Chelsea hammer West Ham to step up chase for European places
Mauricio Pochettino has got his side firing at home, netting 24 goals in their last seven games at Stamford Bridge heading into another crucial London derby.
After an encouraging start, the Blues took the lead on the quarter-hour mark as Alphonse Areola’s hand wasn’t enough to stop Palmer’s close-range strike from finding the net.
At the other end, Jarrod Bowen’s header from a corner hit the crossbar but it was Chelsea firmly on top, doubling their advantage when Conor Gallagher volleyed home a loose ball just inside the box.
West Ham were evidently not at the races, and the Blues were at their clinical best to make it 3-0 before the break as Thiago Silva’s header found Noni Madueke, who nodded over the line.
There was still time for more goalmouth action before HT, with Gallagher and Bowen each hitting the bar from close range, yet the contest looked as good as over at the break.
Any hopes of an unlikely Hammers turnaround were dashed within three minutes of the restart thanks to Nicolas Jackson, who tapped home Madueke’s lay-off with ease – the hosts' fourth different goalscorer.
The visitors certainly had chances to get on the scoresheet, yet a lack of efficiency left supporters frustrated, as Emerson Palmieri blazed over from a promising position and HT substitute James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick forced Đorđe Petrović into a decent stop.
Incredibly, Bowen’s deflected strike found the crossbar for a third time moments before Jackson slotted home at the opposite end, just about staying onside to compound West Ham’s miserable day.
A seventh win in eight home PL games lifts Chelsea to seventh in the table, just two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United as the Blues build momentum during the run-in.
As for West Ham, the second David Moyes era may well be coming to an end as the under-fire manager mulls over a damaging defeat that leaves the Hammers’ European ambitions hanging by a thread.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Noni Madueke (Chelsea)
