WEST HAM UNITED v CHELSEA
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
REFEREE: CHRIS FOY
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MATCH PREVIEW I PROGRAMME I TEAMSHEETWell, West Ham started in decent shape and, for 20 minutes, looked fairly comfortable. The opening goal came from a mistake by Demel which led to a needless penalty conceded by Jaaskelainen. Lampard's goal put Chelsea in charge and Oscar's second - when he got in behind after Collins was caught out of position - put the game to bed. Lampard's second - his fifth in his last five games against his old club - was harsh on a West Ham who improved after the break. In the final analysis, it's another home defeat and West Ham need to end this alarming run as soon as possible. Next week's home game against a Fulham team which sits one place below the Hammers gives Big Sam's side the chance to do just that. Before then, we'll have exclusive reaction on West Ham TV.
93: The final chance of the game falls to Joey O'Brien, whose flicked header tests Cech. He repels it with his right hand and the final whistle is blown seconds later.
92: Noble and Morrison get in a tangle and Chelsea retrieve possession. Essien comes forward before slotting in Ba, who finishes with real confidence, but he's been flagged offside. No goal.
91: It goes without saying that our next two matches are crucial - Fulham at home and then Crystal Palace away. Six points from those and things will look a lot rosier.
90: Three added minutes will be played.
89: The West Ham fans are singing away. Great vocal support from those in the Bobby Moore Lower and the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower, as always. Downing wins a corner off Azpilicueta. Downing himself takes and Cahill heads away.
88: Matchball Sponsors NC Range Site have voted Mohamed Diame as their Man of the Match.
85: Jarvis wins a corner over on the left. I'm afraid to say the stands are emptying rather quickly around me. The corner is cleared and Morrison gives the ball away. Schurrle collects and runs 60 yards into the West Ham box before checking and finding Essien, whose low shot is saved by Jaaskelainen.
84: A final change from Mourinho sees Hazard replaced by Essien.
83: Schurrle is on for Oscar. It was a fine finish by Lampard, but he had nobody near him, which was a bit disappointing. The Hammers had all been dragged back to defend Ivanovic's cross.
82: Goal! West Ham didn't deserve that. Ivanovic gets free behind the left-back and crosses low. The initial shot is blocked out to Lampard, who finishes with a superb controlled finish from 20 yards past Collins and Jaaskelainen.
80: Chelsea are getting Schurrle ready. Downing crosses and Jarvis is at the far post, but Ivanovic defends superbly by getting in front of the winger to head behind for a corner. This is taken short and when O'Brien crosses, it's too high for everybody by Cech.
79: Eto'o is replaced by Demba Ba. Terry and Oscar have both had to go to the touchline as they received treatment. The game will re-start and Chelsea are soon back up to a full complement.
78: To illustrate that West Ham haven't been outclassed here, they have made more successful passes in Chelsea's defensive third than the Blues have in their own attacking third - 109 to 99.
77: Chelsea have two players down injured. One is Terry and the other is Oscar. Chelsea's medical staff are out to tend to the stricken duo.
76: Maiga does well again to chest the ball forward for Nolan. He should cross first-time back to the Mali international, but checks and the chance is lost for now. West Ham keep possession and O'Brien wins a free-kick. Before it can be taken, Nolan is replaced by Jarvis. Noble takes the armband.
75: Into the final quarter-of-an-hour and Matt Jarvis will be on shortly.
73: The attendance here is 34,977.
72: Maiga gets some cheers as he does a double drag-back and then a Cruyff-turn. He then clips the ball over the top for Nolan, who wins a corner off Cahill. Downing takes it deep but Tomkins mis-times his leap and the ball goes over him and out for a goal kick.
71: Strange. Azpilicueta puts the ball out for a throw claiming the ball has gone flat. Mr Foy takes the ball and disagrees. Play-on with a West Ham throw.
70: It's about 35 yards out, but Lampard is going to hit this, is he? He does, but it hits the wall.
69: West Ham are pushing and now they have a corner conceded by Azpilicueta from Diame's deep cross. Downing's delivery is to the edge of the box and is cleared and Chelsea can counter. They do, until Morrison brings down Oscar.
67: The second half is flying by to be honest, but the Hammers are at least making a fist of this.
64: Downing is tripped on halfway. Collins lifts the ball in and Maiga challenges again. The ball drops to Demel, who beats three men with a superb bit of skill and strength. His cut-back has pace on it and Maiga cannot quite get his foot around it. The effort dribbles a yard wide, if that.
