West Ham 1-3 Chelsea. Report & Full Video Highlights.

I had said previously that I would take any kind of win away to West Ham in my match preview. Added to that the news that Frank Lampard would not make the trip to East London and I would have been been delighted to nick a 1-0 win.

Looking back now I didn't really have reason to worry as despite Carlo naming only a 19-man squad for the Premier League, the players who came into the starting 11 played really well and Chelsea maintained their attacking fluidity scoring three more goals in the process with Michael Essien scoring two and a lucky goal from Kalou.
With the news of Lampard, and our first Champions League trip to MSK Zilina on Wednesday on the horizon, Carlo Ancelotti decided to rest two other players in Alex and Florent Malouda. Into the side came Ivanovic who has made a speedy recovery from injury, Kalou and Ramires.

I had asked for a better start to the game from Chelsea rather than ease themselves into it and Chelsea oblidged through Essien. A corner won out on the left hand side, taken by Drogba (as Lampard & Malouda not involved) and his perfect cross into the box was headed home by Essien.

West Ham to their credit looked to play football and cause Chelsea problems. They created a couple of openings after the goal but either didn't trouble Cech or blazed over the bar. Chelsea at 1-0 up looked comfortable.

Then half way through the first half Chelsea "struck" a killer blow literally. A free kick taken about 35 yards out from Drogba dipped not really at any dangerous pace, in front of Rob Green. Green made a right mess of his attempt to gather the ball and the ball came free from his grasp. Matthew Upson had followed the flight of the ball and looked to clear away from goal and struck the ball against the back of Soloman Kalou's leg and the ball rebounded off him, over Upson and Green and into the empty net. 2-0 Chelsea.

You have to say it just about somes up the luck West Ham are having at the moment and Rob Green needs to get his confidence back as he looked a broken man after that went in and his World Cup nightmare. You could hear the groans from the West Ham fans as the ball crossed the line and the responded with chants of "England's number one!" surely, they have to believe at the moment there is no chance until Green can get his confidence back.

Again, West Ham took the game to Chelsea and never gave up. Obinna had two chances before half time. First a ball over the top beat our defence and when faced one on one with Cech he shot wide and he also curled a shot just wide of the post. Obinna looked lively and West Ham still posed a threat but Cech hadn't any real saves to make.

Chelsed almost made it three as Mikel hit a screamer from outside the edge of the box that clipped the outside of Rob Green's near post. Finally a shot of note from Mikel who normally blazes a ball high wide and handsome at least once every game he plays!.

West Ham did have the ball in Chelsea's net just before the break, but Carlton Cole was given offside (quite rightly too as the replays showed).
Half time 2-0 Chelsea.

Chelsea made no changes at half time. West Ham brought on the lively Kieron Dyer and he made a real difference to their play. He provided them with pace and a spark to their midfield and West Ham wouldn't lie down and took the game to Chelsea.

West Ham began to exert pressure on Chelsea and through the impressive Ivanovic and John Terry, Chelsea remainded resolute and stood firm. Chelsea began to hit West Ham once more on the break and when we got hold of the ball in midfield. We always looked to create chances and had attempts at goal through Ramires, Drogba and Kalou but there was no addition to the scoreline until the final minutes of the game.

Another flowing Chelsea passing move through midfield culminated in Mikel picking out a pass out wide to Paulo Ferreira and his first time cross into the box was once again met by Essien as he rose above the West Ham defence and headed home from 8 yards to make it 3-0 Chelsea. Two headers from Essien and both brilliant.

To their credit again West Ham kept playing football and some would say got a reward of a goal, the first Chelsea have conceded this season through a fantatic piece of skill from Scotty Parker. A corner floated over into the Chelsea box was punched clear by Cech under pressure. Parker, outside the right hand corner of the box watched the flight of the ball and on the volley, dinked the ball back over the top, over Cech and into the empty net. Simply brilliant you have to admit. If that was one of ours doing that, we would be talking about it for weeks!. Then again Parker likes a goal or two against us doesn't he!.

So that was that, or so we all thought anyway but once again West Ham had another clear cut chance on goal and should have scored. I think Fredric Piquionne hates playing against Chelsea. First there was the glaring miss in the FA Cup final when he had an open goal from 6 yards and passed the ball straight to Cech but the one today was even worse.

A cross floated into the box had Chelsea and Cech beaten as Carlton Cole missed the header, Piquionne follwed the flight of the ball and all he had to do was to head the ball into the empty net from 4 yards. Instead, he headed the ball up on to the crossbar and it rebounded away from the net. Chelsea had a let off, Cech had a let off and Piquionne will still feel next week that he should have scored.

Chelsea saw out the game and it finished 3-1 to Chelsea. All in all even the West Ham fans would say that Chelsea deserved to win. Yes they created chances but failed to test Cech often enough and Chelsea to our credit took our chances. That was the difference.

Chelsea did make substitions during the game. JT came off for Alex with 20 minutes or so remaining in the game with a rib injury and is now a doubt for Zilina on Wednesday. Gael Kakuta came on for Nico Anelka and impressed me with his touches and he looks like he will get plenty of playing time for Chelsea this season and Malouda came on towards the end for Kalou with just under 10 minutes to go and didn't really have a chance to affect the game.

So three more points for Chelsea in what could be a massive weekend for us. United dropped points after a late comeback from Everton denied them all three points and City drew too. The Arsenal remain a threat at the moment as they won again and are now just 2 points behind us.

We move onto Zilina in the week followed by high-flying Blackpool next weekend. A busy week for Chelsea, but surely with the way we are playing, another two wins on the spin for the Chels!.



Carefree and KTBFFH!