Chelsea v West Ham LIVE: Premier League rating and updates from London derby
Chelsea can fire themselves back into the top four when they face West Ham in a Monday night Premier League outing at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues’ main aim for the season is to secure Champions League football and, though a place in the top five may do it this year, they cannot take any chances and must finish fourth or higher to guarantee a place in the European top-flight.
A win over the Hammers would take Enzo Maresca men to within four points of third but they will need to turnaround a poor run of form that has seen them win just one of their last seven league games.
Tonight they face a West Ham side who are languishing in 15th in the table with the Hammers having lost one, drawn one and won one of their three matches so far under Graham Potter.
Follow all the action from Stamford Bridge with our live blog below:
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Palmer is repeatedly dropping deeper than he might otherwise like to be, as he looks to force the issue in attack.
Not a lot happening in front of him, however.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Wan-Bissaka does well to skip past Cucurella on the outside and put in a cross, but it’s cleared for a corner.
From the set-piece, the ball bounces to Bowen, who forces a decent save from Jorgensen at the near post.
The next corner comes in and eventually bounces out to Irving, who lashes a volley well over.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
A brilliant challenge from Caicedo midway into his own half pokes the ball into Jackson’s path to start the counter.
Chelsea are 3-v-3 as Jackson knocks it into the path of Madueke, and the England international cuts into the box before wrapping his effort wide of the far post.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
A decent spell of sustained possession here for the visitors, though they can’t really build an attack from it.
The referee brings play to a halt as Reece James has stayed down after landing awkwardly after contesting a header. He looks okay to carry on.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Almost some groans around the stadium as Jorgensen spills a fairly simple cross, but he manages to collect before Bowen can pounce.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Lawrence Ostlere at Stamford Bridge:
“Things have started much as you would expect here at a chilly Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea dominating the ball and West Ham showing slight glimmers of threat on the counterattack.
“Cole Palmer has yet to get into the game, having been well-marshalled by Tomas Soucek who appears to have been given a man-marking job tonight… though just as I type, there he is popping up in the box and getting a shot off.”
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
There’s a break in play as Cucurella looks like he’s being held by Emerson in the box in the lead-up to the corner, but it doesn’t seem like it was looked at by VAR.
The set-piece is cleared anyway.
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Lovely play from Palmer as he flicks a back-heel around the corner for Cucurella before receiving the one-two pass and seeing his cross put behind for a corner.
