Chelsea defender Reece James has condemned an incident which saw a supporter knocked unconscious before Saturday’s clash at West Ham.
On the pitch, the Blues were forced to settle for a third consecutive Premier League draw after seeing Joao Felix’s opener cancelled out by Emerson Palmeri. The controversial encounter ended 1-1 but only after the Hammers had a late goal ruled out and Chelsea denied an injury-time penalty.
But before the lunchtime kick-off had got underway, a video circulated across social media showing a supporter outside the London Stadium punched to the ground. The images - which have now gone viral - show a man, who appears to be a Chelsea fan, confronting a group of home fans.
He is then struck in the face, immediately hitting the floor and appearing unresponsive. A subsequent video then shows the same individual with a bloodied face being pushed away from the scene in a wheelchair. Local police are aware of the incident.
James took to social media to reach out to the affected fan with a post which read: “The news has crossed my attention that a fan was punched & knocked out before today’s game.
“I totally understand rivalry and the tension between teams in big games but violence is no answer. I hope he’s okay. Appreciate the travelling fans as always. Stick with us & stay safe. See u in Dortmund.”
Chelsea players were also left aggrieved as they returned to Stamford Bridge after they were denied what looked like a clear penalty in the closing moments. The flashpoint occurred when Conor Gallagher ’s shot was blocked by West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek in the box.
The Blues players immediately called for a penalty, with referee Craig Pawson waving away protests. VAR then backed up the on-field decision, despite replays showing Soucek had clearly stopped the ball with his outstretched arm.
“I thought it was a good save. You need your goalkeeper sometimes to get you the points,” Potter joked in his post-match press conference.
He added: “It looks like it [an obvious penalty]. These are the little things you need to go in your favour and at the moment they're not. That’s life and there’s nothing to complain about there. But you've got to keep working.
“There were positives in terms of how we wanted to play and some good attacking moments from players still adapting to the Premier League. That’s where we are at and we have to keep moving forward.”
Chelsea remain in ninth place in the Premier League table following the draw and will be at least nine points off the top four by the end of the weekend. As for West Ham, the point moves them to 20 from 22 matches and outside of the relegation zone by two points, but wins for Everton and Leeds on Sunday could see them drop into the bottom three;.
