Chelsea claimed another big win at Stamford Bridge as they beat West Ham United 5-0 to further boost their European hopes.
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In the hosts’ second London derby of the week, Cole Palmer was joined on the scoresheet by Noni Madueke, Conor Gallagher, and Nicolas Jackson, who was at the double.
Palmer’s 15th-minute opener, Gallagher’s volley and Madueke’s header put Chelsea in complete control by the interval, with Jackson’s second-half brace providing the icing on the cake.
The victory lifts Chelsea up to seventh, above Manchester United, who face Crystal Palace on Monday, while out-of-form West Ham remain in ninth, with their chances of European qualification fading.
See: How PL clubs can qualify for European competitions
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
How the match unfolded
Chelsea took the lead when Palmer was on hand to score his 21st goal of the season after Jackson’s cross had ricocheted off former Blues defender Kurt Zouma.
It took Palmer four goals behind Erling Haaland in the Castrol Golden Boot race, while it also made him only the third player in Premier League history to reach 30+ goal involvements in a single season while aged 21 or younger, after Robbie Fowler and Chris Sutton.
Bowen struck the crossbar with a fierce header, but Chelsea doubled their lead on the half-hour mark, when Zouma’s block fell kindly for Gallagher to volley in.
It was 3-0 just six minutes later thanks to Madueke, who was on hand on to nod in from Thiago Silva’s flick-on.
Gallagher and Bowen exchanged efforts off the crossbar before the break, after which Chelsea grabbed their fourth when Madueke turned provider for Jackson to tap home.
Bowen struck the crossbar for a third time in the 79th minute, yet Chelsea were soon celebrating again as Jackson broke away and found the bottom-right corner for his 13th goal of the season.
Goals easy to come by as Chelsea share the load
Chelsea have now scored 16 goals in their last four home matches, and there is clearly now some cohesion to the attacking unit, especially at Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, their home record is now 10 wins, four draws, and four losses in 18 Premier League contests.
Palmer was typically brilliant. He became only the seventh player to have scored or assisted against 14 different teams in a Premier League season for the Blues, most recently Eden Hazard in 2018/19 (15).
But Chelsea shared the load on Sunday, with Madueke and Jackson both ending the day having scored and assisted, so the pressure is not all on Palmer, at least.
Moyes’ west London woe
David Moyes has never won an away Premier League match against Chelsea, losing 12 and drawing seven of his trips there.
The only instance of a manager taking charge of as many matches at a venue without winning is Moyes himself at Anfield.
Indeed, Mauricio Pochettino is the 11th different Blues boss Moyes has lost to at Stamford Bridge during his 22 years as a Premier League manager across spells with Everton, Man Utd, Sunderland and West Ham.
Club reports
Chelsea report | West Ham report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Chelsea have won nine of their last 11 Premier League home games (D1 L1). Indeed, since the start of December, they have the joint-most home wins (9, level with Arsenal) and home points (28, level with Man City) in the competition.
One day before his 22nd birthday, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer became only the third player in Premier League history to reach 30+ goal involvements in a single season while aged 21 or younger (21 goals, 9 assists), after Robbie Fowler (twice - 1994-95 and 1995-96) and Chris Sutton (1993-94).
West Ham have conceded 70 Premier League goals this season, their joint-most in a single campaign in the competition (also 70 in 2010-11), and the most a side managed by David Moyes has ever shipped in a single top-flight season (overtaking Sunderland’s 69 in 2016-17).
West Ham have only won one of their last nine league matches (D4 L4), while they have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 16. It’s only the second time they have gone 16+ matches without a clean sheet within a single Premier League season (also 18 games from October 2002 to February 2003).