Tammy at the double for Blues
Thiago’s header and Tammy’s brace stops rot for Lampard
THIAGO Silva’s leap was more akin to that of an NBA star rather than an ageing central defender. But there he was — soaring through the air with the timing and grace of a basketballer at the height of his powers.
You forget he is on the wrong side of his 30s. Not that he looks it. What a signing the Brazilian has been for Chelsea.
Not only has he played a pivotal role in sorting out what was once a worryingly leaky defence, he’s popping up at the other end of the pitch, too.
His goal in this fiercely contested London derby — his second since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer — helped put Chelsea’s season back on track following two consecutive losses.
Free signings simply don’t come much better than this.
Tammy Abraham eased tensions for Frank Lampard’s side with a late quickfire brace as Chelsea, albeit not at their fluent best, sauntered to victory against their arch rivals.
Lampard understands t he nuances of this particular fixture more than most, of course.
London rivalries don’t come more fierce than this one and, having played for both teams, Lampard didn’t need to be told the consequences of defeat.
But local bragging rights aside, Chelsea’s need for victory following a run of three games without one was rather pressing in itself.
However, they nearly got off to the worst possible start in the seventh minute when Declan Rice showed exactly why Chelsea are coveting him so intently with a brilliantly executed finish from Aaron Cresswell’s early free-kick only for the West Ham midfielder to be ruled offside.
Chelsea’s concerns intensified moments later when Ben Chilwell limped off after taking a hefty blow to his right foot following a collision with Jarrod Bowen. The England left-back was replaced by Emerson.
It wasn’t long, though, before Silva went in head first to quell those early anxieties. There was nothing subtle about it, Mason Mount’s corner thumped home by the evergreen Brazilian, whose 36-year-old frame rose highest to put Chelsea ahead.
It was harsh on David Moyes’ side, who had started brightly. But, driven by Rice, they continued to cause Chelsea concern.
Cresswell fired across the face of goal in the 26th minute and, as half-time approached, West Ham were making all the running — all that was missing was a cutting edge.
Timo Werner should have made the Hammers pay for lacking a killer instinct two minutes before the break after he was denied by
Lukasz Fabianski following a rapid counter- attack l ed by Christian Pulisic.
The anguished expression on Lampard’s face said it all. His side were far from their best, but a two-goal half-time lead would surely have been unassailable.
Instead, the nerves began to manifest, tension started to emerge and Chelsea’s start to the second period was sloppy.
Abraham and N’Golo Kante challenged for the same ball before Silva’s uncharacteristic wayward pass ended with Sebastian Haller heading Cresswell’s cross just wide in the 49th minute.
The Blues weren’t clicking in central midfield and struggled for any decent service into the attacking triumvirate of Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Werner.
Silva and Kurt Zouma were just about keeping the Hammers at bay, the central- defensive duo dealing superbly with a barrage of crosses into the box as Moyes’ men sensed blood.
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta produced a heroic block to deny Pablo Fornals’ goal-bound effort in the 63rd minute as West Ham continued to press for an equaliser.
But eventually their fightback ran out of juice as Abraham scored twice inside two minutes to seal victory for Chelsea.
First in the 78th minute, the England star t apped home Werner’s pass to ease the growing anxieties.
West Ham believed Abraham was offside — but replays showed they were wrong.
Moments later Abraham was on hand again, finishing from a tight angle as West Ham failed to deal with Mount’s cross.
The striker was all too aware of the importance of the win to Chelsea, saying: ‘ We needed a performance. I need to be in the right places at the right times. We had to stay patient but luckily we got the three points.
‘I need to help the team with either goals or assists, or just by being a threat. I have to keep getting goals, keep being in the right place.
‘ It’s still early doors to be looking at the table. We have to just keep picking up three points.’
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell (Emerson 10); Kante, Jorginho (Kovacic 66), Mount; Werner, Abraham, Pulisic (Havertz 84). Subs not used: Kepa, Rudiger, Christensen, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Gilmour. Booked: None. WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen (Fredericks 90), Noble, Fornals (Benrahma 87); Haller. Subs not used: Martin, Randolph, Yarmolenko, Snodgrass, Dawson, Diop, Johnson. Booked: None. Man of the match: Tammy Abraham. Referee: Chris Kavanagh.