- Christian Pulisic (90')
- Craig Dawson (86')
Christian Pulisic's late winner earns Chelsea vital victory against West Ham
Can Pulisic nail down a starting spot in Chelsea's XI?
Janusz Michallik speaks after Christian Pulisic's late winner for Chelsea against West Ham.
Chelsea tightened their grip on third place in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over 10-man West Ham United on Sunday, with Christian Pulisic's 90th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge making up for teammate Jorginho's missed penalty.
Substitute Pulisic arrived in the box at the right time to guide home a superb pass by Marcos Alonso shortly after Jorginho had wasted his chance from the spot, firing straight at West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
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West Ham defender Craig Dawson, one of their best players in a much-changed side, was shown a red card after a check by the Video Assistant Referee following a clumsy foul on substitute Romelu Lukaku that resulted in the penalty.
Thomas Tuchel's side ended a run of two straight defeats at home -- against Brentford and Arsenal -- but it is their forward line rather than defence that will concern the manager ahead of their final few matches.
"[Tuchel] just said to make a difference; to combine and make opportunities. It feels good to be more secure in the top four," Pulisic, who replaced Timo Werner in the 76th minute, told Sky Sports postmatch.
"We needed a win at home, and it feels great in front of our fans. We need to finish the season strong ... some good league games and then a final [in the FA Cup against Liverpool]. I needed to come in and make a difference and show I want to be playing."
Seventh-placed West Ham made six changes to their starting line-up with an eye on Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, a competition that offers them their best chance of reaching next season's Champions League.
They looked on course to secure a point after N'Golo Kante's deflected effort and Trevoh Chalobah's rocket from distance drew saves from Fabianski, before Werner fired wide from a tight angle in the second half of a game that had few clear chances.
With the victory, Chelsea move five points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal, with a match in hand against Mikel Arteta's side. They can consolidate their position with a victory over struggling Manchester United on Thursday.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Michael Oliver
English Premier League Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | +56 | 77 |
Liverpool | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | +41 | 74 |
Manchester City | 32 | 22 | 7 | 3 | +44 | 73 |
Aston Villa | 34 | 20 | 6 | 8 | +21 | 66 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | +16 | 60 |
Manchester United | 33 | 16 | 5 | 12 | +1 | 53 |
Newcastle United | 33 | 15 | 5 | 13 | +15 | 50 |
West Ham United | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | -9 | 48 |
Chelsea | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | +4 | 47 |
AFC Bournemouth | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | -11 | 45 |
Brighton & Hove Albion | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | +2 | 44 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 43 |
Fulham | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | -4 | 42 |
Crystal Palace | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | -12 | 39 |
Brentford | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | -7 | 35 |
Everton | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | -12 | 33 |
Nottingham Forest | 34 | 7 | 9 | 18 | -18 | 26 |
Luton Town | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | -28 | 25 |
Burnley | 34 | 5 | 8 | 21 | -32 | 23 |
Sheffield United | 34 | 3 | 7 | 24 | -59 | 16 |