Good evening and thank you for joining us this evening on Overtime to follow Chelsea v West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. I’m Ryan Moran and I’ll be taking you through the action this evening.
It’s eighth placed Chelsea who host 10th placed West Ham United as the Blues look to avoid three consecutive defeats.
Their visitors on the other hand have only lost one in their last six. The Hammers also won both fixtures last season including a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard said in his press conference that this game meant more to him as a player than it did as a manager, he just wants another win. You can’t blame him given their recent run.
Kai Havertz is replaced by Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta comes in for Reece James and Tammy Abraham starts up front in the place of Olivier Giroud.
Mason Mount is also on for his 50th Premier League appearance tonight.
Two changes for West Ham as Mark Noble starts in place of Said Benrahma and Fabian Balbuena starts over Issa Diop. Noble will resume captaincy duties which Declan Rice had been doing in his absence.
1′: West Ham get us underway at Stamford Bridge.
3′: Game stopped as referee Chris Kavanagh checks on Ben Chilwell who is now receiving treatment. The left back’s right foot twisted in a challenge from behind on Jarrod Bowen.
6′: Rice thought he had given West Ham the lead! Running across the line to receive a through ball from the free kick, the midfielder finishes from a tight angle but is a fraction offside. Early warning for Chelsea here.
9′: Early substitution for the home side as Chilwell can’t carry on after that early challenge on Bowen. Emerson comes on in his place.
10′: Goal CHELSEA 1-0 West Ham United. Thiago Silva heads home Mount’s out swinging corner, unchallenged in the middle of the box.
16′: Abraham has the ball in the net but Sian Massey-Ellis had her flag up early as the ball had gone out of play, despite Azpilicueta’s best efforts to keep it in play. Goal kick for the visitors.
18′: Heavy challenge from Rice on Christian Pulisic. Mount has another opportunity to whip in a dangerous ball.
20′: Abraham, playing in place of Giroud wins a corner from a hopeful ball over the top. That will please his manager given Giroud’s good form in recent weeks.
21′: Sebastian Haller runs down the right, beating N’Golo Kante to the ball. A lack of pace allows the midfielder to get back but can only give away a free kick.
25′: Azpilicueta was nearly made to pay for failing to intercept a pass out to Aaron Cresswell as the full back drills a low shot across goal but just the wrong side of the far post. Chelsea can’t afford to rest on their laurels here.
29′: The hosts try to control the game and slow the momentum of the visitors but after a neat few passes, Jorginho’s pass into Timo Werner is intercepted.
30′: For the second time this half West Ham have the ball in the net but it is ruled out. Bowen pushes Silva in an aerial battle before putting the ball in the net.
32′: For a team with such attacking quality, when the ball gets into the final third the three attackers seem unable to keep hold of the ball. The game is in front of the Hammers’ back four and they have been comfortable in the last ten minutes.
33′: A half chance for West Ham is blocked by Silva as Thomas Soucek volleys towards goal.
40′: West Ham have had the ball in the net twice but are yet to have a shot on target in this game. They seem the more likely of the two sides currently but that statistic tells you why they haven’t made the most of the possession they are being gifted.
43′: The Hammers were nearly made to pay there as Pulisic breaks forward, finding Werner on the left. He stabs it towards goals but it’s easy for Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
44′: An aerial collision between Jorginho and Haller sees both players down. The Chelsea midfielder goes down holding his ankles so it seems it was more the landing than the aerial duel.
46′: Angelo Ogbonna clears the danger as Werner, Pulisic and Abraham are all around the ball six yards out but none of them beat the West Ham defender.
Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 West Ham United. Silva (10′) gives Chelsea a slender lead at the interval. Werner had a big chance to make it two in the closing stages but the effort was tame. This game is far from over.
Kick off: Chelsea get play underway in this second half. They will hope for a bit more control and maybe a goal or two will help their cause, both today and in the next run of games.
48′: First real chance of the half falls to Haller. The cross from Cresswell might have been better for Soucek who was behind the striker.
55′: Cresswell’s crosses have been threatening and Ogbonna throws himself at the cross only to land on Kurt Zouma.
56′: Both players have been far from their best tonight. Jorginho has been dispossessed quite regularly in the middle and Werner hasn’t had many chances to spread his legs. His shot will not live long in the memory either. Fresh impetus might be the answer but at what cost to the confidence of their ÂŁ50 million attacker?
60′: Pulisic gets down the wing but with only Abraham in the box he chooses against crossing the ball and instead wins a throw-in near the corner flag. More bodies now up the pitch.
62′: Mount and Silva link up again at a corner but this time the Brazilian heads wide.
63′: West Ham go down the other end and Pablo Fornals’ shot is blocked by Azpilicueta and out for a corner.
66′: Substitutions for both teams. Mateo Kovacic replaces Jorginho and Fornals makes way for Benrahma.
70′: This game has been low on quality in front of goal. The visitors are still yet to register a shot on target.
73′: Another cross for West Ham comes to nothing. Benrahma’s header back was claimed by Edouard Mendy.
78′: CHELSEA 2-0 West Ham United. Abraham passes home from Werner’s pass towards the back post. The ball went all the way from Mendy to Mount, Mount to Werner and then the German laid it on a plate for Abraham.
79′: CHELSEA 3-0 West Ham United. Abraham gets his second and Chelsea’s third. Mount crosses deep to the back post and Pulisic tries to bundle it in. Abraham’s there to tap it home.
83′: Final change for Chelsea as Pulisic makes way for Havertz for the final seven minutes.
89′: Werner can’t catch a break at the moment. 3-0 up and the angle slowly goes against him but the shot crashes against the bar.
89′: Second change for the visitors as Ryan Fredericks comes on for Bowen in the final minutes.
Full-time: Chelsea 3-0 West Ham United. Two goals in 110 seconds from Abraham secured the victory after Silva had given Chelsea the lead after 10 minutes. It was not their best performance by far but the three points puts them back in the mix and above Tottenham.
Thank you for joining us this evening. We will be back on Boxing Day for a London derby and a repeat of the FA Cup final for Arsenal v Chelsea at the Emirates.
Catch up on the latest football stories here.
See the latest on all sport here.
See George Overhill’s match report from tonight’s victory here.
Sub-edited by George Overhill
