West Ham 2-0

Independent:

Chelsea 2 West Ham 0

John Terry and Diego Costa fire brilliant Blues to derby win

Steve Tongue

An Andy Carroll and a Stewart Downing, however nicely wrapped, are not a Diego Costa or an Eden Hazard.

The latter pair were among a crop of outstanding performers in blue as Chelsea consolidated their position at the top of the table, compared with whom the east Londoners could offer only their goalkeeper Adrian.

Surely one of the most improved keepers in the country, he followed three tremendous saves against Leicester last Saturday with four more here. Chelsea, of course, have rather more to offer than the Premier League’s bottom club and not even the former Betis man could prevent John Terry’s tap-in in the first half or Costa’s individual flourish in the second.

Far from the 19th-century football of which Chelsea’s manager, Jose Mourinho, had accused West Ham following the goalless draw here last January, their approach was all too 21st century: faced with another game 48 hours after this one, they left their two most effective players this season shivering in the dugout for an hour. Alex Song and Diafra Sakho duly appeared at that point, whereupon Chelsea immediately scored their second goal, reducing Sam Allardyce’s plan to rubble.

He refused to blame defeat on team selection, pointing out the qualities of their replacements, Mark Noble and Enner Valencia, but admitting that had there been seven days until the next game the line-up would have been different.

“I have no complaints about the result,” Allardyce said. “Chelsea are a top-quality side and we found it difficult to  compete with them. I’m  angry with the first half, the way we approached the game. I expected us not to play  that way. I had to set out the tactics against a side of the quality of Chelsea. When it doesn’t happen, you get  frustrated.”

There was an improvement in the second half, which was only to be expected, but even then the only time Chelsea were threatened with conceding a fourth home goal of the season was just before the finish when the third substitute, Morgan Amalfitano, hit a post from close in.

Mourinho hinted that he would make changes of his own with three matches over the next eight days, but knows he has far better resources than West Ham and just about everyone else. Full of the Christmas spirit, he even gave in to the “crying in the dressing room” about two proposed training sessions today and moved one of them, a gentle warm-down no doubt, to last night.

“It was not perfection, but we played very well against a very difficult team,” he said. Or two different teams to be precise, once Allardyce had shouted at them at half-time: “The first one against a defensive side; in the second half, against an attacking team who made changes, put on faster players and were more direct with balls into the space. We coped well with that, too.”

As to the longer term and the quest for four trophies: “The only thing we can do is to try and reduce – just to try – the unpredictability of football by doing what we’re doing: playing really well.”

The chances flowed from early on, even when the football was less fluent, Oscar missing badly and Gary Cahill forcing Adrian’s first fine save. Ideally, the first goal should have come from a lovely piece of intricate play just after the half-hour, which James Collins interrupted by conceding a corner. Cesc Fabregas took it, Costa headed on and Terry bundled in his 61st goal for the club.

Allardyce’s mood was not improved by Branislav Ivanovic’s dying swan act in search of a penalty just before the interval, and after his strong words West Ham showed a little more imagination. But Adrian still had to save from Hazard, Oscar and Nemanja Matic, and in between times Matic robbed Cheikhou Kayoute, allowing Hazard to feed Costa, who wriggled on to his left foot, sending Carl Jenkinson and Collins the wrong way before a lovely finish low into the corner of the net.

Carroll, lacking support with Sakho missing and Downing moved out wide, was withdrawn and it was too late to matter when Amalfitano fooled two defenders but hit the inside of a post with Thibaut Courtois for once beaten.


Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas, Willian (Ramires, 85), Oscar (Mikel, 81), Hazard, Costa (Drogba, 81).

West Ham: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Nolan, Noble (Song, 59), Kouyate, Downing (Amalfitano, 74), Valencia, Carroll (Sakho, 59).

Booked:

West Ham Collins, Cresswell, Reid.

Man of the match Matic.

Match rating 6/10.

Referee M Oliver (Northumberland).

Attendance 41,589.


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Guardian:

Chelsea coast past West Ham with Terry and Diego Costa doing the trick

Dominic Fifield

José Mourinho spoke of his players “crying so much in the dressing room” in the aftermath here though that familiar mischievous glint in his eye swiftly warded off assumptions of crisis, calamity or even revolt. The dissatisfaction expressed post-match had been at the prospect of a double training session at Cobham on Saturday. Chelsea have so little to complain about at present, with their progress at the top of the division utterly serene.

