taken as a safety measure: Palmer’s withdrawal was “precautionary to avoid taking any unnecessary risks.” The absence of Palmer is notable given his influence for Chelsea last season and his role in the club’s recent success; he helped them win the Club World Cup with victory over Paris Saint-Germain last month.

Estevao joined a forward line featuring Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto as Chelsea sought their first win of the season. The Blues arrive at this fixture still searching for a victory after a goalless draw at home to Palace on the opening weekend.

West Ham, by contrast, began their campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland on the opening weekend. The late change to Chelsea’s starting eleven introduced an element of uncertainty for the home side and altered the tactical picture ahead of kick-off.

The matchday briefing, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dom Smith, flagged the Palmer withdrawal as a key development ahead of the contest. With Palmer sidelined as a precaution, Estevao’s performance took on greater significance for Chelsea’s attacking options in this early-season fixture.

All personnel and match details are reported as they were announced before kick-off, including Maresca’s statement and the confirmed starting line-up adjustments.