Chelsea pile pressure on West Ham manager Sam Allardyce after easy win
Chelsea are attempting to be progressive this term but all this felt like a welcome throwback. West Ham United
were stifled and overcome with all the efficiency of old, the visitors
delivering that enticing blend of strength and subtlety to dominate from
the outset with a ruthlessness to secure comfortable victory. "Without
the ball we worked hard, with it we were very sharp," said Frank
Lampard. "That is the benchmark we have to stick to."
Their challenge will be more persuasive if the standard is retained in the weeks ahead, with a run of appealing fixtures to follow Sunday's visit of Southampton to Stamford Bridge and the potential to generate momentum ahead of a trip to Arsenal two days before Christmas. Lampard, who ended a 10-game scoreless league run here with his customary haul against his former club, admitted that December derby is already "in the back of our minds", the aspiration to "go there and have a ding-dong with them". The weeks in the interim will be spent jostling for places to ensure that is a top-of-the-table occasion.
Chelsea took heart from this stroll against obliging hosts. Their away form this season had been rather indifferent, but their urgency to press, suffocate and stamp authority on West Ham made this thrashing an inevitability. Oscar and Eden Hazard were excellent, all bustling creative energy to hassle the home side's back-line, while Lampard trundled forward at will, both benefiting from Mikel John Obi's reassuring presence at their back. The Nigerian's contribution is often under valued but, when there is efficiency in his passing and strength in his presence, he can be key to ensuring those glitzier creative talents around him flourish.
José Mourinho had benefited from a fortnight to prepare for this occasion, the weeks spent poring over DVDs of West Ham's fixtures this season while the four players not on international duty enjoyed the freedom of Cobham. He knew how to combat their rivals' approach whether they fielded a forward or swamped midfield – they were actually obliged to do both over the course of a dispiriting afternoon – hence Mikel's selection and a tweak in the centre.
"Mikel plays today the same way he was playing when he was 18, when [I] picked him against Valencia in the quarter-final of the Champions League and left [Claude] Makelele on the bench," said Mourinho. "He's exactly the same: position, stability, control, to score a goal is a miracle, but to lose a ball is also a miracle."
West Ham were left to yearn for something miraculous. Their own game-plan was utterly undermined by Guy Demel's horrendous back-pass, which allowed Oscar to intercept and earn the early penalty from Jussi Jaaskelainen's foul. The hosts were not built to chase a game and their goalkeeper ended up conceding the 48th and 49th goals he has shipped to Chelsea in 22 fixtures over his career.
Sam Allardyce and his team continue to suffer the repercussions from a flawed summer transfer policy, when the bulk of their funds was spent on Andy Carroll – who has been absent with a foot injury since pre-season with no timeframe as yet defined for a return – and attempts to add forward cover proved fruitless.
The home crowd's furious reaction to failure, both when Joe Cole was substituted before the break and at full time when defeat was confirmed, reflected frustration. Modibo Maïga and Carlton Cole were both on the bench from the start as Kevin Nolan began as a nominal forward though, once the approach had been changed, Maïga's miss from close range just after the hour-mark perhaps suggested why. "The players tried as hard as they can, but they're playing with a bit of fear and that makes it look as if they don't have the passion," Allardyce said.
"I saw a lack of confidence when the first goal went in, which I hadn't seen this season before. It's always dangerous when you see that body language, so it's my job to pick the players up." His is an awkward task that must be played out in the glare of angry scrutiny.
Man of the match Oscar (Chelsea)
Their challenge will be more persuasive if the standard is retained in the weeks ahead, with a run of appealing fixtures to follow Sunday's visit of Southampton to Stamford Bridge and the potential to generate momentum ahead of a trip to Arsenal two days before Christmas. Lampard, who ended a 10-game scoreless league run here with his customary haul against his former club, admitted that December derby is already "in the back of our minds", the aspiration to "go there and have a ding-dong with them". The weeks in the interim will be spent jostling for places to ensure that is a top-of-the-table occasion.
Chelsea took heart from this stroll against obliging hosts. Their away form this season had been rather indifferent, but their urgency to press, suffocate and stamp authority on West Ham made this thrashing an inevitability. Oscar and Eden Hazard were excellent, all bustling creative energy to hassle the home side's back-line, while Lampard trundled forward at will, both benefiting from Mikel John Obi's reassuring presence at their back. The Nigerian's contribution is often under valued but, when there is efficiency in his passing and strength in his presence, he can be key to ensuring those glitzier creative talents around him flourish.
José Mourinho had benefited from a fortnight to prepare for this occasion, the weeks spent poring over DVDs of West Ham's fixtures this season while the four players not on international duty enjoyed the freedom of Cobham. He knew how to combat their rivals' approach whether they fielded a forward or swamped midfield – they were actually obliged to do both over the course of a dispiriting afternoon – hence Mikel's selection and a tweak in the centre.
"Mikel plays today the same way he was playing when he was 18, when [I] picked him against Valencia in the quarter-final of the Champions League and left [Claude] Makelele on the bench," said Mourinho. "He's exactly the same: position, stability, control, to score a goal is a miracle, but to lose a ball is also a miracle."
West Ham were left to yearn for something miraculous. Their own game-plan was utterly undermined by Guy Demel's horrendous back-pass, which allowed Oscar to intercept and earn the early penalty from Jussi Jaaskelainen's foul. The hosts were not built to chase a game and their goalkeeper ended up conceding the 48th and 49th goals he has shipped to Chelsea in 22 fixtures over his career.
Sam Allardyce and his team continue to suffer the repercussions from a flawed summer transfer policy, when the bulk of their funds was spent on Andy Carroll – who has been absent with a foot injury since pre-season with no timeframe as yet defined for a return – and attempts to add forward cover proved fruitless.
The home crowd's furious reaction to failure, both when Joe Cole was substituted before the break and at full time when defeat was confirmed, reflected frustration. Modibo Maïga and Carlton Cole were both on the bench from the start as Kevin Nolan began as a nominal forward though, once the approach had been changed, Maïga's miss from close range just after the hour-mark perhaps suggested why. "The players tried as hard as they can, but they're playing with a bit of fear and that makes it look as if they don't have the passion," Allardyce said.
"I saw a lack of confidence when the first goal went in, which I hadn't seen this season before. It's always dangerous when you see that body language, so it's my job to pick the players up." His is an awkward task that must be played out in the glare of angry scrutiny.
Man of the match Oscar (Chelsea)
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