Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were on target as clinical Chelsea swatted aside West Ham 2-1 to take a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Two of Chelsea’s three Premier League defeats this season were away London derbies – to Arsenal and Tottenham – but the Blues saw out a win despite a late strike from Manuel Lanzini.
Moses enjoyed a good spell on loan at West Ham last season and but for Antonio Conte, may now be playing on a permanent basis at the London Stadium.
Conte decided to keep the Nigeria international at Stamford Bridge instead and what an inspired decision that has proved to be.
Buoyed by the new contract he signed last week, Moses was a constant menace as Chelsea’s right wing back and combined well with Pedro in front of him.
But his best contribution was defensively as he blocked Sofiane Feghouli’s shot in the second half from crossing the line.
Some West Ham fans even applauded Moses off when he was substituted with 14 minutes remaining.
Chelsea give Carroll a bloody nose
From the moment he was declared fit after a month out with a groin injury, Chelsea knew what West Ham’s game-plan was going to be.
They have been vulnerable to crosses in the air for a few months now and Andy Carroll has enjoyed facing the Blues before – he scored home and away against them last season.
In the opening stages, there was no doubt that his presence alone was unsettling Chelsea’s backline.
West Ham crossed the ball into the box at every opportunity, but Chelsea managed to always get a head in the way.
Of all people, Moses won a key challenge ahead of Carroll early on which left the latter needing treatment on a cut to his face.
It summed up the night as Chelsea seemed to always be able to get their blow in first.
Antonio is key for West Ham
West Ham fans have already come to appreciate Michail Antonio’s consistent displays this term, but they will probably appreciate him even more in his absence tonight.
The 26-year-old had to sit out the match through suspension having been sent off for two yellow card offences against Watford.
It was Antonio’s work-rate and quality that really was the difference between the two sides when West Ham beat Chelsea in the EFL Cup five months ago.
Without him, the home side looked list-less for long periods and surrendered without putting up much of a fight.
The good news for the Hammers is Antonio will be back to face AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
Kante is so good, he can even pass to himself
Yet another stunning outing from the Chelsea midfielder, who laughably cost them just £32m from Leicester last summer.
It is already looking like one of the best deals not just of the season, but in Premier League history given the huge impact he’s had at Stamford Bridge.
Once again at London Stadium, he was everywhere. Winning possession and finding a team-mate with a simple ball.
It was his quick interception that sparked Chelsea’s thrilling break for their opening goal.
But the moment that summed up his evening, was when he sent a 25 yard pass into acres of space and was the first player on the pitch to reach it.
No fan trouble, but West Ham still have cause for concern
On the plus side for West Ham, there was little of the crowd trouble that overshadowed their victory over Chelsea in October – apart from one fan who had to be pulled away as Chelsea celebrated Hazard’s opener.
Unlike that Autumn evening, far better arrangements had been made inside the stadium, with a healthy gap between the two sets of supporters at the away end.
Now they have sorted this kind of thing out, West Ham have the far harder task of turning this ground into a fortress.
Chelsea are now the ninth team to have won here this season and it was noticeable how quickly the atmosphere deflated once the visitors went in front.
There is an air of resignation about this place at the moment and it is nowhere near as intimidating as the Boleyn Ground used to be.
Evening Standard
