Didier Drogba struck twice as Chelsea eased their way to victory over struggling West Ham and returned to the top of the Premier League table.Carlo Ancelotti's side were in control from the moment Alex headed them ahead in the 16th minute although Scott Parker's outstanding 25-yard volley gave the visitors hope 15 minutes before the break.
That proved to be short-lived with Chelsea forcing their way ahead through Drogba in the 56th minute and from there the outcome was never in doubt.
Florent Malouda capped a fine individual display with the team's third in the 78th minute before Drogba completed the scoring in the final minute.
REACTION:
Ancelotti insisted he was satisfied as much by his side's performance as he was by the eventual outcome.
"We played a good match," said the Chelsea manager. "We were better in the second half because we improved our play and scored more goals.
"It's important in this moment to come back to play good football and play with good confidence. So I am happy for this, not only for the result. The result is important but it's also important to play good football.
"We did this but we also want to maintain this determination, this concentration, because it's important. Now every game can decide our future."
The Italian singled out Malouda and Ross Turnbull, Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper, for praise and indicated Turnbull will again feature in the coming Champions League meeting with Inter Milan.
"I think that was the best performance from Florent Malouda," Ancelotti added. "He worked well for the team, he did a fantastic assist, he scored a goal, I hope he will play like this on Tuesday. He will not play left back."
And he added: "I don't think that Petr Cech will be able to play on Tuesday but we can play with a good goalkeeper on Tuesday.
"He was not involved a lot of time in the game but he did a good save in the last minute of the match. I think he will play on Tuesday."
Gianfranco Zola said his side were still in the game until the second goal and defended his decision to start with Mido ahead of Carlton Cole.
"We looked okay, we looked in control until the second goal," said the West Ham manager. "I thought at that moment we had a chance. We were keeping control and Scott Parker was dominating the midfield.
"We looked as though we could have got something. But that is the difference with teams like Chelsea, they punish you if you make mistakes. I believe the result at the end is too much.
"I feel sorry for my players because they worked hard for all the game and I don't think they deserved that result."
And he added: "I played Mido because Carlton Cole has been struggling and has trained only twice. And Mido has trained well.
"We are all part of this group. There is nothing wrong if someone else plays. It's not a big deal, not a big issue. I just thought it was a chance to give him a rest and give someone else a chance. In other circumstances maybe I would have played him anyway."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
It's possible the game could have followed a different path if Ilan had not missed a glorious chance three minutes before Alex's opening goal. Possible, but unlikely. Chelsea always looked capable of stepping up their game and while West Ham drew level through the excellent Parker, a home response was not unexpected. Once Ancelotti's side got their nose in front again through Drogba's first goal, the outcome was never in doubt. Zola suggested 4-1 was harsh, but in truth it could have been more.
WHAT IT MEANS:
Chelsea appear to be over their blip and, on the evidence of this game at least, have added confidence and conviction to their play at an important stage of the season. The meeting with Inter will dominate thoughts over the next few days, but when focus returns to the domestic campaign, it seems clear the title race is going to the wire. Drogba played a supporting role yet still scored twice and that has to be a positive sign for Ancelotti. West Ham, meanwhile, are in deep trouble although that was never likely to change after this fixture. They travel to Arsenal for their next game but the real work will begin after that.
QUOTABLE:
"They need to score only one goal, but it's going to be tough because they are playing against a very good side and against a manager who knows Chelsea very well and I'm sure he will be preparing counter measures. So it's a very close match but I would give it slightly to Chelsea."
- Zola backs Chelsea to wipe the smirk off Jose Mourinho's face on Tuesday.
CHELSEA 4 (Alex 16; Drogba 56, 89; Malouda 77) WEST HAM UNITED 1 (Parker 30)
PLAYER MARKING:
Chelsea (4-4-2): Turnbull 6; Ivanovic 6 (Zhirkov 80, 6), Alex 7, Terry 7, Ferreira 6; Ballack 6, Mikel6, Lampard 7, Malouda 9 (Kalou 87, 6); Anelka 6 (J Cole 66, 6), Drogba 9.
Subs (not used): Taylor, Deco, Sturridge, Bruma.
West Ham United (4-5-1): Green 8; Spector 7, Gabbidon 6, Upson 7, Daprela 6; Kovac 6, Parker 8, Behrami 6, Ilan 5 (Diamanti 84, 6), Dyer 5 (Stanislas 68, 6); Mido 5 (Cole 68, 6).
Subs (not used): Stech, McCarthy, Tomkins, Collison.
ATTENDANCE: 41,755
NEXT UP:
- Chelsea v Inter Milan (Home), Premier League, 16/03 1945 GMT
- West Ham United v Arsenal (Away), Premier League, 20/03 1730 GMT
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Florent Malouda (Chelsea): The midfielder has progressed from the role of fringe player this season and this performance underlined why he has become a key member of Ancelotti's first-choice line-up. The Frenchman worked intelligently down the left flank, delivering a succession of telling crosses before moving inside to produce an excellent finish for Chelsea's third goal.
