West Ham 2-0

Guardian:
Frank Lampard scores 200th Chelsea goal in win over West Ham
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Frank Lampard's career is in its 18th year, his legs a little heavier than they once were and the opportunities eked out amid squad rotation, but his scriptwriters remain as sharp as ever. The veteran had been twitching nervously on the brink of a major landmark for a month, the flurry of goals that had propelled Chelsea through the winter suddenly choked. Then Eden Hazard clipped over a mouth-watering centre, West Ham's backline dawdled and the midfielder rose to convert his double-century.
There was a quick glance back over his shoulder at the linesman on the far side, the lack of a flag prompting a flash of relief, before the realisation dawned his timing was finally in. Those snarling among the away support would not agree, but it felt appropriate that goal No200 for Chelsea should be registered against the club who have loved to loathe Lampard ever since that acrimonious move down the District Line almost 12 years ago. It was not lost on the midfielder, who jogged across in front of the West Ham support to celebrate with his substitute and captain, John Terry, on the touchline.
The 34-year-old is a phenomenon, his tally remarkable for a midfielder who had arrived with little goalscoring pedigree of note. Bobby Tambling's club record of 202 will surely be eclipsed in the logjam of fixtures to come this term. "It is one of my best days," he admitted. "Obviously, winning the Champions League and championships are the best, but personally getting 200 goals for the club … I never thought I would touch that so I am pleased to get it. Everyone keeps talking about the goalscoring record, I would rather people kept quiet."
That much is wishful thinking. A record of 200 goals in 595 appearances demands praise, even if the away fans' reaction, perhaps predictably, was a hail of missiles in the player's direction. "When you score your 200th goal you don't think about where you go, you just celebrate," said Rafael Benítez, whose players were subsequently advised by the fourth official to warm up towards the other end of the pitch. "Afterwards, he realised it would be better to be in another part [of the ground]. But this is a fantastic achievement for any player, and particularly a midfielder."
The player himself stressed that "winning games" remains the priority, with a timely victory re-establishing Chelsea in third above Tottenham Hotspur and, even more critically, keeping fifth-placed Arsenal five points away. In truth, Hazard and Juan Mata illuminated the occasion, the pair irrepressible as the hosts purred and West Ham struggled to contain them throughout.
This would have been a rout had Jussi Jaaskelainen not reproduced his eye-catching form from the recent defeat to Spurs, the goalkeeper magnificent in keeping West Ham in vague contention even if the visitors' own forward line rarely threatened to make their own mark. Hazard's second, rasped into the corner just after the break once he had eased away from Winston Reid, effectively killed off the contest and was just reward for another outstanding display.
The Belgian was prolific in French football and might be so again in England, with this a season of adjustment to the Premier League. He could, of course, prove to be Lampard's immediate successor given there is still no new contract offer on the table for the veteran, and the last month has confirmed Hazard's jaw-dropping quality. The only frustration here was that neither the blur of attacking midfielders nor the lone forward, Demba Ba, could ensure the scoreline was a truer reflection of home dominance. The Senegalese, prolific to the tune of seven goals in 12 league games during a brief spell as a West Ham player two seasons ago, departed perplexed that he had not added heavily to his personal tally with Chelsea.
He had skewed his first opportunity horribly wide having been liberated by Lampard's clever pass, with Jaaskelainen twice denying him from point-blank range just before the break. Indecision and uncertainty had taken over before the end, the decision-making all muddled, with the Fernando Torres bug clearly biting. Others in the ranks boast more bite at present, even if they benefited from West Ham's gumminess. Andy Carroll had a goal disallowed for a push on David Luiz and Petr Cech denied Carlton Cole, but that was as close as they came.
"It was a tough afternoon, but sometimes you can't defend against the quality the opposition have," said Sam Allardyce. His own team's pursuit of 39 points and safety is on-going. For Lampard, his double century complete, a club record edges ever closer.
Man of the match Eden Hazard (Chelsea)


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Independent:

Chelsea 2 West Ham United 0
Milestone moment stirs up a storm for West Ham
Kevin Garside

