Chelsea 3-0 West Ham: 5 talking points as Tammy Abraham brace helps Blues to thumping home win | Premier League 2020-21
Two goals in the final 12 minutes helped Chelsea to a comfortable 3-0 home victory over London rivals West Ham United on Monday.
Frank Lampard made three changes from the side that lost to Wolves last week, with Tammy Abraham replacing Olivier Giroud up front, Jorginho coming in for Kai Havertz, and club captain Cesar Azpilicueta replacing the injured Reece James.
Chelsea started the game brightly but saw a Declan Rice goal ruled out for offside in the 7th minute before suffering an injury blow to Ben Chilwell three minutes later.
The hosts put this early setback behind them when Thiago Silva rose highest to head home a corner by Mason Mount for his second goal for the club.
For the next 15 minutes, the Blues threatened to blow their opponents away and controlled proceedings in what was a one-sided affair. West Ham slowly grew into the game but failed to test Edouard Mendy in goal.
The Hammers ended the first half on the ascendancy, and Chelsea struggled to create any chance of note to add to their one-goal tally.
The second half continued in the same fashion - as the rain poured down on an empty Stamford Bridge - and Lampard made some changes in a bid to regain control of the game.
Jorginho came off for Mateo Kovacic to add more steel in the middle of the park, while David Moyes made an attacking substitution, with Said Benrahma replacing Jarrod Bowen in the 67th minute.
Despite this, neither side managed to seize the initiative. However, just when it seemed like one goal would be enough to decide the encounter, two quickfire goals by Tammy Abraham gave Chelsea a more commanding lead.
The England international showed great awareness for both goals, with the first coming with a dainty one-touch finish from a Timo Werner pass in the 78th minute, while he was on hand to convert on the rebound just two minutes later.
This defeat means that David Moyes has failed to win on any of his previous 16 visits to Chelsea, across his spells with Everton, Manchester United, and West Ham, equaling his own record for most games at a stadium without a victory (also 16 at Anfield).
The win sees Chelsea climb up to 5th on the Premier League table and here, we shall have a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Chelsea sweating on Ben Chilwell fitness
Although no official update has been given on the severity of the injury suffered by Ben Chilwell, by all indications, it is an ankle injury that could rule him out for a while.
Speaking after the game, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said on the injury:
''Expect he's doubtful for Arsenal. Turned his ankle, it was too painful to continue. We'll have a scan tomorrow to see how bad the injury is and update after that."
The 24-year-old had seen his Chelsea debut delayed by a foot injury following his transfer from Leicester City but he has since settled into the team well.
Although the clash against Arsenal on Saturday might come too soon for Chilwell, fans of the club would be hoping that he will be back to full fitness soon.
#4 Chelsea get back to winning ways
A poor performance against Everton saw the west London outfit suffer a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park, which ended their nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. They followed that up with another tame display against Wolves in a 2-1 defeat.
These consecutive losses saw Chelsea lose touch with Liverpool at the summit of the table.
They came into this game not having lost three successive league games in almost five years and got the perfect start when Thiago Silva put them ahead with a powerful header.
The hosts failed to build on their bright start and allowed West Ham to grow into the game; leaving the match firmly in the balance.
Ultimately, the two late goals sucked the wind out of the visitors' sails, although truth be told, a 3-0 scoreline flatters the hosts and suggests a more comfortable victory than it really was.
Lampard would not care though, and this win would help instill confidence in the squad ahead of another London derby this weekend.