Tammy Abraham on Monday hit a quickfire late double as Chelsea beat West Ham United 3-0 to reignite their Premier League challenge after consecutive defeats.
The Hammers proved tricky opponents at an empty Stamford Bridge, but lacked the firepower to hurt Frank Lampard’s men, who led early through Thiago Silva’s bullet header.
Chelsea enjoyed a strong start to the season before losses to Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers checked their progress, but the victory at the London stadium lifts them into the fifth spot.
Photo: AFP
Champions Liverpool have opened up a five-point gap at the top of the table, but behind them, only seven points separate second-placed Leicester City from 11th-placed Wolves.
“It was nice to see that at the end, because we had a period at 1-0 where it was tough — we dealt with that well,” Lampard told the BBC. “We dropped off slightly and it was important tonight we came back. There were loads of things for the team to show their character — we want more.”
“Christmas has been changed for everybody this year,” Lampard added. “For the lads, we just have to prepare for Arsenal. It’s a busy time of year for us.”
West Ham had the ball in the net in the seventh minute after a cleverly worked free-kick, but Declan Rice was denied by the off-side flag after an impressive finish from a tight angle.
Three minutes later, Chelsea were in front when Silva powered home a header from Mason Mount’s corner.
The Brazilian found the net from close range after a well-timed run, leaving West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski rooted to the spot.
Chelsea had possession most of the time after their goal without creating much of note, but West Ham worked their way into the game as the half wore on.
Timo Werner, who has not scored for Chelsea since early November, had a golden chance to double their lead in the closing minutes of the first period, but got the ball caught under his feet and Fabianski saved comfortably.
David Moyes’ team made life uncomfortable for the home side after the break, but did not make the most of their regular forays forward, despite the introduction of forward Said Benrahma.
West Ham were made to pay when Abraham, back in the starting eleven, doubled Chelsea’s lead with 12 minutes to go, settling the home side’s nerves and ending his own drought.
Werner cut inside and saw his scuffed shot tapped in by the England international, who was played onside by Aaron Cresswell.
Two minutes later, Chelsea were up 3-0 when Abraham fired home from a tight angle, after Fabianski had done well to keep out Christian Pulisic’s header.
That made it the eighth time this season that Chelsea have scored at least three goals in a Premier League match — and they nearly had a fourth when Werner struck the crossbar with two minutes left.
The win lifts Chelsea to 25 points — one behind fourth-placed Everton — while West Ham stay in 10th place.
Earlier, Burnley beat Wolves 2-1 to climb out of the Premier League’s relegation zone, thanks to goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS