Tammy Abraham scored twice as Chelsea ended their recent mini-slump by beating West Ham United at Stamford Bridge to move up to fifth in the Premier League.
Back-to-back defeats had seen the Blues slip down the table but they made the ideal start on Monday as Thiago Silva powered home a header in the 10th minute.
Silva’s early goal helped settle the nerves a little but their play soon became scrappy and West Ham took control instead.
Timo Werner spurned a couple of good chances to add to the hosts’ lead but he played his part in his side’s second 12 minutes from time as his scuffed shot was turned in by Abraham.
The Chelsea striker, back in the side in place of Olivier Giroud, then netted another barely two minutes later when he was in the right place to pick up the loose ball and curl home after Christian Pulisic had missed a simple header from a cross.
An ankle injury to left-back Ben Chilwell, which saw him come off early in the game, was a minor blemish on the evening for Lampard, who also has right-back Reece James out with a knee problem.
The scoreline somewhat flattered Chelsea with West Ham having been the better side for large periods, but the visitors paid the price for a lack of a cutting edge as they finished the game without a shot on target.
It was a much-needed win for Frank Lampard’s team, with the only real frustration the continued disappointing form of Werner in front of goal.
Victory means Chelsea have 25 points – one behind fourth-placed Everton – while West Ham remain 10th on 21 points.
BBC
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