Chelsea beat West Ham 5-0 to move up to seventh place, overtaking Manchester United, and maintain their chances of qualifying for Europe on Sunday.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is working hard to persuade the club’s co-owner Todd Boehly to let him have another season in charge after a difficult first season.
Pochettino acknowledges that it’s not up to him whether he stays, but earning a spot in Europe might be enough to avoid being fired.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead in the 15th minute with his 21st goal of the season, shooting home after West Ham failed to clear.
Conor Gallagher doubled Chelsea’s lead after 30 minutes with a powerful shot after West Ham’s Kurt Zouma deflected the ball towards the midfielder.
Noni Madueke scored Chelsea’s third six minutes later as the winger turned in Thiago Silva’s header from close range.
Nicolas Jackson increased West Ham’s misery in the 48th minute with a simple goal from Madueke’s cross.
The Senegal striker scored again with 10 minutes remaining.
The one-sided loss did little to quiet speculation about the future of West Ham manager David Moyes, who has been criticized by fans for his perceived defensive tactics.
Ninth-placed West Ham has reportedly had discussions with former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui and might choose to replace Moyes, whose contract ends at the conclusion of the season.
AFP