Moises Caicedo endured a forgettable debut for Chelsea, marked by conceding a penalty in a 3-1 loss to West Ham.
The Ecuadorian international became the priciest player ever in the Premier League following his transfer to the Blues for a staggering £115 million.
Initially, the former Brighton midfielder appeared to be on his way to Liverpool after a transfer fee was arranged. However, he ultimately opted for Chelsea.
Despite the historic price tag, the 21-year-old began on the bench in Chelsea’s second match of the season, entering the game as a substitute for Ben Chilwell in the 60th minute.
However, his debut took a dire turn as he clumsily fouled Emerson Palmieri, extending a lazy leg inside the penalty area.
This infraction left the referee with no alternative but to award a penalty, which was subsequently converted by Lucas Paqueta to secure the victory for West Ham in stoppage time.
Prior to the penalty incident, Nayef Aguerd had initially put West Ham in the lead by capitalizing on a corner taken by James Ward-Prowse. Aguerd’s fortunes later took a downturn as he received two yellow cards, leading to his dismissal from the game.
Caicedo giving a penalty on his debuts😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/s0hN21f41x
— DangerousMacca (@DLent91) August 20, 2023
📸 – PENALTY WEST HAM UNITED, FOUL BY CAICEDO! pic.twitter.com/0GAFfEwx80
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) August 20, 2023
Carney Chukwuemeka made a memorable debut by scoring his first-ever career goal to level the score, but Michail Antonio swiftly responded with a second goal for the Europa Conference League winners.
Despite a significant spending spree, Chelsea has yet to secure their first victory of the season under the leadership of their new manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
Moises Caicedo was the second player to concede a penalty during the match at the London Stadium. In the first half, Tomas Soucek fouled Raheem Sterling just at the edge of the penalty area, granting Enzo Fernandez an opportunity to score from the penalty spot.
However, the Argentine’s attempt was thwarted by a well-timed save from Alphonse Areola, who correctly anticipated the direction of the shot.
Caicedo had been an absolute phenomenon at Brighton, hence his big move to Chelsea – but he was panned by fans for a shocker of a cameo.
One Liverpool fan wrote: “I’m so glad we signed Wataru Endo instead of Moises Caicedo he’s clearly a much better player and cost £100m less.”
A second said: “That Moises Caicedo fella had a Jonathan Woodgate like debut.”
A third added: “Chelsea signed Moises Caicedo for £115m just for him to concede a penalty on his debut.”
Another Liverpool supporter weighed in, writing: “Fernandez: Missed a penalty. Caicedo: Conceded a penalty. Lavia: Sitting at home. I adore this game.”
A fourth lapped it up, commenting: “CAICEDO COST £115M AND HE CONCEDED A PENALTY HAHAHAHA.”
A fifth concurred: “Enzo missed a penalty, Caicedo gave away a penalty and Lavia can’t even make the squad.”
In 37 minutes of action, Caicedo lost possession eight times, committed two fouls and gave away the penalty in a poor start to life at Chelsea.