Andy Carroll looked to have secured three points for the Hammers but Guus Hiddink's men salvaged a draw late on at Stamford Bridge

Cesc Fabregas scored a dramatic penalty with one minute remaining as Chelsea fought back twice to draw 2-2 with West Ham at Stamford Bridge, denying the visitors the chance to move into the Premier League's top four.

Manuel Lanzini's magnificent strike had West Ham in front, but Fabregas scored with a free-kick just before half-time to level matters.

Slaven Bilic introduced Carroll and he converted Dimitri Payet's pass after 61 minutes to seemingly seal victory, but Fabregas intervened with a controversial late spot-kick that was awarded for Michail Antonio's challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

A win would have put West Ham fourth in the table ahead of the meeting between their two closest challengers for a Champions League spot – Manchester City and Manchester United – on Sunday.

nstead, they stay fifth and miss the chance to defeat Chelsea for the first time in 10 attempts at Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas' late strike ensures Guus Hiddink's men avoid what would have been a first defeat in 14 Premier League matches since Jose Mourinho's sacking last December after a 10-day spell that had also seen them crash out of the FA Cup and Champions League.

Loic Remy was handed just his second league start of the season in place of the suspended Diego Costa - with captain John Terry and Oscar also coming into the team - and the forward forced Adrian to get down and save with his legs from a tight angle early on.

But it was the visitors who opened the scoring in stunning fashion after 17 minutes when persistence from Diafra Sakho – one of the visitors' three changes – and Payet opened up space for Lanzini outside the area.

The Argentine did the rest, curling a magnificent strike past the despairing dive of Thibaut Courtois for his sixth goal of the season.

West Ham almost made it two when Sakho's pass was brilliantly flicked on by Payet, but Aaron Cresswell's tame finish was deflected wide by Branislav Ivanovic's block as a key chance went begging.

Willian was just off target with a long-range free-kick at the other end as Chelsea, who had physio Jon Fearn back on the bench for the first time since the Eva Carneiro controversy, looked for a way back into the match.

The equaliser arrived three minutes into first-half stoppage-time from another set-piece. Fabregas stepped up from just outside the box after Winston Reid was booked for a challenge on Oscar and delivered an exquisite strike into the top corner, with West Ham's protests that he had moved the ball back to ensure he had more room ignored by referee Robert Madley.

West Ham were inches away from re-taking the lead when a fast break led to Sakho playing in Cresswell, who lashed an effort against the crossbar from a tight angle.

Bilic brought on Carroll for Sakho and within 84 seconds of being on the pitch, the substitute scored.

A precise pass from in-form Payet sent Carroll through and his first-time, left-footed finish was not cleanly struck but had enough on it to bounce past Courtois.

John Obi Mikel and Fabregas both headed over from close-range opportunities, while the influential Spain midfielder saw an overhead kick fall inches wide as Chelsea tried to find an equaliser.

It was almost game over in the closing stages, but Carroll had a header dramatically cleared off the line from Payet's corner.

That proved decisive when Chelsea were awarded a penalty with one minute remaining. Substitute Loftus-Cheek surged through on goal and went down under pressure from Antonio, with Madley pointing to the spot despite furious West Ham protests.

Fabregas then stepped up and calmly sent Adrian the wrong way to claim a controversial point

•  

   

  The referee blows his whistle for the final time and brings an end to what was a thoroughly entertaining contest! West Ham are surely going to have a lot to say about the penalty that lost them two points, as replays indicate that Loftus-Cheek was just outside of the penalty area when contact was made. They will feel hard by after putting in such a good performance at both ends of the pitch, but the hosts deserve credit too for the vast improvement that they made in the second half, where they looked far better going forward and started to really test the Hammers back line, who struggled under the pressure.
•  

   

  FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 2-2 WEST HAM UNITED
• 90'+5'

   

  Loftus-Cheek goes close! A poor challenge from Reid results in a free-kick for Chelsea, which is taken quickly and sent towards the edge of the West Ham penalty area. The young midfielder breaks into the box before unleashing a thumping low shot, but it's fired the wrong side of the near post and fails to result in a winning goal for the hosts.
• 90'+3'

