Chelsea narrowly edged out city foes West Ham United in an evenly contested game at the London Stadium on Saturday evening which finished in a 1-0 win for the visitors who seek to cement their hold on the fourth spot in the league table.
Timo Werner was the lone goalscorer in the London derby which went the Blues’ way as Thomas Tuchel’s men next face Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
The first half of the weekend showdown in the capital city could have gone any side’s path but Werner was key to Chelsea taking a hugely important lead nearing the end of the opening 45 minutes.
Chelsea started strong and Mason Mount enjoyed the first effort on goal but his tame strike was quite aptly denied by West Ham goalie Fabianski who was largely untroubled in the subsequent opportunities created by the visitors.
On the other end of the pitch, West Ham upped their attacking priorities and sought to cause trouble to a Chelsea backline which consisted of the likes of Rudiger and Thiago Silva.
As skipper Azpilicuetta survived a call for VAR check on his supposed handling of the ball, the Blues took a hard-earned lead through Werner on the opposite end with the German finding the back of the net from a pinpoint Ben Chilwell delivery into the box.
Early on in the second half, Werner was in a great position to double his account for the day but his finishing let him down as both sides looked to be engaged in a battle to outwit each other.
Mount was in focus again and this time his long-range effort required Fabianski to stretch wide to deny what would have surely been a wonder goal by the in-form Englishman.
West Ham’s task of finding an equalizer was dealt a hammer blow when they were reduced to ten men in the final moments of the game as Balbuena was given the marching orders off the pitch.
FT. Job done! 3 points! Well done, Blues! 💙 pic.twitter.com/DAQPZKvGSO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 24, 2021
Chelsea held on to a narrow one-goal lead and secured the win which is bound to be pivotal in their battle to clinch Champions League qualification for the upcoming campaign.