This was a fifth successive win in all competitions since they suffered their only defeat of the campaign, at Newcastle in early December, with the manner in which they strolled beyond a resurgent West Ham Uniteda measure of the authority propelling their title pursuit. A derby against a side who began in the Champions League places should have been awkward but ended up more of a breeze. Mourinho reconsidered his schedule and duly rewarded his players by bringing forward the warm-down session to be undertaken at Stamford Bridge. His players can rest up, still three points clear at the top, before their trip to Southampton on Sunday.

There was no call for tears. This all seemed rather routine, the latest victory to sustain a pristine home record achieved courtesy of Nemanja Matic’s power in the centre, with attack-minded team-mates buzzing off his presence. John Terry and Diego Costa scored the goals which set Chelsea apart but only the excellence of West Ham’s goalkeeper, Adrián, prevented a rout. His saves from Oscar and Matic late-on were outstanding when gloss might have been applied to the scoreline. “But the results are good, the performances are quality, the players are doing well,” said Mourinho. “My team are playing well. As a coach I feel good with the people surrounding me, which is something I had been missing for a while. Now I have again a group that I love.”

If that was damning of his latter days at Real Madrid, then it is easy to see why he is relishing life back at Chelsea. There was so much slippery movement in this display, Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar for ever tearing into their markers and exploiting space while West Ham, uncharacteristically ponderous from the outset, were left dizzied by it all.

James Collins and Carl Jenkinson will struggle to banish memories of Hazard. Without the reassurance of Alex Song at the base of the midfield from the start, the Cameroonian initially among the substitutes, West Ham were vulnerable. Sam Allardyce bemoaned a lack of spark, the ball shipped sideways too often. “They got too sucked into a negative style passing it sideways and backwards instead of forwards into the right areas,” said the manager. “And as good as Chelsea were, as talented as they were, the goals we conceded were so avoidable.” It was sloppiness in possession which proved properly damaging. All that alleged “19th-century football” last January had earned West Ham a draw here. An attempt at a more expansive brand yielded nothing.

There was an irony that Chelsea’s lavish approach did not yield them a lead. The opener was more brutal in its construction, Cesc Fàbregas’s corner flicked goalwards by Costa and the striker having lured Collins towards him, an unmarked Terry converted his 36th Premier Leaguegoal with ease. Yet the reward had long been coming, with other opportunities spurned, Oscar in particular guilty from point-blank range early, and the visitors consistently picked apart. Matic was untouchable in midfield, an interceptor liberating Fàbregas’s creativity at his side. The visitors might have been spurred into a riposte by a sense of injustice that Branislav Ivanovic was not penalised for going to ground too easily in first-half stoppage time, but by the time Allardyce reacted to fling on Song and Diafra Sakho just before the hour, a salvage mission was unlikely.

Cheikhou Kouyaté duly lost the ball in midfield, Hazard slipped Costa free for the Brazil-born forward to tease space from Collins and Jenkinson before drilling a left-foot shot across Adrián and into the far corner for a 13th league goal of term. That West Ham rallied late-on, Morgan Amalfitano drifting a header wide and then clipping a post after wriggling clear of Gary Cahill and Terry, seemed more of an afterthought. This had not been a display worthy of their recent form and Chelsea had eased off, confident victory was theirs, with the manager’s willingness to scrap his post-match plans an indication of faith in his playing staff.

Players gathered on the pitch for their warm-down, the unused substitutes enjoying a quick game as groundstaff hovered to attend to the turf. Southampton, who have leapfrogged West Ham to return to fourth place, will pose their own threat but, for now, Mourinho’s team appear untouchable.


Man of the match Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)

Chelsea 4-2-3-1 Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fàbregas, Matic; Willian (Ramires, 86), Oscar (Mikel, 83), Hazard; Diego Costa (Drogba, 83).

Subs not used Cech, Filipe Luís, Zouma, Schürrle.

West Ham United 4-3-3 Adrián; Jenkinson, Reid, Collins, Cresswell; Kouyaté, Noble (Song, 59), Nolan; Downing (Amalfitano, 74), Carroll (Sakho, 59), Valencia.

Subs not used Jaaskelainen, Jarvis, O’Brien, Cole.

Booked Collins, Cresswell, Reid.

Attendance 41,598. Referee M Oliver.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 West Ham United 0

John Terry and Diego Costa on target in Boxing Day clash

Jose Mourinho's side sweep aside supine Hammers at Stamford Bridge

Henry Winter


Chelsea staged a full training session at the Bridge after this one-sided affair and it might have stretched them more. West Hamwere unadventurous, seemingly more focused on Sunday’s home game against Arsenal, and only Adrian’s reflexes prevented greater damage.

After the stalemate here last January, Jose Mourinho derided Sam Allardyce’s side as purveyors of “19th-century football”, a disparaging epithet nicely sent up by West Ham who tweeted a mocked-up picture of their team arriving at the Bridge in a horse and cart. They almost parked the cart here.