63: Diame and Downing have swapped wings. Meanwhile, and Eto'o curler doesn't dip or curl enough to find the top corner.
61: Maiga does well to win the goal kick from Jaaskelainen. Diame wins the loose ball and then collects again from Nolan before shooting. The ball loops across the penalty area and Maiga attempts and overhead that skims off his foot and wide.
59: Patient build-up down the right ends with Demel and Diame playing a couple of one-twos before Diame's cross is cut out. Moments later, Downing runs at Ivanovic and wins a corner from the Serb. Noble takes and Mr Foy blows for a foul, presumably by Nolan or Tomkins on Cech. Replays suggest there was very little in that.
57: Another chance goes begging for Chelsea as Noble's pass is cut out and West Ham are outnumbered five to four at the back. Eto'o finds Hazard, the clipped cross from the byline finds Oscar, but he volleys wide on the stretch.
56: Lampard has a shot this time, but it's near enough for Jaaskelainen to gather low to his left.
55: Chelsea are pressing again here. Collins has to make a last-ditch interception to repel the latest attack as Lampard seeks out Oscar.
52: Nice movement from Chelsea ends with Eto'o's cross-shot being put behind by Collins. The Lampard corner is headed down by Cahill and Noble hacks off the line. That would have been absolutely game over and turn off the TV at the wall.
51: Maiga is good in the air and he wins another aerial duel by flicking on a free-kick on the edge of the box. Cech collects, but it is an illustration of how West Ham can pose a different type of threat here. This second half is an important one, even if the Hammers don't get anything from the game.
50: Diame is playing down the right. He cuts inside and then scuffs a shot wide of the near post. It has been better since the break. We look more balanced.
48: Downing races down the left. O'Brien takes one defender away and Downing sits his man down before crossing right-footed. The ball eludes Maiga and Cech and goes behind for a goal kick. Maiga at least gives us an attacking focal point and will occupy Terry and Cahill.
47: Chelsea cut through the midfield with one pass and Ivanovic gets into space down the right. His cross is dangerous but Collins is there to smash away for a throw. Chelsea come again a couple of times but the Hammers hold firm - just. Jaaskelainen collects.
46: We're off again...
The Hammers are out first after the break. Mr Foy and the officials are then followed by John Terry and his Chelsea team-mates. West Ham are going to have to do something special here.
Half-time score - West Ham United 0-2 Chelsea
Some half-time stats... Chelsea have out-shot West Ham nine to two, with four of the Blues' efforts hitting the target to none from the hosts. The visitors have forced three corners to West Ham's two. Possession-wise, it's 56-44 in Chelsea's favour so far. Chelsea have completed 188 passes to West Ham's 139. Mark Noble has been West Ham's most prolific passer, completing 31 out of 33.
48: That's the half-time whistle. It's not made for pleasant viewing after a decent opening 20 minutes. Again, a defensive error has cost West Ham an important goal. Lampard made no mistake from the spot and Oscar rubbed it in by converting with a composed finish. A couple of set pieces and Cole's blocked shot aside, the Hammers have not troubled Cech.
47: Well, Norwich showed a fortnight ago that you can turn a game around after half-time...
45: Hazard finds Oscar, who looks offside. He isn't flagged and smashes the cross through the six-yard box and out for a throw on the far side. There will be at least two added minutes.
44: Mr Foy whistles for a high foot against Nolan on Ramires. Big Sam does not agree with the decision. Nor do Nolan and Morrison.
42: Jaaskelainen makes a flying save from Eto'o's curler. His fingertips avert a third and it's a corner. Lampard's delivery is not very good and West Ham clear. Morrison beats two men with one trick and then a third, but he can't get past Ivanovic. Maybe the pass to Diame was the better option, but Morrison was moving at real speed.
40: Cole and Collison are replaced by Maiga and Diame.
39: It's going to be a double change! Maiga is also being readied. Meanwhile, Hazard is clean through but his touch lets him down and Demel nips in. Chelsea win the ball back and Lampard shoots over the top.
38: West Ham win a free-kick to the left of the Chelsea box. Noble takes and the ball is headed behind for a corner. Downing will take this.
37: Downing gets down the left and receives a pass from O'Brien. His cross is dangerous and towards Nolan, but Cahill clears. Diame could be on in a minute. Must be a tactical change.
