Chelsea continued their march towards the Premier League title with a 2-1 victory over West Ham
West Ham looked well drilled and their plan of playing direct football with balls launched into the box towards the massive Andy Carroll were dealt with well by the Blues defense. However, a devastating counter-attack by Chelsea put the visitors one goal ahead going into the second half.
Some slack defending from a corner allowed Diego Costa to tap the ball in with his thigh. Manuel Lanzini then scored a consolation goal for the Hammers in the 92nd minute but it was another professional performance from Chelsea who look relentless in their push for the title.
Speaking after the game, Antonio Conte was understandably pleased with the result against a West Ham side that could have given Chelsea some problems and hailed his teams mentality, but also admitted that the lack of clean sheets was an area he wanted his team to improve on.
“ In this type of game, it is right to manage the situation, above all when you are facing a really strong team like West Ham. They tried to put a lot of pressure on us. Don’t forget West Ham Chelsea is a derby and there is great difficulty in these type of games.”
“ We were very good to manage the start of the game, then score the goal, and then control the game. We played good football, and we created chances to score other goals. It’s a pity to give away a second clean sheet at the end of the game, the second after Arsenal – we must work a bit on this aspect.”
The result means that Chelsea have preserved their 11-point lead at the top of the table after Tottenham Hotspur also beat Everton over the weekend. Despite Conte’s complaints about the clean sheet, the Blues have rarely looked troubled this season.
They have manage to answer several questioned asked about them and even when their side goes a goal down, it always looks like it is only a matter of time until their finely tuned team overcomes any opponent they face.
Against West Ham, they faced an extremely direct team that defended with a high intensity but still managed to take all 3 points from the fixture. Just another indicator of how it seems clear that there can only be one winner in the Premier League this season.