It was only two goals in the end but it could easily have been a scoreline from the 19th century, with a top-hat full of goals for Chelsea. Mourinho’s men were impressive but West Ham allowed them to be. John Terry’s second goal in successive games highlighted again his hunger to score, as well as prevent goals, and Diego Costa’s 13th in 15 Premier League games demonstrated the range of the pain Chelsea can inflict on opponents.

They have balance, muscle, deftness, pace, steel and strength in depth. They can play a possession game, circulating the ball for long periods, probing for the right opening, using their technique and movement, or simply break swiftly. They exude class from back to front. As well as being an agile shot-stopper, Thibaut Courtois searches for prospective outlets even before coming to claim crosses and corners, looking to launch swift counters.

Rare is the central defensive axis that can eclipse Gary Cahill and Terry for organisation and defiance, blocking and tackling, and the occasional goal threat.

It would take lengthy analysis to detect a significant flaw in Cesar Azpilicueta’s game as a full-back. He dealt well with Stewart Downing and triggered attacks down the left with measured deliveries.

Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas ran midfield, mixing accurate passes with a relentless desire to win the ball. Eden Hazard scampered forward but also strived hard defensively, embodying the Chelsea way of talent contributing to the collective. He has clearly bought in to the supreme work ethic demanded by Mourinho. Others in the creative department, like Oscar and Willian, pressed the opposition as well as expressed themselves. In attack, Costa is proving the ideal target-man, holding the ball up, as well as being a ruthless finisher.

The only unedifying element to Chelsea’s game here was a Branislav Ivanovic dive. The referee, Michael Oliver, missed a tumble by the Serb in 2012 against Stoke City when their then manager, Tony Pulis, described the act as “laughable”. Oliver again ignored an Ivanovic dive in the first half here, following a challenge from Andy Carroll.

If West Ham had a legitimate grievance there, they could not dispute Chelsea’s superiority. West Ham were poor, barring a late surge through Morgan Amalfitano. From the moment that the team-sheet was handed in, revealing the influential pair of Alex Song and Diafra Sakho on the bench, it seemed their game was as much about damage limitation at the home of the Premier League pace-setters.

Allardyce observed afterwards that Song and Sakho were recovering from injuries but both came on after 58 minutes. It must have frustrated West Ham fans congregating in the corner of the Shed. This is a derby they particularly crave success in.

What appeared pragmatism from Allardyce, who seemed to be targeting the Arsenal game, still smacked of excessive submissiveness. For the Barking-born Terry, briefly on West Ham’s books, to score in the first half, and celebrate in front of them, the East End boy with a Shed End goal, must have been particularly painful for the visiting contingent to behold.

In a vainful attempt to combat Chelsea’s myriad strengths, Allardyce flooded midfield in a 4-3-3 system with Downing and Enner Valencia flanking Carroll but dropping deep when Mourinho’s side had possession, which was for most of the game. Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Cheikhou Kouyaté were flying around, looking to stop Chelsea surges before they could build momentum. The plan lasted barely half an hour.

In contrast to Allardyce, Mourinho picked his strongest side and it was only a matter of time before they scored. It was largely one-way traffic. Willian was immediately lively down the right, sending in a cross that confused West Ham’s defence but also surprised Oscar, who shot over. Willian then cut the ball back to Terry who swept a cross to the far post where Cahill headed over. Carl Jenkinson blocked an Oscar shot. Then Cahill, neatly fed by Fabregas, shot straight at Adrian. On it went, the chances piling up.

Chelsea should have had a penalty after 23 minutes when Jenkinson pushed Hazard, sending him off-balance but the Belgian refused to go to ground, trying to keep his footing, staggering on but the moment was lost. Mourinho was incensed that Oliver did not spot the offence. Hazard was effectively being penalised for his honesty.

The breakthrough came after 31 minutes. From a corner conceded by Collins, Chelsea’s main men made their moves. Collins was initially close to Terry but then went for the ball, being beaten by Costa who headed down towards Terry, now unattended. Chelsea’s captain had the straightforward task of turning the ball in left-footed.

There should have been more before Costa brought more sanity to the scoreboard in the second period. Adrian saved well from Matic. Costa had a shot deflected wide and then fired over. Yet the main talking point at half-time was that Ivanovic dive, an embarrassing piece of theatrics that particularly irked Carroll and Collins. Amazingly, Oliver did not deem Ivanovic’s subterfuge as worthy of a caution.