It had to be Frank Lampard, his 200th goal for Chelsea coming against his boyhood club. There were fairytale displays too by Eden Hazard and Juan Mata, two players operating on a level way beyond the capabilities of West Ham, who are once more looking over their shoulder at the gathering storm just six points below.
Lampard deserved better than the boneheaded response of the West Ham fans and the lack of resistance from the players in claret and blue, which rendered proper measurement of Chelsea’s performance impossible. They work harder at Cobham.
Perhaps West ham set down their weapons in salute to a player who left Upton Park for £11m 12 years ago. At least the result lifts Chelsea into third place above a faltering Tottenham, which is significant given Manchester City’s reluctance to nail down second.
The West Ham goal was a coconut shy for most of this contest. Chelsea might have reached double figures. Demba Ba should have had a hat-trick by half time. Jussi Jaaskelainen saved twice, once with a foot when Ba was clean through. The first chance Ba steered hopelessly wide. Matches can be too easy.
The lack of intensity did Chelsea more harm than good. West Ham held out for 18 minutes, thereafter the abacus was out in anticipation of a sack load. It was entirely the Hazard and Mata show, the pair linking luxuriously down the right. Hazard thought he had inked the score sheet first with a piledriver that was beaten away by Jaaskelainen. The ball was quickly worked back to Hazard, who picked out Lampard to head home.
Time, we know, is rushing by for Lampard. Even so it seems madness of Chelsea not to tie him down to at least one more year given the speculation linking him to David Beckham’s former club LA Galaxy.
While Hazard and Mata flicked and feinted about Stamford Bridge, and Ramires chugged up and down, Lampard laced the play with his unerring passes and some cute interceptions. And for all their invention, Hazard and Mata don’t always know when to pull the trigger. That is not a failing that can be attributed to Lampard, a midfielder with a striker’s awareness of goal. The default long ball to Andy Carroll seems to be West Ham’s only ploy but brings neither the best from West Ham nor the player. They do not have the resources to trouble Chelsea, but West Ham do have an identity to defend and promote, which condemns this template out of hand.
Carroll had the ball in the net two minutes after Lampard. It was chalked off for raised hands, which David Luiz made the most of in the Chelsea box. There was a header late on that Carroll might have done better with and another from substitute Carlton Cole. Mo Diamé had a shot blocked by Ramires and that was more or less that.
“I’m disappointed for Andy because he played well but doesn’t have a goal to show for it. He’s a handful. I’m just disappointed he didn’t score at the end of it,” manager Sam Allardyce said. “If he keeps shooting and getting in the right positions, the goals will come.
“But I want them to come against West Brom, next time we play. We’re running out of games for Andy to start scoring. Let’s hope he gets a few between now and the end of the season.”
Of the Luiz incident Allardyce added: “Technically, it was a foul. But I could show you about four outside the box he didn’t give today. I thought it was a brilliant dive from David Luiz, which bought him the foul. Mo Diamé had a really good chance, Carroll had another chance, and there were two headers from the far post. I’d have expected him to score at least one.
“Carlton Cole might have sneaked one as well. If we’d scored that, it might have been interesting. But to ask a newly promoted team tobeat a top four team twice is a pretty big ask.
It would have been utterly undeserved, too. Chelsea continued to create chance after chance before Hazard added a second five minutes after the break. It was another wondrous exchange with Mata that sent him through for a stiff finish with his left foot.  “It was a tough afternoon,” admitted Allardyce. “Mata and Hazard were both outstanding. I’d like to have seen us defending better, but sometimes you have to admire the talent.
“Sometimes you can’t defend the quality they’ve got. This year, away from home, scoring has been a massive problem for us. Not so much creating the chances, but scoring them. Today, apart from the one we had disallowed, we had enough opportunities and should have scored at least one.”
Defeat cuts the comfort zone protecting West Ham from the bottom three to six points. Allardyce says concern is natural but hopefully it will turn out to be a wasted emotion. He has set his team a target of six points from the remaining nine games, not straight forward given the last nine matches have yielded only seven.
“I’m always worried until we’re mathematically safe. You never stop worrying. You’re always looking at what could happen. But my belief in our home record is that it’ll be good enough for us to get safe. It’s about us getting to 39 points. That’s our concern. Get 39 points and you’re all right. It doesn’t matter what the others do.”


