A lacklusture Chelsea performance was rewarded with goals from Thiago Silva and Tammy Abraham as the Blues ground out a 3-0 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Having lost their last two in the Premier League, Frank Lampard and his boys needed to get back on track and they did so against their London rivals with Silva’s powerful header on 10 minutes bringing forth the ideal start after Declan Rice had a goal ruled out for offside.
The game descended into a very drab affair short on quality soon after that dramatic opening. However, two sharp finishes from Abraham (78, 80) in two minutes sealed the three points for the Blues as they ultimately moved above Tottenham, into fifth, while West Ham will spend Christmas in 10th spot.
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Watch the highlights of the match below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQ_pVlZdBg
“We’d dropped off slightly and it was important in this game we came back,” said Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
“There were loads of things for the team to show their character – we want more.”
Chelsea’s left-back Ben Chilwell suffering an ankle injury early on in the game, was a minor blemish on the evening for Lampard, who also has right-back, Reece James, out with a knee problem.
“We hope both their injuries are not that bad and they will be in and around it for those Christmas fixtures,” he said.
Burnley 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: The Clarets move out of the drop zone after win against Wolves
Ashley Barnes scored his first goal in over a year as Burnley beat Wolves 2-1 at Turf Moor to move three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Sean Dyche’s side managed a very impressive win over Nuno Espirito Santo and his boys to continue a run that has seen them lose only once in their past seven games and are unbeaten in four matches.
Barnes put the hosts ahead with a header at the back post after connecting with a cross from Charlie Taylor following a swift counter-attack in the first half.
Chris Wood then added a second from close range to double Burnley’s advantage as Wolves failed to clear a free-kick after the break.
Wolves did manage a consolation though but were unable to pile pressure to at least get a point from the match.
It is only the second time Burnley have scored more than once in a top-flight game this season, and they could have had more.
In contrast, Wolves struggled to seriously trouble a resilient Clarets back four before their late spot-kick and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side remains 11th in the table.
Burnley climb to 16th, with a game in hand on those around them.
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