Just before the hour, Sakho and Song did come on with Carroll and Noble departing but the force remained with Chelsea, who added a second after 62 minutes. When Kouyate charged over the halfway line, Matic and Hazard nicked the ball. Hazard coolly and quickly swept the ball forward to Costa, whose response was magnificent. With Winston Reid, Jenkinson and Collins trying to stop him, Costa elegantly wrong-footed them all, taking the ball on to his right, before switching back on to his left and shooting past Adrian.

Chelsea could have added more but Adrian tipped over an Oscar free-kick. Mourinho began resting some of his first choices, removing Costa for Didier Drogba, Oscar for John Obi Mikel and then Willian for Ramires, a reminder of the richness of their reserves. West Ham raised themselves late on, Amalfitano heading wide and then hitting a post, but Chelsea’s thoughts were already turning to that additional training session.


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Times:

Chelsea coax goodwill out of José Mourinho after calling all the shots

Chelsea 2 West Ham United 0

Gary Jacob


Chelsea conducted a second training session on the pitch at Stamford Bridge last night after West Ham United had seemingly provided the first in a beguilingly easy victory.

José Mourinho showed his softer side by scrapping one of his practices planned for today in acknowledgement of the excellence of their performance, not to mention the congested nature of the festive fixture list. “They were crying so much in the dressing room I’ve decided to make a change,” Mourinho said.

First against fourth place, as West Ham had been going into the game, proved anything but the contest that it might have appeared on paper.

The Barclays Premier League leaders created chance after chance and were rewarded by goals from John Terry, his second in as many games, and Diego Costa.

West Ham’s ineffectiveness angered Sam Allardyce, their manager, although in mitigation they were initially without the pivotal Alex Song, who can control games in front of the defence, and Diafra Sakho, the nippy forward, who were carrying minor injuries.

Their absence, at the start of the game at least, was a nod to the meeting with Arsenal at Upton Park tomorrow, and as soon as the the pair were introduced in the hope of an equaliser, West Ham promptly conceded again.

Song would have been a stronger midfield test for Cesc Fàbregas who effortlessly pulled the strings, looking for give-and-goes and deft passes. Eden Hazard was at his swashbuckling best despite pre-match fitness concerns and had free rein to torment Carl Jenkinson, the West Ham right back.

It was from one such incursion that Costa’s brilliant bodyswerve had three defenders off balance before he drilled in Chelsea’s second just as the visiting team were beginning to appear more adventurous.

Perhaps only injuries can derail Chelsea’s season and Mourinho showed few concerns on that front as he selected his strongest side. After a first defeat of the season away to Newcastle United on December 6, this was Chelsea’s fifth consecutive win, although those looking for a blip might pin their hopes on fixtures away to Southampton tomorrow and Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. “My players are human like all the others and the point is that every match, for us, is fundamental,” the Portuguese said. “There are no better points than others.”

Unlike last season, Mourinho’s side have guile and subtlety in midfield and, in Costa, a dependable striker who notched his 13th league goal.

Also crucial has been Chelsea’s ability to keep clean sheets, with Terry and Gary Cahill suppressing Andy Carroll and the central-defensive pairing only looked vaguely vulnerable when the game was won as Morgan Amalfitano glanced a close-range header just wide, then ended a jinking run with an effort that struck a post.

“We are a much better team when we have the ball,” Mourinho said. “At the beginning of the season there was a bit of conflict between attacking and defending and we made defensive mistakes — three goals against Everton [in a 6-3 victory]. But we have a good balance now. The team is happy to have the ball. But I am also comfortable when the opposition have the ball.”

West Ham made light of being labelled as playing “football from the 19th century” by Mourinho last season by mocking up a picture on Twitter showing Sam Allardyce arriving by horse and cart at Stamford Bridge.

It wasn’t long before it seemed that the joke would soon be on them when, inside four minutes, a Willian cross eluded Jenkinson and Oscar blazed over. Soon afterwards, Chelsea laid the ball back to Terry and he chipped in for Cahill to beat Jenkinson in the air at the far post but head over.

Chelsea’s first goal, after 31 minutes, was simple and straight from the training ground. Costa flicked on a corner and Terry escaped the attentions of James Collins to tap in.

Adrián pulled off a string of saves, notably from Nemanja Matic and Hazard, whose powerful shot sent the goalkeeper reeling backwards. Costa, by his standards, had a straightforward chance to double the advantage when he put a cutback over the bar.

“We gave stupid goals away,” Allar-dyce said. “We created our best chances towards the end of the game, too late, and didn’t take any of them.

“ They got too sucked into a negative style, passing it sideways and backwards, instead of forward into the right areas.”


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Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham:

John Terry and Diego Costa send Premier League leaders to third straight victory at expense of Hammers

By Martin Samuel

It is like running into a brick wall, right now, playing this Chelsea team.

