Chelsea 5-0 West Ham: Blues boost European chances with drubbing of Hammers

Cole Palmer matched the record for the most goals scored by a Chelsea player at Stamford Bridge in a single Premier League season, scoring at home for the 16th time as the Blues comfortably defeated West Ham United 5-0 in their quest for European football.

Mauricio Pochettino has guided his team to score 24 goals in their last seven matches at Stamford Bridge, leading up to another crucial London derby.

Following a promising start, Chelsea took the lead after 15 minutes when Alphonse Areola's hand was not enough to prevent Palmer's close-range shot from hitting the back of the net.

Despite Jarrod Bowen's header hitting the crossbar at the other end, Chelsea dominated the game and extended their lead when Conor Gallagher scored with a volley from inside the box.

West Ham struggled to keep up, and Chelsea capitalized on their chances to make it 3-0 before halftime, with Thiago Silva's header finding Noni Madueke who headed the ball into the net.

Before halftime, there were more scoring opportunities, with Gallagher and Bowen both hitting the crossbar from close range, but the match seemed all but decided at the break.

Any hopes of a West Ham comeback were quickly extinguished within three minutes of the second half, as Nicolas Jackson scored easily from Madueke's pass, making him the fourth different goalscorer for the hosts.

The visitors had multiple opportunities to score, but their lack of efficiency frustrated the supporters. Emerson Palmieri missed a promising chance by shooting over the goal, while James Ward-Prowse's free-kick was saved by Đorđe Petrović. Surprisingly, Bowen's shot deflected off the crossbar for the third time before Jackson scored at the other end, managing to stay onside. This added to West Ham's already miserable day.

Chelsea's victory in their seventh win out of eight home Premier League games moves them up to seventh place in the table. They are now just two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United, showing a strong momentum as the season progresses.

On the other hand, West Ham's manager, David Moyes, may be facing the end of his second era at the club. The defeat has put their European ambitions in jeopardy, leaving them hanging by a thread.