Chelsea 3-0 West Ham – Premier League live: Blues run riot at Stamford Bridge with early goals from Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke… plus updates from Brighton 0-0 Villa

Conor Gallagher is having his best season in a Chelsea shirt.

The Blues skipper has now reached seven goals this season following his first-half strike, his best in Chelsea colours.

He managed eight while on loan at Crystal Palace two years ago… if only he didn’t miss that sitter.

What a player Cole Palmer is.

It feels like everything he touches right now turns to gold, and he got the Chelsea show rolling with a brilliant finish today.

As you can see below, he now has 30 Premier League goal involvements this season. Look at some of the names he is being mentioned with!

A nice early birthday present.

It might not be quite what we are witnessing at Stamford Bridge, but that was an entertaining half of football.

In all honesty, Aston Villa haven’t been at the races, but Brighton have.

The Seagulls are looking like a different side and have had the better of the chances, they should be ahead.

It’s beautifully poised for the second half.

Wow, wow, wow!

Robin Olsen has somehow kept the score at 0-0.

Pascal Gross is through on goal, he looks certain to open the scoring, but Olsen scrambles across, gets big, and denies him.

You don’t see many better saves than that!

Chelsea exceptional, and West Ham woeful.

The Blues are really kicking on from their win over Tottenham in style, they are running rampant at Stamford Bridge.

Once Cole Palmer opened the scoring, the floodgates opened and they kept knocking at the door.

Goals from Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke followed, and in truth, they could have had more.

Despite how poor the Hammers have been, Jarrod Bowen has hit the bar twice.

But, the way it’s going, it may only get worse for the Irons…

Lucas Paqueta loves a yellow card, doesn’t he?

Well, he has just got one at Stamford Bridge for practically rugby-tackling Marc Cucurella to the ground.

That’s pure frustration.

West Ham have just three minutes of stoppage time to endure.

Chelsea won’t want to come in for the break, they are having so much fun out there.

The woodwork has been rattled again!

This time it’s a rare forage forward from West Ham and it’s Jarrod Bowen once again.

Dorde Petrovic punches the ball straight into his path, but he leans back and his volley cannons pack off the bar.

What an incredible half of football.

Kathryn Batte, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

It’s turning into one of those afternoons for West Ham. Plenty more goals here for Chelsea if they keep going. The defending at that set-piece for the third was woeful.

How is it not 4-0?

I can’t believe it, Conor Gallagher has just hit the bar from inside the six-yard box.

He latches on to a cross and looks certain to net his second of the match, but he can only find the woodwork with his first-time strike.

West Ham don’t know what has hit them.

Chelsea are on fire!

The Blues are having a party at Stamford Bridge, Noni Madueke nods home to put them three goals to the good.

The credit has to go to Thiago Silva who rises highest from a corner to head back across goal and Madueke is there to flick it home with his noggin.

West Ham are falling apart.

Angelo Ogbonna is having a mare.

He is the first man into the book as he pulls back Nicolas Jackson after being turned.

He is all over the place.

This is a Chelsea team full of confidence.

They look like they are really enjoying themselves out there and they once again put pressure on Alphonse Areola.

The Blues work the ball well over to the right-hand side to Noni Madueke who first straight down the throat of Areola.

At this rate, this could be any number…

Kathryn Batte, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

Ogbonna was with Gallagher there and he let him go to close down Madueke – but Zouma was already there and the two ended up getting in each other’s way. Ogbonna is having to play due to injuries and he’s not having a good afternoon so far…

What a lovely finish that is from Conor Gallagher.

Chelsea have been applying the pressure and they now have their second via a sweetly-timed volley from Gallagher.

It’s a lovely finish, but the build-up isn’t half bad either. Cole Palmer fizzes the ball into Noni Madueke, it bounces off him invitingly for Gallagher to hit, and you know the rest.

That is nothing more than Chelsea deserve.

West Ham finally have a bit of respite.

Chelsea have been hammering at the door since the opening goal, but the Irons have the ball once again.

Wait, just as I type that they give the ball away and Nicolas Jackson races through, but his trike is well stopped by Alphonse Areola.

That would have been a poor goal to concede.

Nicolas Jackson is really getting involved today.

He once again rises highest at the back post to meet a cross with a header, but like before, he heads wide.

West Ham have their backs against the wall here.