A beautifully constructed brick wall, obviously. Not one slung up by a couple of navvies looking to take an early cut over Christmas. This is a wall of great precision and craftsmanship, of sound foundations and excellent structure.

West Ham came here in good form, with half an eye on an upset, and bounced straight off Chelsea. They hit a post through Morgan Amalfitano in the 87th minute, but barely threatened before that.

Not starting two of your best players does not help — but it is hard to imagine even Alex Song and Diafra Sakho would have made an enormous difference, so tight is this Chelsea unit. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce elected to introduce them in the 59th minute and in the 62nd Chelsea scored their second.

They could have had many, many more. Chelsea had 28 shots, of which nine were on target and Adrian, West Ham’s goalkeeper, was arguably the man of the match.

Jose Mourinho is getting huge performances out of his players and even the goals were events, of a sort. John Terry scored in consecutive games for the first time since August 2006 — against Greece for England and Manchester City for Chelsea — while Diego Costa marked a return to form with an absolute peach to confirm victory in the second half.

Costa’s form has dipped of late and he had scored one goal in his last six appearances going into this match. As strikers feed off confidence, the sight of him taking three West Ham defenders out of the game in one swift goalscoring movement will not make comfortable viewing at Southampton, where Chelsea are due next.

Yet this was not just about the matchwinners. The usual suspects in the supporting cast — Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard — maintained their extremely high standards, while Willian was tireless, perhaps the hardest worker on the field.

Last to play at the weekend, first out this Boxing Day, Chelsea showed no signs of festive fatigue. Mourinho said he does not have a grand plan for this holiday season, and takes each game on merit. Maybe this optimism will catch up with his players come January 1 at White Hart Lane, but this was another display that had the mark of champions.

Allardyce needs to beat Arsenal on Sunday for his own strategy to be deemed successful. Leaving out Song and Sakho weakened West Ham and the first half confirmed that. For a team in fourth place who had outplayed Manchester City in October, they were never in contention and lucky not to be out of the game at half-time.

The goals came a distance apart, after 31 and 62 minutes, illustrating Chelsea’s control, but it was the sheer weight of opportunity that should impress. Allardyce prides himself on constructing robust defensive units, but a conservative estimate suggests Chelsea had 15 chances that could have produced goals, including long-range free-kicks and a series of stunning saves by Adrian. David de Gea is not the only Spanish goalkeeper in top form in the Premier League right now.

So, yes, Chelsea should have had more, but that is the only quibble. It was certainly not for want of trying. One day they will catch a team when it all goes right and will run up a rugby score.

As it was, two were enough. Terry must really like this time of year. His last three Premier League goals for Chelsea have all come in December — spread across more than a year — although there were just four days between his last two. On both occasions, they were the all-important deadlock breakers, and particularly vital on Friday after so many misses. How he must have enjoyed scoring it in front of those mocking him in the away enclosure, too.

It was a typical Chelsea move — brains and brawn. An intricate build-up climaxed with Hazard surging into the area and winning a corner from a frenzied scramble. Fabregas curled it in, Costa flicked it on and Terry popped up, two yards from goal, to tap the ball past Adrian — powerless, for once.

The second came shortly after Allardyce had made his big changes, rather negating their impact. Cheikhou Kouyate lost the ball in midfield, Hazard pounced, played it through to Costa and he took a trio of West Ham defenders out of the equation before finishing with a shot low across his body. He has been missing a few of late, and he did here as well, but that was a goal of the highest quality, in tune with Chelsea’s performance.

The last time West Ham came to Stamford Bridge, the match finished goalless and Mourinho accused Allardyce of taking football back two centuries. He says he regrets such harshness now but, despite West Ham’s lofty position, the present was still an awkward place to be for Allardyce’s men.

They spent most of it chasing Chelsea, often with limited success. Sharper finishing and a lesser display from Adrian could have ended in a horrid humiliation, and the opportunities are truly too numerous to record in detail.

Let’s just say there were chances for Oscar (fourth minute), Gary Cahill (10), Oscar (16), Cahill (21), Oscar (27), Willian (29), Matic (34), Costa (39), Costa (42), Hazard (52), Willian (55), Costa (65), Oscar (67), Matic (68), Fabregas (69), Oscar (71, twice) and Hazard (81). Apologies if some are missing. It was like trying to count a shoal of fishes.

Of those, at least six were kept out by the magnificent Adrian. He charged down a close-range shot from Cahill, a low effort after a forward run from Willian, tipped round from Matic 20 yards out, frustrated Hazard cutting inside, flicked over an Oscar free-kick and cleared off the line after Matic tried to replicate Terry’s opener. West Ham had the odd attempt, but their only scoring chance came with three minutes remaining.

