Ward-Prowse shines while Caicedo struggles as West Ham beat Chelsea 3-1

LONDON: After all the talk about Chelsea’s big-money signings this week, it was West Ham’s new midfielder who had the biggest impact in the Premier League derby between the London clubs on Sunday.

James Ward-Prowse enjoyed what he called “a dream debut” by setting up two goals in a 3-1 win for West Ham that came despite the Hammers playing with 10 men for the last 30 minutes of the game. Moises Caicedo, meanwhile, only managed to give away a penalty for the final goal in injury time after coming on in the second half for his first appearance since his record-breaking $146 million move from Brighton.

The Caicedo signing took Chelsea’s total outlay on players past the $1 billion mark under their American ownership and the club followed it up by splashing $74 million on Romeo Lavia, another defensive midfielder who wasn’t deemed ready to be in the squad against West Ham.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is still without a win after his first two games, after a 1-1 draw with Liverpool last weekend. And his biggest problem may be a lack of attacking options.

Chelsea dominated large parts of the game but couldn’t create many quality chances for striker Nicolas Jackson — another summer signing. And Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who cost Chelsea $131.4 million last season, missed a penalty that would have put his club 2-1 up just before the halftime break.

In comparison, the $38 million that West Ham spent on Ward-Prowse looks like a bargain.

“A dream debut for me on a personal note, and more importantly the team,” Ward-Prowse said. “You could feel the energy in the stadium toward the end. It’s a special day.”

The 28-year-old midfielder — who joined from Southampton on the same day that Caicedo joined Chelsea —