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Telegraph:

Police investigate as missile hits Chelsea defender John Terry during 2-0 victory over West Ham United
Paul Kelso

One of the crowning moments of Frank Lampard’s career collided with bad blood from his formative years as his 200th Chelsea goal was met with a hail of missiles from West Ham fans at Stamford Bridge.
Substitute John Terry is understood to have been hit by a coin thrown from the section of the Shed End housing visiting supporters after former West Ham player Lampard scored the opening goal in an ultimately comfortable Chelsea win.
Missiles including drinks bottles, coins and other objects were hurled towards the Chelseaplayers as they celebrated, and the incident could yet lead to an FA charge if it is reported by referee Michael Oliver.
The Metropolitan Police last night confirmed they were investigating incidents of coin throwing, and officers were studying CCTV pictures to identify those responsible. No supporters were ejected or arrested but the investigation will continue.
Eden Hazard marked a superb performance with the second goal, and victory moves Rafael Benitez’s side to third in the table, above a faltering Tottenham and within four points of Manchester City.
The fluent performance capped a fine week for Rafael Benítez that also saw his come back from 2-0 down to draw at Manchester United in the FA Cup, and progress to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Domestic issues and local feuds dominated events at Stamford Bridge however, as West Hamfans reacted to the mildest of provocation from Terry and had their jeers rammed back at them by Lampard.
Even before the goal Terry, a substitute, had been targeted by coins and missiles from the visiting supporters as he chose to warm up in front of them.
Terry had again relegated to the bench by Benítez for a Premier League game but he still managed to find his way to the heart of the game’s pivotal moment.
When Gary Cahill went down injured in the 17th minute Terry was off the bench to warm up with rare haste. With the assistant referee running the line at the Matthew Harding Stand end he headed in the direction of the away supporters.
Not one to shrink from a challenge he eyeballed the West Ham supporters abusing him and proceeded to perform a series of pointed exercises. He mimicked raising a trophy several times, and then turned to touch his toes leavings his backside pointing at the visitors.
While this pantomime was playing out Terry’s team-mates were concocting a far greater act of provocation. Hazard’s shot was beaten out by Jussi Jaaskelainen as far as Victor Moses, who returned the ball to the Belgian to cross for Lampard, unmarked, to nod the ball home.
The former West Ham player was not about to let the moment of his 200th goal pass uncelebrated and as he ran towards the West Ham fans to celebrate he was met by Terry, galloping back down the touchline to join in.
“I wasn’t hit by anything,” Lampard said. “I went quite close to the West Ham fans but that was the natural curve of my run.” As the game restarted Terry stopped to pick up several coins, and turned to display them to the travelling fans. Point made, though not to the satisfaction of fourth official Howard Webb, who instructed substitutes from both sides to warm up at the other end thereafter.
A West Ham spokesman said that anyone found to have thrown coins could be banned by the club.
“West Ham will be working with Chelsea to investigate the incidents of missiles throwing. Any individual found to have acted in an inappropriate way will have to face the consequences including the possibility of being banned from future matches.”
As the home club responsible for controlling supporters Chelsea could also be charged. They were fined £30,000 in 2005 after Matjai Kezman was struck by a coin thrown by a West Ham fan.
Benítez praised Lampard for his “fantastic achievement”, but acknowledged that he could have celebrated in a safer corner of the ground.
“When you score 200 goals, you don’t really think about where you go,” Benítez said.
The antagonism was a distraction from a sumptuous performance from Chelsea. A fine Hazard pass created the first for Lampard, whose characteristic late run took bought him time and space to finish.
Hazard’s goal was just as well-crafted. Starting on the right touchline he played a one-two with Juan Mata, brought down the return pass on his chest at pace and stepped inside two covering defenders before crashing his left-foot shot past Jussi Jaaskelaninen in the West Ham goal.
While Benítez goes into the international break hoping his players get some rest and return refreshed, Allardyce was left fretting with his side only six points clear of the relegation zone.
“I’m always worried until we’re mathematically safe,” he said. “My belief in our home record is that it’ll be good enough for us to get safe.”

