Chelsea on the rise as quickfire Abraham double seals win over West Ham
Chelsea moved above Tottenham into fifth in the Premier League table after Tammy Abraham’s double sealed a 3-0 win over London rivals West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Thiago Silva powered home an early header to give the home side a perfect start.
The game was then very much in the balance until Abraham struck twice in as many minutes late on to seal the victory.
Abraham was recalled by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard for the visit of the Hammers.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho were also handed starts from the side which lost 2-1 at Wolves last week, with Reece James absent from the matchday squad completely and Kai Havertz and Oliver Giroud on the bench.
David Moyes turned to Mark Noble, with the Hammers captain in the starting XI for a league match for the first time since the opening-day defeat to Newcastle on September 12.
He was one of two changes to the side which was held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace on Wednesday, with Fabian Balbuena also back in place of Issa Diop, who was on the bench alongside Said Benrahma.
Chelsea opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Thiago Silva powered home a header from Mason Mount’s corner.
The Brazilian found the net from close range after a smart run from the back post, with West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski having no chance.
Three goals and three points on London derby night! 😁#CHEWHU pic.twitter.com/FGmfu2IYB8
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 21, 2020
It was the perfect tonic for boss Lampard, who had been forced to replace Ben Chilwell a minute earlier after the left-back suffered a problem with his ankle – the latest injury issue since his summer switch from Leicester.
Timo Werner squandered a great chance to double that advantage a minute before the break when Christian Pulisic slid him through on goal, but the Germany star poked a tame effort at Lukasz Fabianski.
Possession but no punch
The visitors started on the front foot in the second period, but despite seeing plenty of the ball they created very little to trouble Chelsea.
And they suffered a double sucker punch when Abraham scored twice in the space of as many minutes late on.
The first was a simple sidefoot finish from close range after he latched onto a weak Werner shot.
The England striker’s second was a fine strike from a tight angle after Pulisic’s effort was kept out by Fabianski.
The Blues were unlucky not to add a fourth with two minutes to go when Werner crashed an effort against the crossbar.