Source: Telegraph
Chelsea 4 West Ham United 1: match report
They are welcoming back their old heroes to Stamford Bridge this week, although welcoming might not be the right word. Gianfranco Zola left the stadium he used to thrill with his side ruthless humbled by a Chelsea team that returned to the top of the league. [LNB]Next, Jose Mourinho and his Internazionale team: that will prove a more rigorous examination than this, surely. [LNB] Related ArticlesTottenham 3 Blackburn 1Stoke 0 Aston Villa 0Premier League tableTelegraph player raterPremier League fixturesSport on televisionChelsea were inspired by a superb Florent Malouda, who made the first two goals and scored the third. The France international was back playing in his favoured role on the left wing, having deputised for the suspended Michael Ballack in midfield against Stoke City last weekend. He destroyed Jonathan Spector, the West Ham United right back, and Zola was even forced to switch Valon Behrami from the left to the right to try and help deal with him. It didn't work. [LNB]The initial mistake for the opening goal came when Spector's loose pass was intercepted by Paulo Ferreira, who put Malouda clear down the left. Spector recovered to tackle but conceded the corner. Malouda took it and West Ham could only half-clear, Frank Lampard working the ball back out to the left so Malouda could have a second bite at the cross. This time he picked out Alex, who, despite being 6'3 and built like a heavyweight, had managed to completely elude West Ham's somnolent markers to place his header past Rob Green. [LNB]With Malouda rampant it looked like Chelsea would ease away from West Ham before the excellent Scott Parker intervened. Kieran Dyer hurled the ball in from the left it was comical foul throw and got it just over the head of John Obi Mikel. Parker took it on his chest, let it bounce and lashed a shot with fade and power into the top corner. Ross Turnbull, making his first league start in the Chelsea goal, had barely got his hands on the ball and there he was picking it out of the net. [LNB]Aside from that, West Ham struggled to build coherent attacking moves. Zola had ill-advisedly chosen to change his whole front line, playing Dyer on the left, Ilan on the right and Mido up front. Dyer is a shadow of his former self, Mido still looks like he could lose more weight and Ilan might politely be described as enigmatic the enigma being how he ever managed to win three caps for Brazil. Ilan's only real contribution was swiping a complete sitter of the bar with the game still scoreless. [LNB]'The reason I changed my strikers is that I wanted to play a more counter-attacking game and needed quick players,' Zola said of the inclusion of Dyer and Ilan. The exclusion of Carlton Cole, no doubt to his great frustration with Fabio Capello watching, was explained by Zola as being down to a knee injury that had allowed him to train just twice last week. [LNB]His namesake, Joe, was also left on the bench and then tried too hard when he finally did get on the pitch. Joe Cole needs unhurried game time if he is to get back to his best and at his rate he is not going to get it. Game by game his World Cup hopes grow fainter. [LNB]He certainly won't be getting in the side ahead of Malouda, not on this form. The crucial second goal, which Zola conceded ended West Ham's resistance, was again made by the Frenchman, 10 minutes into the second half. John Terry came surging forward from the back and drew in Spector and Behrami, which allowed Drogba to work the ball to the free Malouda. Drogba then peeled off the back of Matthew Upson to find the space to head in Malouda's fine cross. [LNB]Pumped up by the goal, Drogba was in full histrionic mode, exchanging words with the Chelsea bench and nagging incessantly at referee Mark Clattenburg. Annoying as he is in this mood, it is often when he plays his best stuff and Upson was struggling to deal with him. For Chelsea's third he chested the ball down to Malouda, who cut inside Danny Gabbidon far too easily and shot low past Green from outside the box. [LNB]Malouda was withdrawn late on, to allow the crowd the chance to give him a standing ovation. 'It was his best performance for us,' Ancelotti said. 'I hope he will play on Tuesday like he played today.' Chelsea still had time to prove they could score without him. [LNB]Frank Lampard sprinted at the West Ham defence and was allowed a sight of goal by Upson's unfortunate stumble flashback to Egypt's goal 10 days ago and while his shot lacked menace, Green contrived to spill it at Drogba's feet. The Ivorian slammed the ball into the empty net for his 27th goal of another productive season. Not exactly convincing from the England goalkeeper and first reserve centre back, though. [LNB]For Chelsea this was an important appetiser ahead of Tuesday's main course. It helped them flush that 4-2 defeat against Manchester City out of their system and, with Internazionale contriving to lose 3-1 against Catania in Sicily on Friday night, they will welcome Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge with confidence. [LNB]