   

  After what feels like an age, the arguments finally die down and Payet is able to take the free-kick. He steps up and sends a lovely curling strike round the wall of Chelsea players and towards the right-hand side of the net, but Courtois is there to stop the effort with an acrobatic diving save.
• 90'+1'

   

  Yellow Card Francesc Fàbregas i Soler
  Fabregas isn't happy with the referee's decision, so he becomes the latest player to be shown a yellow card. It's heating up on the pitch and the cards are flying!
• 90'+1'

   

  Yellow Card Willian Borges Da Silva
  West Ham are awarded a free-kick just outside of the Chelsea penalty area, and Willian joins Adrian in the referee's book after picking up the ball and thumping it as far away from the visiting players as possible.
• 90'

   

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
• 89'

   

  Yellow Card Adrián San Miguel del Castillo
  Adrian immediately boots the ball away in disgust, and he becomes the latest player to receive a yellow card.
• 89'

   

   

   

  Penalty Goal Francesc Fàbregas i Soler
  GOAL! Chelsea have equalised! Fabregas steps up and sends a wonderfully struck shot past Adrian and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, breaking West Ham hearts so late on in the game!
• 88'

   

  Yellow Card Michail Antonio
  PENALTY! A West Ham attacking move breaks down and Chelsea immediately fly forward on a blisteringly quick counter-attack. Willian sprints through the middle of the pitch before teeing up Loftus-Cheek, and the youngster penetrates the penalty area before being clipped by a clumsy challenge from Antonio, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
• 87'

   

  Off the line! The resulting corner is flung into the middle of the box, where it finds Carroll, but the striker's bullet header fails to find the bottom left-hand corner of the net due to great defending by Traore.
• 86'

   

  Vital interception by Ivanovic! Emeneki charges down the right flank and muscles his way past Azpilicueta with ease before sending an excellent low cross towards Carroll at the back post, but the Serbian is just about able to get a toe on the ball to send it away from the striker.
• 84'

   

  SubstitutionOscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior Ruben Loftus-Cheek
  Loftus-Cheek comes on to replace Oscar for the final six minutes of the game.
• 83'

   

  The ball bounces around the edge of the West Ham penalty area as the visitors try, and fail, to fully clear the danger. It eventually falls to Mikel, who is in a pocket of space just outside of the box, but his first-time volleyed shot is completely scuffed and flies well wide of the goal.
• 82'

   

  SubstitutionManuel Lanzini Pedro Mba Obiang Avomo
  The visitors have made a late change, and, unsurprisingly, it's a defensive one, with Lanzini making way for Obiang.
• 80'

   

  Great save by Courtois! The first corner results in a second, and that one is flung into the heart of the penalty area. Carroll rises high and meets it well before sending a bullet header towards goal, but the Chelsea goalkeeper is able to parry it away with a strong diving save.
• 79'

   

  A half-hearted Chelsea attacking move breaks down, allowing West Ham to push forward on a quick counter-attack down the left wing. Payet picks up the ball on the edge of the penalty area and skips past Ivanovic before firing a shot towards the top right-hand corner of the net, but it takes a slight deflection off the Serbian that sends it looping out for a corner.
• 77'

   

  Yet another opportunity for Chelsea from a set-piece! This time it's Terry who is picked out by another lovely Willian cross, but, after beating Adrian, the captain's headed effort ends up sailing just a yard or so over the top of the goal. The hosts are getting progressively closer to scoring an equaliser...
• 75'

   

  SubstitutionEnner Remberto Valencia Lastra Emmanuel Emenike
  West Ham have made their second alteration, with Emenike coming on to replace Valencia for the final quarter of an hour.
• 74'

   

  Another great chance for Fabregas! Pedro twists and turns on the left-hand side of the West Ham penalty area before chipping a cross over to Oscar at the far post. The Brazilian immediately unleashes a thumping strike that is deflect into the path of the former Arsenal midfielder, whose acrobatic overhead kick ends up sailing over the top of the crossbar by the narrowest of margins. What a goal that would have been!
• 72'

   

