There were vague signs of improvement in parts of the West Ham team that slumped to their fourth successive league defeat at the hands of the visitors from West London, but issues at the back still continue to cause problems that it's hard to surmount.

It's unlikely that anyone foresaw anything bar an away win today anyway, but when you go behind to what was a virtual free header to Essien after only two minutes then it's going to be a difficult job to find a way back. But when Hammer's keeper Robert Green failed to hold a fairly tame Drogba free-kick after 17 minutes and Upson's hasty and reckless clearance only cannoned off Kalou and back over the head of Green, you could see the confidence draining away.

To be fair, new signing Victor Obinna could have equalised for the home side between Chelsea's two goals and the same player should have pulled a goal back after 27 minutes when he shot wide when unmarked, but that's the way things go when you are struggling.

Of course, Chelsea squandered some chances of their own but there was a sense that they went into cruise mode after taking such a firm grip early on, while the introduction of Keiron Dyer at half-time, West Ham's best player in the first month of the season, indicated Avram Grant still isn't entirely sure what his best team is.

Essien scored for the second time with a header after 83 minutes - the player later admitting he couldn't remember the last time he scored even once with a header let alone twice - before Scott Parker managed to pull one back with a superb lob. It was the first time Cech had been beaten this season and put an air of respectability on the scoreline, at least. It could have been even more respectable though had West Ham substitute Frederic Piquionne not wasted a glorious chance to reduce the arrears still further when he incredibly only managed to head against the bar when just two yards out.

So, no revival at this stage although I don't think anyone seriously thought it would come at the expense of ManU or Chelsea and most are looking at the next game against Stoke to see some form of improvement. This though is West Ham's worst start to a season since referees' last wore top hats and the sight of Paolo di Canio in one of the executive boxes only made you weep for what once was.