36: This is not looking good. Collins fouls Ramires and Chelsea have a free-kick 30 yards out. Lampard takes it and Jaaskelainen holds on.
34: Goal! Collins sells himself and the flick from Hazard leaves the Welshman out of position. Oscar collects, runs into the space vacated by Collins and calmly shoots low into the bottom left-hand corner.
33: Chelsea are controlling the game now. The possession stats are largely even, with 51 per cent to Chelsea, but I expect that figure to rise before half-time.
31: Cole finds Demel overlapping and he wins a corner. It is headed powerfully clear and Chelsea win a free-kick as Noble is penalised.
30: The challenge for the Hammers now is to not go into their shells. They need to play with some confidence to break open this Chelsea defence, which can be got at. At present, there seem to be more Chelsea players on the pitch than Hammers, which is never a good sign. Hazard pops up on the right this time and puts a cross in that Lampard heads wide from 16 yards.
27: Morrison beats his man and cuts the ball back for Demel, but it's at an awkward height and he cannot control cleanly. The ball bounces away for a goal kick.
26: Plenty of time to get back in this... Besides, we always go 1-0 down before we beat Chelsea 3-1.
23: Lampard has another go after Oscar had robbed O'Brien by the touchline. This time his shot doesn't have the power or direction to beat Jaaskelainen. He dives on the ball low to his right.
21: Goal! Lampard makes no mistake. He drives the ball high into the top right-hand corner. One footnote - no card at all for Jaaskelainen, which was a bit strange. Mourinho is talking to the fourth official, perhaps about that very issue.
21: Chelsea have a needless, needless penalty... Demel's touch is short and Jaaskelainen dives in and brings down Oscar.
19: That's livened the place up. Demel wins the ball back in midfield before Downing sends over a cross that Nolan heads down for Cole, whose goalbound shot is blocked before being hacked away. Close for the Hammers. The crowd have come to life after that.
17: Tomkins beats Eto'o with a nice drop of the shoulder before finding Collins. He drives a fine ball out wide right to Demel, who controls and finds Cole. Demel crosses and Nolan is caught offside before jumping into Cech and lobbing the ball into the empty net. I don't think that one is going to count...
16: It' nearly does as Lampard challenges Morrison and the ball drops to Oscar. He turns and shoots from 25 yards, but slices his effort high and wide of the far post. Goal kick.
16: There is a murmur among the fans. Pockets of supporters are singing away. You get the feeling something is going to happen soon...
13: Collins gives the ball away just inside the Chelsea half and it's that man Hazard again threatening. West Ham scramble the ball behind from a corner, which is cleared. The Hammers counter through Joe Cole, who carries it 50 yards before poking wide for Morrison. He looks for Collison's diagonal run, but the pass is too strong and goes through to Cech. Downing was in space on the left there, but he wasn't spotted.
11: Cole is fouled on halfway. Tomkins puts it into the box and Collins wins the header, but Chelsea clear. Ramires tries to run the ball clear but Morrison is quicker and stronger. He wins the ball and is fouled by the Brazilian. Good work from the No15.
9: O'Brien shapes a lovely ball around Ivanovic for Downing, who checks and finds Morrison. He comes left and tries to play in Downing again, but it's blocked. O'Brien tries to volley the loose ball to Downing, but the winger is off-balance and the ball goes away for a goal kick.
7: West Ham win a free-kick on halfway and Noble tries to lift it into the near post for Nolan, but it's easily cleared. Chelsea are quickly back on the attack through Hazard again. He cuts inside and tries to find Eto'o. The Cameroon striker tries to beat Tomkins, who makes an excellent tackle inside his own penalty area.
5: Hazard has space down the left with Demel caught upfield. He drills the cross in towards Eto'o but Collins is there to stick out a boot and concede the corner. It's cleared. Chelsea come again and the cross comes in from Hazard from the left after he beats Collins, but it eludes everyone and Downing can carry the ball away.
4: Chelsea are actually playing with three central midfielders sitting deeper than usual, with Mikel, Ramires and Lampard all in there. Eto'o is the central striker, with Hazard and Oscar behind him.
2: Demel's throw is flicked on to Nolan, who controls and lobs the ball over Terry for Morrison to chase. Terry recovers and puts the ball out for a throw level with the Chelsea penalty area, but it comes to nothing.
1: Downing is playing wide left, with Joe Cole wide right. Nolan is the furthest forward down the centre, with Morrison not far behind him.
