Bowen the Unlucky & Co. hammered at Stamford Bridge

Cole Palmer equalled the record for the most Chelsea goals scored at Stamford Bridge in one Premier League season, netting at home for the 16th time as the Blues breezed past West Ham United 5-0 in their pursuit of European football.

Mauricio Pochettino has got his side firing at home, netting 24 goals in their last seven games at Stamford Bridge heading into another crucial London derby. After an encouraging start, the Blues took the lead on the quarter-hour mark as Alphonse Areola’s hand wasn’t enough to stop Palmer’s close-range strike from finding the net. At the other end, Jarrod Bowen’s header from a corner hit the crossbar but it was Chelsea firmly on top, doubling their advantage when Conor Gallagher volleyed home a loose ball just inside the box.

West Ham were evidently not at the races, and the Blues were at their clinical best to make it 3-0 before the break as Thiago Silva’s header found Noni Madueke, who nodded over the line. There was still time for more goalmouth action before halftime, with Gallagher and Bowen each hitting the bar from close range, yet the contest looked as good as over at the break.

Any hopes of an unlikely Hammers turnaround were dashed within three minutes of the restart thanks to Nicolas Jackson, who tapped home Madueke’s lay-off with ease – the hosts' fourth different goalscorer. The visitors certainly had chances to get on the scoresheet, yet a lack of efficiency left supporters frustrated, as Emerson Palmieri blazed over from a promising position and halftime substitute James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick forced Đorđe Petrović into a decent stop.

Incredibly, Bowen’s deflected strike found the crossbar for a third time moments before Jackson slotted home at the opposite end, just about staying onside to compound West Ham’s miserable day. A seventh win in eight home Premier League games lifts Chelsea to seventh in the table, just two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United as the Blues build momentum during the run-in. As for West Ham, the second David Moyes era may well be coming to an end as the under-fire manager mulls over a damaging defeat that leaves the Hammers’ European ambitions hanging by a thread.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 36

Friday

Luton - Everton 1-1 (1-1)

/Adebayo 31 - Calvert-Lewin 23 pen/

Saturday

Arsenal - Bournemouth 3-0 (1-0)

/Saka 45 pen, Trossard 70, Rice 90+7/

Brentford - Fulham 0-0

Burnley - Newcastle 1-4 (0-3)

/O'Shea 86 - Wilson 19, Longstaff 35, Guimaraes 40, Isak 55/

Sheffield Utd - Nott.Forest 1-3 (1-1)

/Brereton Diaz 17 pen - Hudson-Odoi 27, 65, Yates 51/

Man.City - Wolverhampton 5-1 (3-0)

/Haaland 12, 35, 45+3, 54, Alvarez 85 - Hwang 53/

Sunday

Brighton - Aston Villa 1-0 (0-0)

/Joao Pedro 87/

Chelsea - West Ham 5-0 (3-0)

/Palmer 15, Gallagher 30, Madueke 36, Jackson 48, 80/

18:30: (1.50) Liverpool (4.70) Tottenham (6.75)

Monday

22:00: (2.50) Crystal Palace (3.45) Man.Utd. (2.75)

***odds are subject to change***