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 West Ham 0: Lampard joins the 200 club to help Benitez's boys into third

By NEIL ASHTON

Just as John Terry sprinted on to the turf at Stamford Bridge as a 78th-minute substitute, the moment of genuine class arrived.
Frank Lampard, serenaded by Chelsea supporters throughout the second half after scoring his 200th goal for the club, turned to Terry and held out the captain’s armband.
It was symbolic, touching the hearts and minds of the 40,000 supporters who have lived the dream with this celebrated Chelsea pair over the years.
Terry, playing in his first Barclays Premier League game at the Bridge since injuring his right knee against Liverpool on November 11, declined. It was Lampard’s day again.
Together they have won the Champions League, three Barclays Premier League titles and four FA Cups in the Roman Abramovich era. They know what it means to win, often dragging this team over the line in times of adversity.
Yesterday they were reunited on the edge of the centre circle, reaching out to each other even though their careers are filled with uncertainty.
Terry is the third-choice  central defender under Rafa Benitez, who rotated his squad for a routine victory over West Ham.
Lampard , who was pulled to one side last month and told he would be offered another year at the club he loves, is still waiting for Chelsea to crunch the numbers.
On the field it’s all adding up, especially after he arrived to direct Eden Hazard’s  tantalising cross beyond Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 19th minute. To do it against the club who sold him to Chelsea for £11million in 2001 must have been really special.
He immediately headed for Terry, who was warming up — quite provocatively — in front of visiting supporters. They celebrated together, sharing a nostalgic trip down memory lane before Michael Oliver, the referee, ordered them to restart.
Lampard is just two goals behind record Chelsea scorer Bobby Tambling after 595 appearances.
‘It’s one of my best days, but winning the Champions League and the Premier League are the best,’ he said.
‘To get to 200 goals, a record I never thought I would get near, means so much. Everyone keeps talking about the record but I would rather people kept quiet. The important thing is to score goals to win games.
‘We are in good form and there is a good feeling about the place and we need to carry it on until the end of the season.’
At 34, Lampard still has a magnificent engine, running the show in the first half as Hazard and Juan Mata provided the sweetest of touches on either wing.
The midfield trio excelled,  sparking off each other as Chelsea prepare to challenge champions Manchester City for second place.
Suddenly it all seems possible, with Benitez’s brief to finish in the top four becoming a bit more realistic after an impressive victory.
It’s been a good week for Benitez, with something stirring after that memorable comeback in the FA Cup against Manchester United.
Chelsea are a team again,  shrugging off the troubles which characterise just about any season at this club. At times they were outstanding, picking West Ham off in a breathtaking opening spell.
Hammers fans are unhappy, with cries of ‘Paolo Di Canio’ surfacing at the end of the first half. They weren’t so bad, with Andy Carroll providing some muscular help for Matt Jarvis and Ricardo Vaz Te.
Petr Cech, reliable in Chelsea’s goal again, got down well to save efforts from Mo Diame and substitute Carlton Cole. Carroll should have scored a consolation, of sorts, in the final minute. Chelsea had scored a second just after the break.
Hammers captain Winston Reid was a tormented soul by the end, turned inside out by the runs of Hazard, Mata and Victor Moses.
This time it was Hazard, starting and finishing the move when he lost Reid before clipping his effort inside Jaaskelainen’s post.
‘They had the game’s outstanding players and we didn’t do enough to stop them,’ said Allardyce. ‘Mata and Hazard are a handful, but we should have done a lot better.’
It turned into a face-saving exercise for West Ham but Chelsea push on for a bigger prize. The FA Cup and Europa League are twin targets but the top four is the minimum requirement for Benitez. To do it, he will rely on his captain.

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Luiz (Terry, 78), Cahill, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Mata (Mikel 85), Moses (Oscar, 70), Hazard, Ba

Subs not used: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Terry, Bertrand, Torres

Goals: Lampard 19, Hazard 50

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Reid, O'Brien, Collins (Tomkins, 61), Demel, Jarvis, Collison, Diame (Taylor, 46), O'Neil, Carroll, Vaz Te (Cole, 80)

Subs not used: Speigel, McCartney, Pogatetz, Chamakh

Booked: Reid, Demel

Referee: Michael Oliver
Att: 41639

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham: Frank Lampard closes in on goal record after reaching double century
Martin Lipton

