Chelsea thrash West Ham to stay on track for Europe

Chelsea strengthened their chances of securing European football next season, cruising to victory against West Ham at Stamford Bridge.

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.

Chelsea ooze confidence

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.

An assured finish into the the bottom right corner from Palmer set Chelsea on their way, taking his tally in the league to 21.

Captain Gallagher's strike was equally as impressive as he volleyed emphatically across the target to leave Alphonse Areola rooted to the spot.

The game was pretty much over as a contest by the 36th-minute when Madueke found space in the six-yard box to turn in Thiago Silva's knockdown.

Jackson further tightened Chelsea's grip on all three points shortly after half-time and he showed great composure when rolling in the fifth after beating the offside trap late on.

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.

Another heavy loss for hopeless Hammers

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.

Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui held talks with West Ham about replacing David Moyes this week and a second successive heavy defeat on the road, having lost 5-2 at Crystal Palace on 21 April, leaves the Scot in an even more precarious position.

Bowen was the only positive for West Ham on a miserable day for the visitors, hitting the crossbar on three occasions.

Despite conceding early in the second period, West Ham did pose slightly more threat after the restart with Emerson firing over the bar and half-time substitute James Ward-Prowse forcing a save out of Djordje Petrovic.

The result extends Moyes' terrible record when visiting Chelsea as a manager, failing to win any of his 19 trips - losing 12 and drawing seven.