Kieran Gill, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

Cole Palmer has now scored 16 goals in all competitions for Chelsea in 2024. Remarkably, all of them have come at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are really in the mood.

First Noni Madueke sees a shot deflected wide for a corner following good build-up play.

From the set-piece, Nicolas Jackson has a free header at the back post but it nestles safely into the hands of Alphonse Areola.

The Blues are looking dominant now.

Nearly an instant response from West Ham!

Chelsea manage to get rid of a Hammers corner but only as far as Jarrod Bowen.

The England international unleashes a thunderous header and it cannons back off the bar.

What a reply that would have been.

He is back in the goals!

Cole Palmer was never going to be kept at bay for too long, and he fires Chelsea into the lead with a lovely first-time finish.

The ball is fired into the area and it comes off Nicolas Jackson’s backside and bobbles towards Palmer, who bends it home.

That’s his 21st Premier League goal of the season.

Chelsea are starting to come to life.

They have finally fashioned a chance and it comes from the boot of Nicolas Jackson.

He makes a smart run to receive the ball from a set-piece before unleashing a strike toward the near post rather than crossing.

It’s a powerful strike, but Alphonse Areola beats it away.

There is a bit more going on at the Amex compared to Stamford Bridge.

After a bright start from Aston Villa, it’s Brighton who have had the biggest chance.

Simon Adingra did very well to take the ball off John McGinn before forcing a strong save from Robin Olsen.

That minute encapsulates Nicolas Jackson as a player.

Following a West Ham corner, Jackson picks up the ball and drives forward, but he tries a spectacular pass and gives the ball away.

Stamford Bridge groans…

The West Ham fans cheer as Edson Alvarez puts in a great challenge on Mykhailo Mudryk.

It comes after a fantastic run from Moises Caicedo that came to nothing, it deserved better.

Kieran Gill, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

Sign in the away end which, testing my eyesight, I think reads: ‘Moyesie. Thank you. Three years in Europe. Champions.’

It’s been a bit of a tame opening few minutes.

West Ham clearly don’t want Chelsea to hit their stride early, they want to take the sting out of the game by holding onto the ball.

This could be a cagey affair.

Here we go then, the ball is rolling in both London and Brighton.

It’s another massive afternoon in the Premier League which will have an impact on European qualification.

Let’s see which teams come out on top…

The atmosphere isn’t exactly rocking at Stamford Bridge.

‘The Liquidator’ is playing as the teams arise from the tunnel, but it’s then rudely interrupted by the Premier League anthem.

I’m really not a fan of that tune!

The Stadium team at Chelsea must have seen my opening post because they are currently playing ‘London Calling’ by the Clash.

It’s a great song, one I listen to on the regular while out for a run, a real motivator. I bet that’s why they are playing it, to motivate the players.

Well, it’s that or it’s just because it’s a belter.

Anyway, the teams are back in the dressing room, and we are just five minutes away from kick-off.

Who’s excited? I know I am!

It was rare to see Cole Palmer draw a blank in front of goal against Tottenham on Thursday.

However, he is still a man chasing history.

If he scores or grabs an assist today, he will become just the seventh player to do so against 14 different Premier League clubs in a season.

What a campaign he is having.

West Ham’s draw against Liverpool last week seems to have papered over the cracks of their recent form.

They have won just one of their last eight league matches, losing three of them

David Moyes’ side has also not kept a clean sheet in their last 15 games in the top flight.

Their last shutout came in a goalless draw against Brighton at the beginning of January.

Kick-off is rapidly approaching, and the excitement is building.

It seems Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta are being put through their paces, they are going to be key for West Ham today.

If Chelsea nullify both of them, they will go a long way toward stopping the Hammers’s creative flow.

If they don’t though, it could be a fun afternoon for the visitors.

It is surprising to see Thiago Silva back in the starting 11, but it’s a nice end to his Chelsea chapter.

Today’s match is Chelsea’s penultimate home fixture this season, meaning Thiago Silva only has two matches left at Stamford Bridge.

The veteran centre-back revealed last week that he will leave the club after four years, so now is his chance to say goodbye.

Will he mark today with a clean sheet?

Kathryn Batte, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

David Moyes has never won an away match at Stamford Bridge so today would be a great time to start. Konstantinos Mavropanos is not fit enough to return to the squad so Angelo Ogbonna keeps his place. West Ham haven’t kept a clean sheet in 15 games and they’ll be hard-pressed to change that today with Chelsea in a good run of form. But we do know West Ham often raise their level for the big games.

