Chelsea cut the lead on top of the Premiership to three points behind Manchester United with a 4-1 victory against West Ham United. A first-half brace from Shaun Shaun Wright-Phillips put Chelsea on their way to victory before efforts from Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba after the break sealed the three points. A 35th minute goal from Argentine Carlos Tevez proved to be a consolation for the Hammers Coach Jose Mourinho brought five new faces into his starting eleven. Wright-Philips confirmed the quality of the Blues' bench as he put his team ahead with a beautiful solo effort that ended with a quality drive. The celebrations were shortlived as Tevez fired a powerful shot that was let in strangely by Petr Cech.
Gerrard Once again Chelsea showed what character they have as Wright-Philips met Wayne Bridge's cross with a right-foot volley to restore his team's lead. Kalou stretched the lead with a third goal after putting the ball back in the net following efforts from Frank Lampard and Drogba. The latter just needed a moment of inattention from Lucas Neill to punish West Ham by scoring the fourth past Paul Green to kill any hopes of a comeback for the home side. Elsewhere, Liverpool restored third place from Arsenal with a 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough, courtesy of a Steven Gerrard double. Blackburn Rovers also came out victorious as they cruirsed past Watford with a 3-1 win.