Mourinho is rare among managers in stating he loves the festive fixture pile-up, and lists it as one of the elements of the English game he most missed while abroad. One can see why. There was no question of him resting players, even after the battering Hazard received at Stoke, and no sign of fatigue as Chelsea left the pitch.

Frank Lampard, recalling his time under Mourinho, said there were occasions when the players felt so confident, they could have gone out again a few hours after the final whistle. This looked like one of those days. The brick wall stood unmoved at the end, as West Ham wondered what had hit them.


Chelsea: Courtois 6.5, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7.5, Azpilicueta 7, Fabregas 7, Matic 7.5, Willian 6.5 (Ramires 86), Oscar 6.5 (Mikel 83), Hazard 6.5, Costa 7 (Drogba 83).

Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Schurrle.

Goals: Terry 31, Costa 62.

West Ham: Adrian 7.5, Jenkinson 6.5, Collins 6, Reid 6, Cresswell 6, Nolan 5.5, Noble 5.5 (Song 59, 6), Kouyate 5, Downing 5.5 (Amalfitano 74, 6), Carroll 5 (Sakho 59, 5.5), Valencia.

Subs not used: Jarvis, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen, Cole.

Booked: Collins, Cresswell, Reid.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

Attendance: 41,589.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham: Terry and Costa give dominant Blues a comfortable three points

Tom Hopkinson


Jose Mourinho's men had little difficulty in seeing off West Ham at Stamford Bridge to remain in pole position in the Premier League

Nineteenth Century football might not have sat well with football's purists and Jose Mourinho in particular last season but at least it earned West Ham a point at Stamford Bridge.

This time out, Sam Allardyce's high-flying side came to play the game in the modern way and it completely backfired on them as the blue juggernaut rolled on.

Chelsea may only have scored twice, through John Terry in the first half and Diego Costa after the break, but they could have had 10 such was their dominance.

Admittedly, West Ham's starting line-up was shorn of its two best players - Alex Song and and Diafra Sakho were both carrying niggles that limited them to 30-minute cameo's from the substitutes' bench - although even with them in the side they would have struggled against a Chelsea team in this mood.

That Jose Mourinho's men didn't hit six or seven was thanks largely to Hammers keeper Adrian, who made five or six top-quality saves, and a couple of poor finishes from good positions.

Oscar was guilty of the first of those when he blazed over early on after James Collins and Carl Jenkinson, who had a torrid afternoon, afforded him far too much space and Gary Cahill went close with a looping header from Terry's cross soon after.

Enner Valencia's 30-yard free-kick at the other end looked to be flying well over but dipped wickedly and only cleared the bar by a couple of inches, and that was the closest West Ham came to troubling Thibaut Courtois in the Chelsea goal until three minutes from time.

Adrian was called upon again when a loose ball dropped to Cahill in the box - the West Ham keeper was well positioned to deal with the defender's pile-driver - and he did well again when Willian's long-range effort bounced dangerously in front of him.

Chelsea finally found a way past the keeper when Costa headed a Cesc Fabregas corner goalwards and Terry turned it home from close range, and as the Blues laid siege to West Ham's goal it looked as if the floodgates might open.

Nemanja Matic's long-range shot was well saved and Collins did enough to deflect Costa's effort from the edge of the box just wide of his own goal.

Referee Michael Oliver waved play on when Branislav Ivanovic went down in the West Ham box under Andy Carroll's challenge, sparking a small melee, and Costa and Adrian were still arguing as they disappeared down the tunnel for half-time.

The West Ham keeper's lively afternoon continued after the break when he saved well from Eden Hazard but Costa then got the upperhand in their personal duel when he drilled a low shot home after twisting past Jenkinson.

Adrian tipped Hazard's 30-yard free-kick over with perhaps his best save of the afternoon before Hammers sub Morgan Amalfitano saw West Ham's first serious effort come back off a post.

Teams:

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa.