  Fabregas goes close! Willian sends a lovely cross into the box from the resulting set-piece and it finds the head of the Spaniard, but somehow he ends up sending his bullet effort just a yard or so over the top of the crossbar from close range.
• 71'

   

  Chance for Oscar! Mikel charges forward after winning the ball back from Cresswell, and he then tees up the Brazilian inside the penalty area. He takes a quick touch before firing a strike, but Ogbonna sticks out a foot to send it looping out of play for a corner.
• 70'

   

  West Ham move the ball around wonderfully well just outside of the Chelsea penalty area before Carroll tries to poke a pass into the path of Antonio, who is in acres of space down the right flank, but it's poorly struck by the striker and ends up rolling out of play before it can find the makeshift full-back.
• 68'

   

  Antonio commits a clumsy challenge as Chelsea try to break down the left wing, resulting in a free-kick for a hosts in a very dangerous position just outside of the box. Willian steps up and curls a great cross into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds Mikel, but the Nigerian's close-range header ends up looping over the top of the crossbar.
• 66'

   

  Cresswell charges down the left flank before sending a wonderful cross into the middle of the Chelsea penalty area, where it's half dealt with by Terry. The captain can only clear the ball to Payet, however, but the Frenchman's thumping strike ends up deflecting off Mikel and into the hands of Courtois.
• 64'

   

  Yellow Card Cheikhou Kouyaté
  Pedro attempts to kick-start a blisteringly quick Chelsea counter-attack as he flies down the left wing, but his good run forward is brought to an end by a cynical challenge from Kouyate, who barges the Spaniard to the ground and receives a yellow card as a result.
• 62'

   

  SubstitutionLoïc Rémy Bertrand Isidore Traore
  Chelsea have made their second alteration of the day, with Traore coming on to take the place of Remy.
• 61'

   

   

   

  Goal Andy Carroll
  GOAL! West Ham are back in the lead! Lanzini and Payet link up wonderfully well in the middle of the pitch before the latter sends a lovely through-ball into the path of Carroll. The striker skips past Ivanovic far too easily and penetrates the penalty area before slotting a wonderful low strike past the outstretched limbs of Courtois and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. What an introduction for the Englishman!
• 61'

   

  Chance for Remy! Pedro twists and turns as he weaves his way down the left flank and towards the West Ham penalty area. He then cuts inside and finds the French striker, who spins round Reid and fires a thumping strike that Adrian does well to parry away with an acrobatic save.
• 61'

   

  Assist Dimitri Payet
  Assist Dimitri Payet
• 60'

   

  SubstitutionDiafra Sakho Andy Carroll
  West Ham have made their first change of the afternoon, with Sakho, whose influence on the game has waned, making way for Carroll.
• 58'

   

  Cresswell hits the crossbar! Chelsea's resulting set-piece fails to result in a chance on goal, and after comfortably collecting the ball, Adrian launches it up to the West Ham left-back. He flies into the left-hand side of the hosts' penalty area before unleashing a thumping strike from close range, and it beats Courtois before hitting the woodwork and bouncing over to the right flank.
• 57'

   

  A half-hearted West Ham attacking move breaks down, and Chelsea immediately fly forward on a swift counter-attack. They fly forward through Remy, who then works the ball out to Pedro, but the Spaniard's first-time cross fails to beat Reid and deflects out for a corner.
• 55'

   

  Ivanovic is continuing to find plenty of joy down the right flank as he puts Cresswell under plenty of pressure, and the Serbian does well to win his side another corner. The first results in a second, which is then sent short to Fabregas, but under pressure from Payet the Spaniard ends up knocking the ball out of play for a goal-kick before he can spin and tee up a teammate.
• 53'

   

  Willian is clumsily tripped to the ground by Kouyate, resulting in a free-kick for Chelsea midway inside the West Ham half of the pitch. It's curled by Fabregas into the penalty area, where it finds Terry in acres of space, but the captain's headed effort is punched away from danger by Adrian.
• 51'

   

  Great opportunity for Oscar! Ivanovic breaks down the right flank before sending an excellent cross towards the back post. It bounces past both Ogbonna and Reid before finding the Brazilian in front of goal, but, despite his best efforts, he's unable to poke his shot into the back of the net.
• 49'

