Chelsea strengthened their chances of securing European football next season, cruising to victory against West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
It took just 15 minutes for Chelsea to get their noses in front with Cole Palmer reacting quickest to meet a loose ball in the West Ham box.
West Ham almost hit back immediately when Jarrod Bowen’s header crashed back off the crossbar, but it was one-way traffic from then on.
Chelsea doubled their lead on the half-hour mark through Conor Gallagher before Noni Madueke headed in the third six minutes later.
Nicolas Jackson struck twice in the second half to round off a wholly positive afternoon for the Blues.
With just three games left to play, Chelsea’s season seems to be heading for a strong finish as they have climbed up to seventh and sit just two points shy of sixth-placed Newcastle, while West Ham, who have two games remaining, stay ninth.
Chelsea ooze confidence
After a rocky first season under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea are starting to click and European football could still be on the agenda for next season if they keep up this momentum.
The Blues have won nine of their past 11 home Premier League outings and they are now on a four-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge, having beaten Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham and now West Ham.
They seem to be playing with greater confidence and it bodes well for the next term.
An assured finish into the the bottom right corner from Palmer set Chelsea on their way, taking his tally in the league to 21.
Captain Gallagher’s strike was equally as impressive as he volleyed emphatically across the target to leave Alphonse Areola rooted to the spot.
The game was pretty much over as a contest by the 36th-minute when Madueke found space in the six-yard box to turn in Thiago Silva’s knockdown.
Jackson further tightened Chelsea’s grip on all three points shortly after half-time and he showed great composure when rolling in the fifth after beating the offside trap late on.
Chelsea were not asked too many questions defensively but Pochettino will also be pleased to see his side record back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since February 2023.
Another heavy loss for hopeless Hammers
West Ham’s confidence looks shot as their season draws to an unsatisfactory conclusion.
The Hammers have won just one of their past 10 games across all competitions, losing five, and are on course to miss out on a fourth successive season in Europe.
They have conceded 70 goals this season, including shipping five goals on four separate occasions, with only bottom three clubs Burnley (74), Luton (78) and Sheffield United (100) with a worse defensive record.
Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui held talks with West Ham about replacing David Moyes this week and a second successive heavy defeat on the road, having lost 5-2 at Crystal Palace on 21 April, leaves the Scot in an even more precarious position.
Bowen was the only positive for West Ham on a miserable day for the visitors, hitting the crossbar on three occasions.
Despite conceding early in the second period, West Ham did pose slightly more threat after the restart with Emerson firing over the bar and half-time substitute James Ward-Prowse forcing a save out of Djordje Petrovic.
The result extends Moyes’ terrible record when visiting Chelsea as a manager, failing to win any of his 19 trips – losing 12 and drawing seven.
Player of the match
GallagherConor Gallagher
Chelsea
Squad number23Player nameGallagher
Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
Squad number11Player nameMadueke
Squad number25Player nameCaicedo
Squad number27Player nameGusto
Squad number18Player nameNkunku
Squad number31Player nameCasadei
Squad number42Player nameGilchrist
Squad number15Player nameJackson
Squad number14Player nameChalobah
Squad number3Player nameCucurella
Squad number2Player nameDisasi
Squad number5Player nameBadiashile
Squad number28Player namePetrovic
Squad number10Player nameMudryk
Squad number20Player namePalmer
West Ham United
Squad number7Player nameWard-Prowse
Squad number20Player nameBowen
Squad number14Player nameKudus
Squad number19Player nameÁlvarez
Squad number23Player nameAreola
Squad number10Player nameLucas Paquetá
Squad number18Player nameIngs
Squad number9Player nameAntonio
Squad number5Player nameCoufal
Squad number3Player nameCresswell
Squad number33Player nameEmerson
Squad number21Player nameOgbonna
Squad number28Player nameSoucek
Squad number4Player nameZouma
Line-ups
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-3-1
28Petrovic
14Chalobah6Thiago Silva5Badiashile3Cucurella
25Caicedo23Gallagher
11Madueke20Palmer10Mudryk
15Jackson
28Petrovic
14ChalobahSubstituted forGustoat 83′minutes
6Thiago SilvaSubstituted forDisasiat 82′minutes
5Badiashile
3CucurellaBooked at 38mins
25Caicedo
23Gallagher
11MaduekeSubstituted forCasadeiat 76′minutes
20PalmerSubstituted forGilchristat 89′minutes
10MudrykSubstituted forNkunkuat 76′minutes
15Jackson
Substitutes
2Disasi
7Sterling
13Bettinelli
18Nkunku
26Colwill
27Gusto
31Casadei
36de Souza Eugênio
42Gilchrist
West Ham
Formation 4-2-3-1
23Areola
5Coufal4Zouma21Ogbonna33Emerson
19Álvarez28Soucek
20Bowen10Lucas Paquetá14Kudus
9Antonio
23Areola
5Coufal
4Zouma
21OgbonnaBooked at 34mins
33EmersonBooked at 45mins
19ÁlvarezSubstituted forWard-Prowseat 45′minutes
28Soucek
20Bowen
10Lucas PaquetáBooked at 45minsSubstituted forCresswellat 76′minutes
14Kudus
9AntonioSubstituted forIngsat 70′minutes
Substitutes
1Fabianski
2Johnson
3Cresswell
7Ward-Prowse
17Cornet
18Ings
40Earthy
42Casey
45Mubama
Referee:
Andy Madley
Attendance:
39,295
Live Text
Match ends, Chelsea 5, West Ham United 0.
Second Half ends, Chelsea 5, West Ham United 0.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Vladimír Coufal.
Attempt missed. Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross following a corner.
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Marc Cucurella.
Attempt blocked. Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Tomás Soucek.
Foul by Alfie Gilchrist (Chelsea).
James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cesare Casadei (Chelsea).
Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Cesare Casadei.
Malo Gusto (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Danny Ings (West Ham United).
Malo Gusto (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Emerson (West Ham United).
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Djordje Petrovic.
Attempt saved. Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Vladimír Coufal with a headed pass.
Hand ball by Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United).
Substitution, Chelsea. Malo Gusto replaces Trevoh Chalobah.
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