I bet these Blues are happy to be back.

Coming off the back of a London derby victory will feel fantastic, and they will be hoping to see their team achieve the same feat today.

It just feels like there’s an extra buzz around Stamford Bridge at the moment, can the Hammers crush that today?

If West Ham win today, they will secure their third league double over Chelsea.

They convincingly beat the Blues 3-1 back in August, despite playing with just 10 men for 30 minutes.

It may be a rare occurrence for the Irons to win at Stamford Bridge, but if they perform like they did that day, they have a shot.

It could be a massive day for them!

Kieran Gill, Mail Sport, at Stamford Bridge:

Christopher Nkunku, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill and Raheem Sterling all on the bench for Chelsea today – big boost for them to be back in contention ahead of the run-in. Thiago Silva starts surprisingly also!

Brighton also make three changes!

Adam Webster, Joel Veltman, and Danny Welbeck all come into the side following their 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

Can this side turn the Seagulls’ fortunes around?

Unai Emery makes three changes from the side that drew with Chelsea last week.

Unsurprisingly, Robin Olsen is in goal, replacing the injured Emiliano Martinez. Diego Carlos and Moussa Diaby also come in.

Pau Torres missed their clash with Olympiacos in midweek but starts today.

I’m not surprised by this at all.

David Moyes has decided to name the same starting line-up that drew 2-2 with Liverpool last week.

Why change a team that played well?

Thiago Silva returns from injury to start against West Ham.

He is the only change Mauricio Pochettino has made from the side that beat Tottenham on Thursday.

However, they have got several players back in the squad. Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku, Malo Gusto, and Levi Colwill all make the bench.

The squad looks a lot stronger!

It’s not just the one 2pm kick-off today.

Not too far away in geographical terms, out-of-form Brighton face Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.

The hosts have been on the beach of late, no, not literally, but they can still pose a threat to anybody on their day.

With Tottenham facing Liverpool later, the Villans can all but seal their European fate with a win today.

They will have to play a lot better than they did against Olympiacos to do so.

We will keep you updated with all the key moments from this one throughout the afternoon.

The challengers have arrived at their rivals’ backyard.

They look raring to go, Jarrod Bowen will be itching to get out there following his goal against Liverpool.

What 11 players will David Moyes pick to do battle for him at the Bridge?

We will find out in just a few minutes!

Stamford Bridge is becoming a tough place to play once again.

Over the last couple of seasons, the old fortress nature of the stadium had withered away – Chelsea began to get beaten at home regularly.

However, in recent weeks, that has changed. The Blues have won eight of their last 10 league matches at the Bridge, losing just one of them.

Pair that with the fact that they have lost just one of their last 17 home league games against West Ham United, today is set up to be a good one for the home side.

That one win for the Hammers did come as recently as 2019 though, so don’t rule them out.

The Chelsea boys are in the building.

It seems as though Cole Palmer is in a very good mood today going by this photo, which could spell danger for West Ham.

With Palmer not scoring against Tottenham in midweek, he will be desperate to get back on the scoresheet – especially after seeing Erling Haaland score four yesterday.

A big afternoon ahead for him and Chelsea.

Local pride is at stake today, as well as European football.

Matches between Chelsea and West Ham regularly serve us a treat, it’s a fierce battle between clubs from either side of London.

It feels like there is a little bit more on today’s match as both teams are still hopeful for a place in the Europa Conference League.

Chelsea currently sit eighth in the Premier League table on 51 points, just three points behind Manchester United who occupy the final European spot.

West Ham aren’t too far behind them, they occupy ninth place at the minute, just two points behind their rivals.

With so much at stake, this one is going to be tasty.

Yes, it really is time for another London Derby.

72 hours ago, Stamford Bridge was on its feet to applaud a wonderful Chelsea performance as they beat bitter rivals Tottenham 2-0.

Well, will be back in their seats again today for another big derby match as the Blues take on West Ham.

It might feel like London clubs collide every week, I mean because they do, but this is a big clash.

Both sides are still gunning for Europe and sit one position and two points apart in the table.

One of their European dreams could end today, but whose will it be? Stay with us and find out…

Right, let’s get cracking then!