They sang in honour of their hero, a landmark moment that was written in the stars.
If Frank Lampard was going to score his 200th Chelsea goal, it was surely destined to come against West Ham, the perfect revenge for 12 years of ritual abuse from Hammers fans.
As Lampard rose to head past Jussi Jaaskelainen at Stamford Bridge and move within two goals of Bobby Tambling’s club record, nobody could deny him the moment, or the response to more than a decade of invective, ignoring the missiles that rained down on him.
But with no concrete contract offer on the table, and less than three months left on his current deal, Lampard is aware that the changing of the guard is coming, that he is set to exit the scene, leaving only memories.
Within an hour of the final whistle, it was being reported in the USA that Lampard had been close to signing a deal with Los Angeles Galaxy last week. It looks like end-game.
And it was equally fitting that the source of the goal that gave Lampard what he wanted was the man who could replace him in cult idol status.
Eden Hazard may have taken a while to really come to terms with English football but now he is finding his feet the scale of his talent is becoming evident.
Yesterday, to the delight of Rafa Benitez and angst of Sam Allardyce, Hazard simply took West Ham to the cleaners as Chelsea made full toll of Spurs’ Fulham car-crash.
Hazard was simply mesmerising, his link-up with the equally fleet-footed Juan Mata exhilarating as Chelsea produced arguably their best 90-minute performance since Roberto Di Matteo was axed.
West Ham had no answers and quite how this wasn’t over and done with by the break was hard to believe as Hazard illuminated the afternoon.
Then again, maybe it’s Chelsea, or Stamford Bridge, becoming a Bermuda Triangle for strikers - they end up in SW6 and forget everything that earned them the move in the first place.
Demba Ba’s stock with the Blues fans has risen in the past three months in direct relation to the stick ladled out to Fernando Torres, even though the Senegalese has only scored four since his £7million move.
Yet he had enough chances to double that tally in the first half alone - either side of Lampard’s piece of club history - and could not take any of them.
The worst miss came at the start, just seven minutes in, as Lampard’s first-time ball put Ba in behind James Collins, the goal at his mercy.
Ba, though, did not so much miss the target as almost miss the six-yard box, an absolute horror-show.
Enter Lampard, all alone seven yards out, planting Hazard’s delightful cross beyond the groping fingers of Jussi Jasskelainen, the coins that had been hurled at the warming-up John Terry seconds earlier now aimed at him.
When that quietened down, it did not get any better for Ba, two shots in a minute before the break far too close to the keeper when he should have done much better.
Fortunately for Chelsea, they did not matter, such was their total dominance.
Andy Carroll had an “equaliser” chalked off for a shove on David Luiz and Mohamed Diame was blocked by Ramires.
Those aside, though, it was a coconut shy, orchestrated by the brilliance of Hazard and Mata.
Jaaskelainen saved well from Luiz, who then thrashed a spectacular volley into the side-netting, with the Hammers keeper relieved to see efforts from Victor Moses and Mata flash narrowly wide.
But five minutes after the break, West Ham were undone again by the sheer brilliance of Hazard, who got the goal his dazzling display deserved.
The Belgian looked boxed-in on the right flank but a superb exchange with Mata was followed by a burst of pace past Winston Reid before Hazard’s left-footer found the bottom corner.
Game over? Absolutely, although Allardyce was probably relieved Chelsea did not take the chances that came their way, Mata and Ba among those failing to make the most of opportunities.
By the end, with a knock for Luiz allowing Terry his first home league outing since November, Chelsea were rampant.
Carlton Cole might have nudged one in - Petr Cech made a reaction stop - but Lampard, of all people, spooned over from eight yards.
The record will have to wait, for a couple of weeks. But for once Benitez avoided the normal chorus of disdain. It’s been a good week for him and Chelsea.

