SHOWCASE-Soccer-West Ham must protect pride against Chelsea - Gold
March 1 (Reuters) - West Ham United's recent revival in fortune has given chairman David Gold hope that they can repeat their October League Cup victory over Chelsea when the London rivals meet in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Monday. West Ham have lost only once in their last six league games but will be the underdogs when they come up against a formidable Chelsea side that appear on course for the title with a 10-point lead at the top of the standings. "It is very important for the pride of our football club that we come away with a good result. We are looking a decent side now and we can win these games," Gold told the club's website (www.whufc.com). "I am gaining confidence from the way we are playing... They (Chelsea) are running away at the top of the league and we want to beat the league leaders." West Ham's win against Chelsea was marred by fan violence which led to more than 50 home supporters being banned from the London Stadium. The club and stadium operators will increase the number of stewards and police to ensure wider separations between rival supporters in an effort to avoid a repeat of the untoward incident. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
