Antonio Conte’s Chelsea continued their dominance in the domestic league as they increased their lead at the top of the table to 10 points over Tottenham in the 2nd place.
The Blues faced a tricky trip to the Olympic Stadium in a London derby as they took on a Slaven Bilic side that has been in decent form since the turn of the year. Eden Hazard scored a well-worked goal in the first half and though the Hammers piled up the pressure on the visitors throughout the game after the break, Diego Costa picked up a tap-in to seal all three points on the night.
West Ham made a dull start to the game but were exciting in the second half. But Chelsea deserved all three points from the night and here are the player ratings for the Blues for this game:
Thibaut Courtois (6):
Had a dull first-half but was there when needed for Chelsea, making a couple of important saves as West Ham looked to attack in the 2nd half.
Cesar Azpilicueta (7):
Reliable as ever at the back, Azpilicueta won all his tackles on the night and also added some attacking venom to his team playing as a fullback late in the game.
David Luiz (7):
Got the better of Andy Carroll for most of the game and though lost a couple of duels, was marginally comfortable on the night.
Gary Cahill (6):
Stuck to his task well as he kept most of the West Ham attackers away from danger to help his side a victory.
Victor Moses (7):
A constant outlet on the wing for Chelsea, Moses was active up and down the right flank taking up crucial positions at both ends of the field.
N Golo Kante (8):
Arguably the best player in his position at the moment in the league, Kante was everywhere on the night for Chelsea, making a number of interceptions and winning the ball back for his team and dominate the midfield.
Cesc Fabregas (7):
Played a role in Hazard’s goal and was generally smart with his movement in the final third as he kept probing till the end on the night.
Marcos Alonso (5):
The Italian was superb bombing forward but he was a liability on the other side as he was often caught out by Feghouli on the flank, which could have been dangerous.
Pedro (5):
The Spanish winger saw very little of the ball on the night as he failed to have any kind of a telling impact on the scoreline this weekend.
Eden Hazard (8):
Marvelous, splendid and eye-catching, the Belgian playmaker was all over the West Ham defenders on the night, creating a number of chances, and helping himself to a goal on a productive night.
Diego Costa (7):
Pushing his tally back up to 17 for the season, Costa, who was not at his best on the night, came up with a goal, finding himself just 3 yards away from goal from a corner.
Subs:
Nemanja Matic (6):
Came in to add some mettle to the midfield and did that well to see off the game.
Willian (5):
Added some pace to the Chelsea attack to help them in counters but did not have much to do late in the game.
Kurt Zouma (5):
Continues his rehabilitation, as he got a few more minutes under his belt, replacing Victor Moses.