How they rated
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 7, Cahill 6, Luiz 8 (Terry, 78, 6), Cole 7; Ramires 7, Lampard 7; Moses 6 (Oscar, 70, 6), Mata 8 (Mikel, 86, 6), Hazard 9; Ba 5
West Ham (4-5-1): Jaaskelainen 7; Demel 6, Collins 5 (Tomkins, 61, 6), Reid 6, O’Brien 5; Vaz Te 5 (C Coole, 80, 5), Collison 6, O’Neil 6, Diame 6 (Taylor, 46, 5), Jarvis 7; Carroll 6
Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the Match: Hazard - quite magnificent


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Sun:

EDEN HAZARD’S warning lights are flashing very brightly indeed.
Shaun Custis

All the signs are that Chelsea’s £32million Belgian is right back up to speed with English football.
After an impressive start to his Blues career, the winger went through a dip in form, but he ran the show as his side went third in the table and put the heat on Manchester City above them.
Frank Lampard took the headlines for his 200th Chelsea goal — and one against his former club to boot.
But Hazard was the stand-out performer, creating that opener and scoring a magnificent second.
It has been quite a week for Chelsea.
At half-time last Sunday it looked like their season was fizzling out when they were 2-0 down to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Their fans were ripping into their interim boss singing “Rafa Benitez we don’t want you here” and “You don’t know what you’re doing”.
But there followed a fantastic comeback to force a draw and earn a replay.
They then overturned a first-leg deficit against Steaua Bucharest to reach the last eight of the Europa League.
And this was a comprehensive victory.
Chelsea fans may never accept Benitez. But they have learned that it is a pointless exercise making their feelings known during the game and creating a poisonous atmosphere.
There was not a murmur against him yesterday.
Benitez is disparagingly referred to as ‘a fat Spanish waiter’ but he is serving up some top-class cuisine for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Blues could finish second and win two trophies... and goodness knows how the supporters will deal with that.
As for West Ham, they are not out of the relegation woods yet.
Wigan’s success against Newcastle has pulled them nearer to the dogfight but they have games coming up against the likes of West Brom, Southampton and Wigan which are all winnable.
Chelsea really should have had this done and dusted by half-time.
Chance after chance went begging and former Hammers striker Demba Ba was having the sort of afternoon which you usually associate with Fernando Torres.
Three times Ba got free on goal and failed with each attempt.
His first was a shocker. He did well to time his run to take Lampard’s pass and get away from James Collins. But, as Jussi Jaaskelainen came out, Ba seemed to panic and his right-footer was well wide.
He had another effort which was easily saved by the visitors’ keeper and just before the break the Finn blocked with his outstretched left foot when Ba ought to have done better.
At least Blues did have one goal on the board by then courtesy of Lampard.
The prelude to the midfielder’s header was West Ham fans giving sub John Terry non-stop verbals down by the corner flag.
Terry responded with some back-chat, turned to wiggle his backside in their direction in the guise of warming up then got showered with coins and plastic bottles.
He picked some of the coins up as if lifting a trophy just to irritate them even more.
And how he loved it when, after Hazard’s shot was pushed out by Jaaskelainen, the Belgian clipped the ball back in to the box and Lampard rose unmarked to head in on 19 minutes.
The midfielder who has been getting dog’s abuse from West Ham supporters for 12 years since leaving the East London club, absolutely milked it.
Lamps ran off towards Terry and those fans who hate him slapping the Chelsea badge in triumph.
David Luiz nearly made it two with a low free-kick around the wall which Jaaskelainen pushed past the post.
Victor Moses also turned and hit a right foot shot wide, Juan Mata was close with a 20-yard curler and Luiz’s volley hit the side-netting.
Somehow West Ham were still in it at the break although Andy Carroll had had one disallowed for pushing Luiz in the back before shooting past Petr Cech.
Had Ramires not got in a superb tackle to halt Mohamed Diame’s run, they might have gone in all square. Instead, Chelsea doubled their lead five minutes into the second half.
The outstanding Hazard ghosted in from the right, took a return from Mata and skipped past Winston Reid before firing left-footed beyond Jaaskelainen.
Mata and Hazard were almost telepathic, passing West Ham to death.
Mata was unlucky not to score when Jaaskelainen denied him and it was a struggle for the visitors to get out of their own half.
Reid got so fed up with Mata it was inevitable when he got booked for hauling pulling back the Spaniard.
Then a Lampard free-kick was deflected and Jaaskelainen held on. And Ba’s day did not get any better after he went on another run pursued by Reid but shot wide.
Lampard, too, showed that he was fallible by skying an attempt high over the bar from eight yards.
West Ham offered little threat but Carroll held the ball up well up front and twice headed over as Sam Allardyce’s side tried to get themselves back in it.
Sub Carlton Cole also poked out a leg late on to meet Matt Jarvis’ cross only for Cech to hold on.
But, when Chelsea are in this mood, they are capable of beating anybody.
Viva Rafa!

DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — EDEN HAZARD (CHELSEA)

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 5, Cahill 6, Luiz 7 (Terry 5), Cole 6, Ramires 6, Lampard 7, Moses 6 (Oscar 5), Mata 7 (Mikel 5), Hazard 8, Ba 5. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Torres, Bertrand.
WEST HAM: Jaaskelainen 6, Demel 5, Collins 6 (Tomkins 6), Reid 6, O’Brien 5, O’Neil 5, Diame 5 (Taylor 5), Collison 6, Jarvis 6, Vaz Te 5 (C Cole 5), Carroll 6. Subs not used: Spiegel, McCartney, Pogatez, Chamakh. Booked: Reid, Demel.
REF: M Oliver 6

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Express:

Chelsea 2 - West Ham 0: For the record, Frank's on song

FRANK LAMPARD has always had a knack for scoring on the big occasion, for making his mark at just the right moment. He was at it again yesterday.

Tony Banks

Lampard is on the verge of becoming Chelsea's all-time leading scorer
A trademark run into the penalty area, an almost instinctive drift into space and there he was, leaping to nod Eden Hazard’s lovely chip over Jussi Jaaskelainen into the net.
Typical Lampard. A moment we have seen so often over the 18 years of his career.
This though was history. His 200th goal for Chelsea, making him the second-highest scorer in the club’s history. Two behind Bobby Tambling, a mark that he will surely pass in the last nine weeks of the season.
Lampard, 34, still in talks with the club about a new deal though looking likelier now to be playing his football in the USA at LA Galaxy next year, said: “It is one of my best days. Obviously, winning the Champions League and league titles are the best, but personally getting 200 goals for the club, I never thought I would touch that so I am pleased.
“Everyone keeps talking about the record. I would rather people kept quiet. The important thing is trying to win games.”
Especially pleasing must have been the fact the goal came against his old club, whose fans have mercilessly baited him since he left Upton Park for Chelsea in 2001. But it was team-mate and substitute John Terry who the Hammers fans were mainly abusing yesterday, as he warmed up in front of them.
When Lampard instinctively went over to Terry to celebrate as if in support, a hail of coins and bottles showered them.
Chelsea could be in trouble if fourth official Howard Webb reports the incident. But it was not a moment that was going to overshadow Lampard’s big day, or for that matter, a superb performance from Hazard, which inspired Chelsea to a comfortable victory in a game they could and should have won by more.
With Tottenham losing as well, it was a result that went a long way to strengthening their hold on a top-four place.
Rafa Benitez was delighted with the performance and with a week which also saw his team progress in the Europa League, and earn an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United.
It has been a tough four months for the interim manager,but this last week has probably been the best. He said: “I’m really pleased with the performance and the clean sheet, and that Frank has scored 200 goals. A fantastic achievement for any player, but especially for a midfielder.”
The catalyst for a fine Chelsea performance was the effervescent Hazard, who has emerged from something of a mid-season slump to hit peak form at a very good time for his club.
He wrapped up the game with a fine second-half strike and Benitez said: “We never had any doubts about Eden’s quality. It was just about finding the relationship and link with the other players. He is a player who can make a difference.”
Chelsea dominated pretty much from start to finish. Demba Ba, in particular, could have had four goals, each time being put through one on one with Jaaskelainen, yet each time failing to score.
After Lampard broke the deadlock Andy Carroll, who battled up front for West Ham virtually on his own, got the ball in the net but was penalised for pushing.
It was as close to a goal as West Ham got all day, after yet another limp awayday show. Chelsea dominated and five minutes after half- time Hazard exchanged passes with Juan Mata and skipped past two challenges to drill his shot into the corner.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, his side now just six points above the drop zone, said: “I’m always worried until we’re mathematically safe. You never stop worrying.”

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 7, Cahill 7, Luiz 7 (Terry 78, 6), Cole 7; Ramires 7, Lampard 7; Hazard 8, Mata 7 (Mikel 85), Moses 7 (Oscar 70, 6); Ba 7. Goals: Lampard 19, Hazard 50.