   

  Chelsea scream for a free-kick, but nothing is given! A thumping lofted pass is flung forwards towards the West Ham penalty area, where it finds the hands of Adrian. It initially looks as if he made contact with the ball just outside of the box, resulting in a raucous response from the home fans, but the replays show that he was just inside.
• 47'

   

  Early chance for West Ham! Chelsea are sloppy in possession deep inside their own half of the pitch, allowing the visitors to plough forward on a determined attack. Payet flies into the left-hand side of the penalty area before firing a low cross-cum-shot towards the far corner, but Terry reads the effort well and is there to clear the danger.
• 46'

   

  And we're underway once again!
• 46'

   

  SubstitutionRobert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma
  Chelsea have made one substitution during the half-time break, with Kenedy making way for Pedro.
•  

   

  The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
•  

   

  Both sides can be happy with how they've performed thus far, and both have enjoyed their fair share of chances in front of goal. The early stages of the game were characterised by excellent attacking play by West Ham, but since going ahead they've decided to sit back and soak up the pressure being put on them by a Chelsea side that looked better as the half wore on. By the end they were firmly on the front foot, despite Remy's struggles in front of goal, and Fabregas' wonderful late strike means that it's still all to play for with 45 minutes left to go.
•  

   

  HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 1-1 WEST HAM UNITED
• 45'+3'

   

  Yellow Card Angelo Obinze Ogbonna
  The West Ham players clearly aren't happy with the awarding of the free-kick, and Ogbonna receives a yellow card for his protestations.
• 45'+3'

   

   

   

  Goal Francesc Fàbregas i Soler
  GOAL! What a strike by Fabregas! The Spaniard steps up and curls a beautiful strike from the resulting free-kick that beats Adrian before nestling into the top left-hand corner of the net. What a way to equalise, and at the perfect time too!
• 45'+2'

   

  Yellow Card Winston Reid
  Another lofted pass causes problems for West Ham, and this time it's Reid who is the guilty player. The ball forward from Fabregas isn't dealt with well enough by the centre-back, sending it bouncing into the path of Oscar. The Brazilian picks it up and heads towards the penalty area before being clumsy fouled by the defender, who receives a yellow card as a result.
• 45'+1'

   

  Lovely pass by Willian! The Brazilian picks up the ball in a pocket of space in the middle of the pitch and immediately sends a wonderful ball over the top of the West Ham defence and into the path of Azpilicueta. The left-back, who had made a great run forward, brings it down well before looking to shoot, but he's quickly put under pressure by Antonio and is unable to do so before the ball bounces out of play for a goal-kick.
• 45'

   

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
• 44'

   

  Chelsea are enjoying a good end to what has been a largely frustrating first half for them, but West Ham are now sitting deep inside their own half of the pitch as they look to hold on to their slender lead as we near the half-time break.
• 42'

   

  Ivanovic is finding an increasing amount of joy when breaking down the right wing, and once again he flies forward on a determined run before earning Chelsea a corner. The set-piece fails to trouble the West Ham defence before Willian picks up the ball on the right flank and tries to quickly tee up Fabregas, but his pass forward is poor and misses the Spaniard before rolling out for a goal-kick.
• 40'

   

  So close from Willian! After spending plenty of time eyeing up the target, the Brazilian steps up and fires a lovely strike round the wall of West Ham players and towards the top left-hand corner of the net, but there's slightly too much curl on the shot and it ends up flying a yard or so wide of the near post.
• 39'

   

  Kenedy twists and turns as he weaves his way towards the West Ham penalty area. He beats Noble with ease before taking on Kouyate, but the Senegalese midfielder blocks the youngster's path with a clumsy challenge, resulting in a free-kick for Chelsea in an incredibly dangerous position just outside of the box.
• 37'

   

  Chelsea move the ball around quickly, with Oscar and Fabregas playing an important role in the move before the Brazilian sends a pass out to Ivanovic. The Serbian then tries to fire a low cross into the visitors' penalty area, but Ogbonna is there to cut out the danger with a vital interception.
• 35'

   