West Ham: Adrian, Jenkinson, Cresswell, Collins, Reid, Noble, Kouyate, Nolan (c), Downing, Carroll, Valencia

Player ratings - by Dave Kidd:

CHELSEA
•Courtois 6 - Could have stayed on his sofa and watched the box.
•Ivanovic 7 - The Tank rumbled ominously. Harshly accused of diving.
•Cahill 7 - Didn't give Carroll an inch. Might have scored a couple.
•Terry 8 - Granite defending, netted opener. Ageless stuff.
•Azpilicueta 6 - Quiet efficiency at left-back from the Spaniard.
•Matic MOTM 8 - Monster in midfield. Wins it, gives it, bosses it.
•Fabregas 6 - A couple of killer passes. Relatively subdued.
•Willian 7 - Never stopped buzzing about and creating mayhem.
•Oscar 7 - Grafts so much harder than last season. Almost scored free-kick.
•Hazard 8 - Petrified Jenkinson. Like a slalom skier performing conjuring tricks.
•Costa 7 - Worked hard, took goal well but should have had a hatful.
•SUBS: Drogba (for Costa, 82 min, 5), Mikel (for Oscar, 82 min, 5), Ramires (for Willian, 86 min, 5)

WEST HAM
•Adrian 8 - Several fine saves. No blame for goals.
•Jenkinson 3 - Little short of a personal nightmare. Tortured by Hazard.
•Reid Booked 6 - Good in the air but impossible to withstand so much pressure.
•Collins Booked 5 - Leaden-footed when Chelsea's lively front players ran at him.
•Cresswell Booked 6 - Tidy display. Didn't do a lot wrong.
•Noble 6 - Neat enough but doesn't boss a game like Song.
•Kouyate 6 - Good workrate but robbed in build-up to second goal.
•Nolan 5 - The match passed him by in a way matches never used to.
•Downing 5 - Quiet. Rarely able to impose himself.
•Valencia 6 - Flashes of inspiration but received too little service.
•Carroll 5 - Feeding off scraps. Tasty spat with Ivanovic.
•SUBS: Sakho (for Carroll, 59 min, 6), Song (for Noble, 59 min, 6), Amalfitano (for Downing, 74 min, 6)



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Express :

Chelsea 2 - West Ham 0: John Terry’s keeping a title grip on it as Hammers head for a fall

Tony Banks


Chelsea have been asked questions by the resurgence in form of Manchester City as this season reaches its halfway point.

What had appeared a seamless procession towards the title has turned into a two-horse race - perhaps even three, now that Manchester United are waking up.

But Chelsea have firmly answered those questions with two wins in five days, at Stoke on Monday and yesterday against West Ham, that have marked them down as the team to beat in this title race.

Two victories in tough games, four goals scored, none conceded. The pressure might be on, but Chelsea are responding.

John Terry opened the scoring, as he had at Stoke, and the captain never allowed his team to loosen their grip.

Diego Costa added a second, and by the time West Ham shrugged off their negativity and decided to have a go in the last 15 minutes, it was long over as a contest.

Maybe if they had been bold from the start, they might have got something out of it. But they were not, and paid the price for it.

Alex Song and Diafra Sakho, West Ham's two best players this season, were left on the bench for the first hour were as Sam Allardyce looked to Sunday's home game with Arsenal.

But this Chelsea team would have stepped up a gear even had those two been on the pitch for longer. They were dominant for long periods, with the excellent Cesc Fabregas running the game and Eden Hazard and Willian in vibrant form.

Last season the Hammers ground out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge with a performance Jose Mourinho dubbed "19th century football". This was more up to date, but considerably less effective.

Oscar should have given Chelsea an early lead but blazed over as Chelsea created chances right from the start and West Ham sat back meekly, much to their manager's anger.

Gary Cahill nodded over, goalkeeper Adrian pulled off a great save from the same player, and Oscar and Willian went close.

The inevitable breakthrough came when Fabregas floated in a corner, Costa flicked on and Terry, alert as ever, stabbed home, celebrating in front of the Hammers fans who had been giving him merciless stick.

Some of Chelsea's attacking football was a joy to watch as Fabregas and Hazard combined to deadly effect. Nemanja Matic and Costa, twice, should have added to the score.

Adrian was West Ham's best player, foiling Hazard again, but he could do nothing when Costa picked up Hazard's pass, was given way too much room as he jinked inside, and drilled his 13th of the season.

When Song and Sakho came on West Ham finally started to play. Sakho swept past Terry and Thibaut Courtois had to dive at his feet to save. Song then shot just wide, as did another substitute, Morgan Amalfitano, who also hit the post.

Afterwards Allardyce switched his anger from his own players to Branislav Ivanovic, accusing the defender of trying to "con" referee Michael Oliver into giving a penalty.

Two weeks ago Hull manager Steve Bruce complained of the same problem in Chelsea's last home game, when Costa and Willian were both yellow-carded for diving and Gary Cahill escaped with a blatant tumble when already booked.

Yesterday Ivanovic tumbled in a tussle with Andy Carroll, and Allardyce said: "Ivanovic went down looking for a penalty.

"They try and make the referees' mind up for them. Staying on your feet does not get rewarded if you're fouled. We all know that.

"Decisions did not go for us. But we all know the script for games like this when you've been in the game as long as me. Some of the free-kicks given against us were very harsh.