West Ham (4-4-1-1): Jaaskelainen 7; Demel 6, Collins 6 (Tomkins 61, 6), Reid 5, O’Brien 6; O’Neil 6, Collison 6, Diame 6 (Taylor 46, 6), Jarvis 6; Vaz Te 5 (Carlton Cole 80); Carroll 6. Booked: Reid, Demel.
Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).

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Star:

Chelsea 2 - West Ham 0: John Terry's childish act steal's Lampard's limelight

Paul Brown

WEST HAM always seem to bring the best out of Frank Lampard – and the worst out of John Terry.
Lampard just loves scoring against his old club and hit another milestone with his latest strike against them, notching his 200th goal for Chelsea.
Every one of those has just served to underline what the Hammers have missed since he quit the club to join the Blues in an £11m transfer in 2001.
Lampard is now only two goals behind Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer Bobby Tambling – and missed enough chances yesterday to have broken that record.
As he celebrated his opener in front of the Hammers fans, he was pelted with missiles by a set of supporters who have never liked him.
Terry too is a former West Ham youth player – and it was partly his fault that things turned nasty in what turned out to be a tame District Line derby on the pitch.
The England defender always takes abuse from Hammers fans and never shies away from giving some back.
But this time he managed it before he even made it on to the pitch, responding to the usual taunts about his family by showing them his backside as he was warming up.
Then when Lampard scored he sprinted down the touchline to celebrate right in front of them, provoking the hail of objects which followed.
You’d think West Ham fans would keep quiet. But the usual chants about Terry’s mum and Lampard’s supposedly ballooning waistline just seemed to get the pair going.
Eden Hazard added insult to injury for the Hammers by hitting a second shortly after the break to take Chelsea back above Tottenham into third in the table.
As for the Hammers, they have now taken just one point from their last SEVEN visits to Stamford Bridge since they won here in 2002 with two goals from Paolo Di Canio. A happy hunting ground it is not.
West Ham should have been fresh after coming into the game following a two-week break. In that time, Chelsea had played three times, most recently in Thursday’s win over Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League.
The Blues are going to have to cope with the fatigue factor – and have a gruelling spell of six games in 16 days after the international break.
They looked anything but tired at the start of this match, though, roaring out of the blocks to put the visitors firmly on the back foot.
Benitez freshened things up by replacing Torres – who hit the winner against Steaua – with Demba Ba and also recalled Lampard, Gary Cahill and Victor Moses.
But Ba was responsible for a horrible miss with just six minutes gone as Ramires split the Hammers back four with a pinpoint through ball to put him clear.
It looked a certain goal but with only Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat, Ba laced his shot about a mile wide of the target.
When these two teams last met in December, Chelsea took the lead before falling apart in the second half to lose 3-1.
And the Blues opened the scoring again – but only after some real pantomime stuff from Terry and the Hammers fans.
The Chelsea defender rightly took exception to the unsavoury chants about his family. But the way he responded was provocative, childish and unnecessary.
So it was no surprise when the missiles rained down after Lampard headed home Hazard’s cross from the edge of the box.
The trouble was, the whole incident could so easily have been avoided – and it totally took the gloss off Lampard’s achievement.
The man has scored 12 Premier League goals this season alone, putting both Torres and Ba to shame. Those two only have nine league goals for Chelsea between them.
Ba continued to miss chances, with Jaaskelainen inspired in goal, while Andy Carroll had a strike ruled out at the other end for a clear push on David Luiz.
Chelsea were in complete control by the time Hazard made it two, cutting inside a feeble attempt at a tackle from Winston Reid to bury a low shot past Jaaskelainen in the 50th minute.
The Hammers barely threatened until seven minutes to go when substitute Carlton Cole stabbed a cross from Matt Jarvis goalwards – but Petr Cech got down well to hold on.
Lampard should have grabbed his second when Oscar picked him out with a cut-back eight yards from goal but he spooned his shot high over the bar.
In the end it did not matter as Chelsea held on for a comfortable win.
But this was a lifeless performance from West Ham, who are still not safe from the drop and must improve if they want to avoid a white-knuckle end to the campaign. 200th goal sparks ugly scenes at Bridge.