Nicolas Jackson’s double seals emphatic win for Chelsea against West Ham
Nicolas Jackson (left) celebrates with his teammates after scoring Chelsea’s fifth goal. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters
The end is coming for David Moyes at a miserable West Ham, but Mauricio Pochettino is just getting started. European football is on the cards after Chelsea cruised through their second London derby in the space of three days and, for all the doubts hanging over Pochettino’s future, it would surely go down as an act of extraordinary self-sabotage if the Argentinian’s bosses make a change this summer.
The main takeaway from this emphatic 5-0 win over a wretched West Ham is that something is beginning to stir at Stamford Bridge. Instead of crumbling after last month’s 5-0 defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea have responded by impressing in each of their past three games. Far from shrinking, these young players are starting to grow and mature. Above all, they are starting to resemble a team and, after a season so full of turbulence, the wisest thing that Chelsea’s owners can do now would be to accept that Pochettino is the man for the job.
Chelsea, who are two points below sixth-placed Newcastle, were in a vibrant, creative mood after beating Tottenham. Moisés Caicedo, who is beginning to show signs of justifying his £115m fee, was head and shoulders above his opponents in midfield. Nicolas Jackson, an awkward, slippery presence in attack, immediately had joy against West Ham’s painfully immobile back four.
For West Ham, the plan had been simple enough: sit, smother, wait for openings on the break. The one problem with their approach, though, is that they have completely forgotten how to defend. Kurt Zouma cannot be trusted any more. Angelo Ogbonna is no longer capable of coping with the pace of the Premier League. Emerson Palmieri, the former Chelsea left-back, was given a torrid time by Noni Madueke.
There would be well-deserved boos from the away end at half-time. West Ham were a slow, disorganised mess and their lethargy was reflected in the way they conceded the first two goals, which were both down to Chelsea’s forwards hunting the ball down after slack clearances from Zouma.
It was Cole Palmer for the first, the playmaker’s 21st league goal of the season an inevitability when Zouma failed to deal with Madueke’s cross in the 15th minute. Palmer had time to pick his spot and he made it look easy as he lashed a rising shot past Alphonse Areola.
Their resistance broken, West Ham did at least go close to an instant equaliser, Jarrod Bowen heading against the bar. Wary of Chelsea’s habit of slipping into doziness, Pochettino urged them to wake up. Madueke threatened from 20 yards and Trevoh Chalobah wasted an easy header from a corner.
West Ham were all over the place, their trademark resilience under Moyes nowhere to be seen. Lucas Paquetá was an indolent disgrace in midfield and it was impossible to escape the feeling that this is a team crying out for fresh ideas. Damningly, it looked like they had given up on their season. It is no secret that change is on the way this summer. Julen Lopetegui is close to agreeing a deal to replace Moyes, whose contract is expiring, and some within West Ham are still pressing for the hierarchy to keep pushing for Sporting Lisbon’s Rúben Amorim.
Is it any surprise that Moyes’s voice no longer carries the same weight? Then again, what defence is there for a cautious manager whose team can no longer carry out the basics? Chelsea were quicker to everything. Displaying the intensity that characterises a Pochettino team in full flow, they were 2-0 up when Zouma’s attempt to cut out Palmer’s pass sent the ball spinning to Conor Gallagher, who charged in to spank a brutal volley past Areola.
Another thrashing beckoned. West Ham have lost 6-0 to Arsenal, 4-1 to Aston Villa and 5-0 to Fulham this season. In their previous away game, they were 4-0 down to Crystal Palace after 31 minutes. Perhaps only being 2-0 to Chelsea after half an hour represented some kind of progress. Or not. Thirty-six minutes in, Mykhailo Mudryk delivered a corner to the far post and the unmarked Thiago Silva headed the ball across for Madueke to score from close range.
The suffering continued, Palmer evading Edson Álvarez and crossing for Gallagher, who hit the bar from three yards out. At the other end, Bowen stayed defiant. He hit the bar again, this time with a volley from close range. Two minutes into the second half, though, Chelsea had their fourth when Madueke beat a pathetic offside trap and unselfishly squared to Jackson, who tapped into the empty net.
Chelsea strolled through the rest of the game. Christopher Nkunku boosted the good vibes by coming on for his first appearance since Feburary. West Ham hunted for a consolation, Bowen hitting the bar for the third time, but it was 5-0 when Caicedo released Jackson, who rolled a clever finish past Areola. Moyes did not bother getting out from his dugout to admonish his players.