Chelsea strengthened their chances of securing European football next season, cruising to victory against West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
It took just 15 minutes for Chelsea to get their noses in front with Cole Palmer reacting quickest to meet a loose ball in the West Ham box.
West Ham almost hit back immediately when Jarrod Bowen’s header crashed back off the crossbar, but it was one-way traffic from then on.
Chelsea doubled their lead on the half-hour mark through Conor Gallagher before Noni Madueke headed in the third six minutes later.
Nicolas Jackson struck twice in the second half to round off a wholly positive afternoon for the Blues.
With just three games left to play, Chelsea’s season seems to be heading for a strong finish as they have climbed up to seventh and sit just two points shy of sixth-placed Newcastle, while West Ham, who have two games remaining, stay ninth.
After a rocky first season under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea are starting to click and European football could still be on the agenda for next season if they keep up this momentum.
The Blues have won nine of their past 11 home Premier League outings and they are now on a four-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge, having beaten Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham and now West Ham.
They seem to be playing with greater confidence and it bodes well for the next term.
Chelsea were not asked too many questions defensively but Pochettino will also be pleased to see his side record back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since February 2023.
West Ham’s confidence looks shot as their season draws to an unsatisfactory conclusion.
The Hammers have won just one of their past 10 games across all competitions, losing five, and are on course to miss out on a fourth successive season in Europe.
They have conceded 70 goals this season, including shipping five goals on four separate occasions, with only bottom three clubs Burnley (74), Luton (78) and Sheffield United (100) with a worse defensive record.
