Things do not get any easier for West Ham United today as they host league leaders, Chelsea. With David Moyes’ side now three games without a win following losses to both Wolves and Manchester City before Wednesday’s draw with Brighton, West Ham need to pull a result out of somewhere in order to keep their momentum going
Chelsea will be looking to stretch their advantage at the top of the Premier League table to four points when they travel to fourth-placed West Ham United this afternoon.
The Blues will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 victory at Watford on Wednesday, while West Ham were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion on the same night.
West Ham have won seven, drawn three and lost four of their 14 Premier League matches this season to collect 24 points, which has left them in fourth position on the table and very much in the mix for a top-four finish.
A win would see David Moyes’s side end the next set of fixtures in the top four regardless of what happens elsewhere.
West Ham suffered a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend but were on the verge of securing a huge three points at home to Brighton on Wednesday, only for Neal Maupay to come up with an 89th-minute leveller for the Seagulls, meaning that Moyes’s team are now without a victory in their last three league encounters.
A victory over Chelsea would lead the Hammers nicely into back-to-back away games against Burnley and Arsenal, but a defeat would certainly leave them vulnerable, with plenty of teams looking to capitalise behind them.
West Ham lost both league matches against Chelsea last season, including a 1-0 defeat at the London Stadium, but they did record a 3-2 victory over the Blues on home soil last July.
Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United in the league last weekend but managed to return to winning ways on Wednesday, recording a 2-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road.
Hakim Ziyech’s effort in the 72nd minute proved to be the difference between the two sides and ensured that the Blues would remain top of the table entering today’s London derby.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are seemingly involved in a three-way title race with second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Liverpool, and the European Cup holders could easily find themselves down in third position if they fail to overcome the Hammers.
Chelsea have a relatively kind festive fixture list, facing Leeds United, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Brighton before the end of the month, but January’s first two league matches are against Liverpool and Man City.
Tuchel claimed that his side were lucky to triumph at Watford on Wednesday, and the German will undoubtedly be looking for an improvement in this weekend’s contest with Moyes’s side.
Seeking to keep the pressure on Chelsea, Manchester City travel to Watford for this evening’s encounter.
The hosts went down 2-1 to the Blues in midweek, while Pep Guardiola’s men saw off Aston Villa by the same scoreline.
The Hornets could not replicate their fast start as Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech won the day for the Blues, who did concede to Emmanuel Dennis’s smart finish.
Claudio Ranieri’s men are now hovering just above the relegation zone in 17th place – three points better off than Burnley, who have a game in hand – but the Hornets can certainly take the positives from their narrow defeat to the European champions.
Defensive deficiencies continue to plague this Watford side, who are yet to keep a clean sheet in the 2021-22 Premier League season, and they welcome City to Vicarage Road having shipped 14 at home already – only Newcastle United have conceded more on their own patch.
Pep Guardiola had two powerful Portuguese efforts to thank as City managed to get over the line at Villa Park, ending Steven Gerrard’s 100 per cent start to life back in the Premier League in the process.
Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva both rifled in eye-catching strikes in the first half before Ollie Watkins replied for Aston Villa just after the restart, and despite coming under siege in the West Midlands, the champions ultimately held on for a precious three points.
Victory at Villa Park marked City’s sixth triumph in a row across all competitions – during which time they have scored at least two goals in every game – and their hot streak sees them hold their second-placed ranking in the table, one point adrift of Chelsea and one clear of Liverpool.
Guardiola’s side also chalked up the latest in a long line of away successes during Wednesday’s clash, as they have now taken 16 points from the last 18 on offer on the road in the top flight, and the champions can feel confident about their prospects of chalking up at least two goals away from home for the fifth game in a row here.
City need no second invitation to hit their merciless best in this fixture, as they won both fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 12-0 in the 2019-20 season and enter today’s game on a 13-match winning streak versus the Hornets since a 1-1 draw in 2007.
