Chelsea 5-0 West Ham: Nicolas Jackson nets brace as Blues cruise to big derby win
Chelsea made it two London derby wins in the space of a few days as they hammered West Ham 5-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Nicolas Jackson netting a brace.
After easing past Tottenham on Thursday night, the Blues enjoyed an even more comfortable afternoon in west London this time, with victory effectively wrapped up inside the opening 45 minutes.
Cole Palmer opened the scoring with his 21st Premier League goal of the season, before captain Conor Gallagher doubled the lead with a sharp volley into the bottom corner.
The lead was three before half-time, as Thiago Silva, back from injury, nodded the ball back across goal from a corner, and Noni Madueke was on hand to turn it home.
Chelsea picked up from where they left off after the break, as Madueke squared the ball to leave Jackson a tap-in within three minutes of the restart.
The rest of the match was largely played at walking pace, with Jarrod Bowen West Ham’s only hope of a consolation goal. He hit the bar twice in the first-half and made it a hat-trick in front of the away fans that were left, when his deflected strike looped up against the woodwork.
Jackson added his second, and Chelsea’s fifth, with ten minutes remaining, having initially been denied by an offside flag. He was played through by Moises Caicedo and beat Alphonse Areola with a finish that eventually stood as a goal, after VAR found Kurt Zouma had been playing him on.
Chelsea now sit seventh in the table, at least until Manchester United play Crystal Palace on Monday night, and only two points off sixth.