"Should the referee have booked him? You'll have to ask him. Knock on his door. I'm not paying any more money to the FA."


Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 7; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Fabregas 8, Matic 7; Willian 7 (Ramires 86), Oscar 7 (Mikel 83), Hazard 7; Costa 7 (Drogba 83). Goals: Terry 31, Costa 62. NEXT UP: Southampton (a), tomorrow PL.

West Ham (4-3-2-1): Adrian 7; Jenkinson 6, Reid 7, Collins 6, Cresswell 6; Kouyate 7, Noble 6 (Song 59, 6), Nolan 6; Downing 7 (Amalfitano 74), Valencia 7; Carroll 6 (Sakho 59, 6). Booked: Collins, Cresswell, Reid. NEXT UP: Arsenal (h), tomorrow PL.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).


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Star:

Chelsea 2 - West Ham 0: Blues prove too good for high-flying Hammers

CHELSEA have the title in their sights and are determined not to let anything get in their way - not even the potential manager and team of the season.

By Adrian Kajumba


Jose Mourinho may well have showered Sam Allardyce and West Ham with high praise after their transformation from a relegation-threatened team accused of playing 19th century football here last year to Champions League contenders.

But that was where his generosity and admiration for the Hammers stopped and for 90 minutes it was down to business.

Chelsea have their eyes on the Premier League prize and refused to give West Ham, the story of the season so far, any hope of writing another brilliant chapter in their season.

Mourinho's title-chasing Blue machine powered on, dispatching West Ham in routine, professional fashion thanks to goals in each half from captain John Terry and star striker Diego Costa.

West Ham may well be breaking barriers this season in Allardyce's words, flying high in fourth, their highest position at Christmas since 1985, after just one defeat in their previous 11.

But continuing their brilliant run by winning at Chelsea was a Stamford Bridge too far, especially with Mourinho's men in this ruthless and efficient mood.

The Hammers have been handed a real test of how far they have come this season with a festive double header against Chelsea and Arsenal.

And they almost made the worst possible start four minutes in when Carl Jenkinson let Willian's cross from the right bounce past him but was relieved to see Oscar blaze the chance over.

Gary Cahill went close twice before Willian stung West Ham keeper Adrian's palms with a 20 yarder as the Blues started to ramp it up just before the half hour mark.

And the goal they had been threatening eventually arrived in the 31st minute.

Diego Costa nodded a Cesc Fabregas corner goalwards and Terry was Chelsea's Johnny on the spot, perfectly placed to tap in his second goal in two games from a yard out.

By half-time Chelsea might have had more to show for their first-half dominance.

Adrian denied Nemanja Matic with a flying save before Costa had one effort deflected wide and side-footed another over from 12 yards.

The half ended with another Chelsea diving controversy when Branislav Ivanovic went down easily under a challenge from Andy Carroll.

Referee Michael Oliver waved away Chelsea's penalty appeals but the incident - coming a few weeks after Gary Cahill, Willian and Costa were caught in diving storms - sparked a bust up between the two sides which continued after the half-time whistle.

This wasn't quite a backs to the wall, defensive display from the Hammers, like the one that sparked Mourinho's infamous '19th century' jibe after January's goalless stalemate between the two sides.

But the spark and thrilling football that has propelled West Ham into Champions League contention was missing.

It was all so comfortable for the Blues in the first 45 though West Ham's more adventurous start after the break suggested the second half might be a bit different.

Two early Hammers corners came to nothing and Eden Hazard provided a warning of the dangers of opening up too much against Mourinho's men when he cut in from the left and fired in a blistering drive that Adrian pushed away.

Allardyce made a double change to try and inspire a comeback, replacing Andy Carroll and Mark Noble with Diafra Sakho and Alex Song.

But he was forced to think again minutes later when Cheikhou Kouyate was robbed in midfield and Hazard fed Costa who tricked his way past three defenders before smashing in Chelsea's second.

Again the Blues could have added to their lead. Oscar was inches away with a free-kick and Winston Reid produced two heroic blocks to deny the Brazilian and Hazard a third Chelsea goal.

In between Adrian readjusted his feet brilliantly to deny Matic from close range before sub Morgan Amalfitano headed wide and hit the post late on for West Ham.

But by then the job had already been done as the Blues march on.


CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian (Ramires 85), Oscar (Mikel 82), Hazard; Costa (Drogba 82). Subs: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Schurrle.

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Adrian; Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell; Noble (Song 59), Kouyate; Downing (Amalfitano 74), Nolan, Valencia; Carroll (Sakho 59). Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Jarvis, Cole.

Referee: Michael Oliver