5.30pm - West Ham kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand end of the Boleyn Ground.
5.28pm - The place is rocking, as you might expect, with the Chelsea fans joining in with a decent bit of pre-match singing. The two captains are called together by referee Chris Foy and we're nearly off and running.
5.24pm - The teams are in the tunnel and the 'Bubbles' are playing. It's nearly time for kick-off! Here they come, led by captains Kevin Nolan and John Terry.
5.21pm - Sitting next to Ken Dyer from the Evening Standard, as I always do at home games, I have just reminded him that I inadvertantly punched him in the head when Modibo Maiga put us 3-1 up against Chelsea last season. His reply: "I hope you punch me again this evening, then!"
5.17pm - It's rather cold here at the Boleyn Ground. The hat and fingerless gloves are out for the first time this season! I understand there have been some issues with the engineering works on the London Underground making it difficult for people to get here. Let's hope the fans are all in their seats come 5.30pm.
5.10pm - Today's results have seen the Hammers drop one place to 17th, with Stoke City jumping above us following a 2-0 home win over Sunderland. Victory for the hosts this evening will see West Ham rise to 14th. A draw and we would go above Norwich City into 16th.
4.45pm - You can now download today's official teamsheet by clicking on the link above.
4.35pm - The team news is in. Just one change from Big Sam, who replaces the injured Rat with O'Brien. Chelsea also make a single change, with Mikel in for Willian. That likely means Lampard will move further forward. For West Ham, it's the 4-6-0 formation that served them so well at Tottenham last month.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Collins, Tomkins, Noble, Morrison, Collison, J.Cole, Downing, Nolan (c)
Subs: Adrian, McCartney, Jarvis, Maiga, Taylor, Diame, C.Cole
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta, Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Oscar, Hazard, Eto'o
Subs: Schwarzer, A.Cole, Essien, Mata, Schurrle, Ba, Willian
4.20pm - We'll have the confirmed team news in about ten minutes. Who will Big Sam call upon today? Will Mo Diame win a recall against the team he terrorised a year ago? Will Joe Cole start against his old club? We'll know the answers very soon!
Good afternoon and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for our tea-time London derby between West Ham United and Chelsea.
You can always tell it is a big game when the Press Box is full and today we're positively overflowing with journalists, broadcasters and ex-professional footballers turned pundits. Stan Collymore, Graeme Le Saux, Niall Quinn and former Hammer Marc Keller are among those gracing us with their presence this afternoon.
There are so many great stories ahead of today's game - Big Sam seeking his first victory over Jose Mourinho; Joe Cole facing his former Club; Frank Lampard returning to the Boleyn Ground - and we'll have a full stadium that will no doubt be jumping come 5.30pm.
Before I continue, I would like to welcome today's Matchball Sponsors NC Range Site, who have been formed after a very successful partnership with Range Site Ltd and NC Construction Services Ltd in the social housing sector. Their aim is to grow NC Range Site Ltd to be a leading provider in the social housing sector. We hope they enjoy their day at the Boleyn Ground.
Back to the football and West Ham will be eager to repeat their amazing second-half performance against Chelsea here almost exactly a year ago. Mohamed Diame emerged from the bench to inspire the Hammers to recover from a goal down to win 3-1 in some style.
Today's circumstances are very similar in that West Ham were on a run of indifferent form going into that game, as they have been in recent weeks. So, we already have evidence that anything can happen in this fixture.
Big Sam has called on his players to score more goals, but he will again be without injured striker Andy Carroll, who is now working on his rehab from a foot injury in Amsterdam. Razvan Rat (hamstring), Winston Reid (ankle) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) are also out, leaving the Hammers boss with some selection issues to deal with. On the plus side, James Collins and Joey O'Brien have recovered from injuries of their own and could feature.
For Chelsea, left-back Ashley Cole has recovered from a rib injury and is likely to start ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta. However, Spain striker Fernando Torres will miss the game with a groin injury.
We will have the confirmed team news for you at just after 4.30pm. We will publish the official teamsheet on this page as soon as we have it, so you can print it our for yourself to keep!
In the meantime, why not check out our new Instagram page for the latest photos and videos as we build-up to the big game. We've also got exclusive interviews and more on West Ham TV. Finally, why not enter our two matchday competitions on twitter - #WHULINEUP and #WHUGOAL - as you could win a signed piece of memorabilia!