  Adrian quickly releases the ball and tees up Payet with a strong throw out to the left wing. The Frenchman controls the ball well and charges down the flank as he tries to beat Kenedy, but the young Brazilian does well to stay close to the attacking midfielder and is eventually able to dispossess him near to the corner flag.
• 34'

   

  Oscar is clumsily fouled on the left wing, resulting in a free-kick for Chelsea. Fabregas steps up and sends a looping cross towards Remy inside the West Ham penalty area, but Adrian does well to rush out and collect the ball before it can find the French striker.
• 32'

   

  So close from Cresswell! Sakho picks up the ball and immediately sends a low pass into the feet of Lanzini, who then tees up the West Ham left-back with a lovely flick. The defender takes his chance well and fires a rocket of a strike towards the bottom right-hand corner of the net, but Ivanovic is just about able to get a toe on the effort to send it bouncing a yard or so past the far post.
• 30'

   

  Good play by Chelsea! The hosts seem to be playing with more confidence now, and they come back at West Ham once again as they continue to put the visitors under pressure. They work the ball around quickly before Fabregas sends a lovely chipped pass into the box, where it finds Remy, but, with his back to goal, the striker is unable to beat Adrian with his deft headed effort.
• 28'

   

  Willian finds himself in a pocket of space just outside of the West Ham penalty area and quickly unleashes a low shot that's deflected out for a corner by Cresswell. The set-piece finds Ivanovic, who then tries to nod the ball down into the feet of Fabregas. It misses the Spaniard but finds Cahill, and the centre-back then chips in a pass that seems to hit the outstretched arm of Valencia. The home players and fans all scream for a penalty but the referee immediately shakes his head and waves play on.
• 26'

   

  Kenedy, who has arguably been one of Chelsea's best players thus far, breaks forward on one of the hosts' first real attacking moves of the game. He weaves his way down the left flank and cuts inside before trying to test Adrian from 30 yards out, but his audacious effort ends up swerving over the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
• 25'

   

  Chance for Kouyate! The resulting corner is swung into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds the big Senegalese midfielder. He comfortably rises high above Mikel and meets the ball well, but he somehow completely scuffs his header and sends it bouncing away from goal. He really should have done better with that opportunity!
• 24'

   

  Payet twists and turns on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area as he once again comes back at the under pressure hosts. He then pokes a lovely through-ball into the path of Sakho, who breaks through the Blues' disjointed back line, but just as he's about to shoot he has the ball stolen from him by a great sliding tackle from Cahill.
• 23'

   

  Noble sends an excellent pass up to Valencia, which finds the Ecuadorian the right side of Azpilicueta. He quickly spins and picks out Payet just outside of the Chelsea penalty area, but the Frenchman's first-time volley ends up spinning a few yards wide of the near post.
• 22'

   

  Chelsea come back again quickly through Ivanovic, who picks up the ball on the right before cutting inside and unleashing a thumping strike from 30 yards out. It's completely overhit, however, and sails comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
• 21'

   

  Good play by Kenedy, who muscles his way past Payet and into the left-hand side of the West Ham penalty area before earning the hosts a corner. After plenty of pushing and shoving, the set-piece is finally sent in by Willian, but Adrian is there to beat everybody to the ball before punching it out to the right wing.
• 19'

   

  West Ham quickly win back the ball before charging down the right wing through Payet, who then earns his side another corner. It's curled low and hard into the heart of the penalty area, but it flies just past Sakho before Cahill is able to thump the ball away from danger with a vital clearance.
• 17'

   

   

   

  Goal Manuel Lanzini
  GOAL! What a stunning strike by Lanzini! The ball bobbles around inside the Chelsea half of the pitch, with Sakho and Valencia doing well to nod it away from the Blues' back line. Payet then charges towards the edge of the penalty area before Mikel's sliding tackle is poked back to the Argentine attacking midfielder, who immediately unleashes a beautiful curling shot that flies past the fingertips of Courtois and into the back of the net. What a way to take the lead!
• 15'

   

