Match Report: Belgian Blues Seal Victory Over Impressive West Ham

After their surprise loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday, the last team West Ham needed to face was league leaders Chelsea.

West Ham had won just 1 in their last 10 league matches. They had not managed to score against Chelsea since December 2012 and over the course of his two spells in charge, the East London side has yet to take three points off of Jose Mourinho. West Ham’s hopes would hang on Chelsea having tired legs after their battle for the League Cup on Sunday, which was fought against a resilient Tottenham side in almost biblical conditions.

However, Sam Allardyce did an excellent job of regrouping his side after a shocking performance against Palace and could consider themselves hard done by to not at least take a point from this game. Although Allardyce’s side remained mostly unchanged from Saturday’s lunch time fixture, Alex Song was dropped for ‘tactical’ reasons. By 'tactical' reasons it was clear that he really wasn’t very good on Saturday and should probably have some time to think about that.

Within the opening 7 minutes, Allardyce was forced to use one of his substitutions as Winston Reid limped off with a problematic hamstring. The club will hope it’s just a minor issue as Reid has finally decided to commit his future to West Ham. Fortunately for the Hammers James Collins, with all of his experience, was primed and ready to step in.

Collins was more than up to the task of keeping Chelsea at bay. In his 83 minute spell he made 17 clearances, blocked 5 shots and made 4 interceptions. Much to the disappointment of a resurgent Ramires who had his best game of the season, registering a rating of 7.87.

But Collins wasn’t the only defender who was kept busy in his own box. Gary Cahill managed 22 clearances over the course of the evening — 13 of those in the first half alone. Cahill had not made more than 13 clearances in a league match this season ahead of Chelsea’s trip to the Boleyn.

Eden Hazard probably kept James Collins, and just about everyone else on the pitch, busier than he would have liked. West Ham may have underestimated the reserves of energy that the Belgian still had in him after a gritty match in the League Cup final on Sunday.

The winger made superb runs all night and was deserving of the goal from his headed effort. Fittingly, the move for Chelsea’s only goal on the night both began and ended with Hazard. Some impressive link-up play between Cesc Fàbregas and Ramires ensured the visitors would take the lead.

But the real stand out performers of this derby were the goalkeepers. Adrian commanded his area well to ensure that Chelsea would be limited to just a single goal, though it was Thibaut Courtois who found himself the busier of the two and was able to show why Chelsea didn't want to leave him out on loan.

Courtois returned to goal after being left out of the League Cup final on Sunday. Although he faced just 4 shots before the break, it was the second half that really tested him and Chelsea's back four. As the game opened up West Ham managed a substantial 14 shots in the second half. Diafra Sakho, in particular, tested all of Courtois’ resources as a goalkeeper and somehow found himself denied time and again.

West Ham will be able to take a lot of positives from their performance against Chelsea. They were organised at the back and always a threat going forward. If it weren’t for the performances of Chelsea’s Belgians, West Ham would be sat just behind Tottenham in the table fighting for a place in Europe next season. As for Chelsea, although not comprehensive, it was a performance that could be pivotal in their quest for the title this season.

Have West Ham turned a corner after a run of poor performances and is there any catching Chelsea at the top? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below