  Yellow Card Branislav Ivanović
  With just 15 minutes on the clock, Ivanovic becomes the first player to earn a yellow card after cynically tripping Payet to the ground. The Serbian had been beaten by the Frenchman, who was then sent flying by the outstretched foot of the Chelsea right-back.
• 13'

   

  And now Mikel misplaces a pass and allows West Ham to come back at Chelsea once again. It's not been a particularly good start to the game for the hosts, who look solid enough defensively but are struggling to find a way out of their own half of the pitch.
• 11'

   

  A half-hearted West Ham attack breaks down midway inside the Chelsea half of the pitch, and Willian immediately tries to kick-start a counter-attack with a pass over to the left wing. However, once again, it's poorly hit by the Brazilian and is easily cut out by Kouyate.
• 9'

   

  Good feet by Adrian! Payet sends a dangerous back-pass to the West Ham goalkeeper, causing him all kinds of problems. He does a few keepy-uppies to get the ball under control before blasting it away from danger, just as Willian tries to close him down quickly.
• 7'

   

  A loose pass from Antonio rolls straight into the feet of Willian, who is in a dangerous position midway inside the West Ham half of the pitch. The Brazilian immediately tries to chip the ball up to Remy, but, luckily for the Hammers' makeshift left-back, it's poorly hit and bounces out of play.
• 6'

   

  Cresswell breaks into the left-hand side of the Chelsea penalty area and quickly fires a low cross towards the near post that is poked out for a corner by Fabregas. The set-piece initially fails to result in a chance on goal before the left-back tries to pick out Payet, but the attacking midfielder is unable to make contact with the ball and it rolls out of play for a goal-kick.
• 4'

   

  Chelsea move the ball around wonderfully well in the middle of the pitch before Fabregas sets up Kenedy with a lovely pass down the left wing. The Brazilian flies forward and picks up the ball before cutting a great pass over to Remy, but his run was slightly too early and he's flagged offside just as the Frenchman is about to shoot.
• 2'

   

  West Ham quickly win possession and break away on a swift counter-attack through the middle of the pitch. Lanzini charges towards the Chelsea penalty area before trying to tee up Valencia, but his mistimes his pass ever so slightly and the linesman's flag is raised for offside as a result.
• 1'

   

  And we're off! Chelsea get us underway, attacking from right to left.
•  

   

  The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
•  

   

  Meanwhile, West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has also decided to make three alterations to the side that featured in Sunday’s 1-1 draw away to Manchester United, with Darren Randolph, Emmanuel Emenike and Andy Carroll making way for Adrian, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho, respectively.
•  

   

  Guus Hiddink has decided to make three changes to the Chelsea side that started the 2-0 defeat against Everton in the FA Cup last weekend, with John Terry, Oscar and Loic Remy coming into the starting line-up to replace Nemanja Matic, Pedro and Diego Costa, the latter of whom is suspended.
•  

   

  West Ham United substitutes: Randolph, O’Brien, Oxford, Obiang, Song, Emenike, Carroll.
•  

   

  West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Adrian; Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble; Valencia, Lanzini, Payet; Sakho.
•  

   

  Chelsea substitutes: Begovic, Rahman, Traore, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Pedro, Pato.
•  

   

  Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Mikel; Willian, Oscar, Kenedy; Remy.
•  

   

  There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
•  

   

  It won’t be easy, however, as they will have to try and find a way past a West Ham side that have looked excellent in recent weeks and, as a result, are on course to qualify for the Europa League for the second season in a row with what could end up being their highest Premier League finish since 1999. Victories against Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton mean that the Hammers start the day with a three-game winning run under their belts, and another here today will send them above Manchester City - for now at least - and into fourth place, a position that fans wouldn’t have thought possible in their wildest dreams when Slaven Bilic took over the club in June. The Croatian has done a fantastic job since taking over from Sam Allardyce and his side will no doubt be full of confidence about their chances of beating a Chelsea team that, despite performing much better over the past few months, still look a shadow of their former selves.
•  

   

  After suffering a truly dreadful first half of the season under the not-so-watchful eye of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea have looked far better since Guus Hiddink took control in December, and the Dutchman has done an excellent job at steadying the ship. As a result, they are unbeaten in all of the 13 Premier League games that he has overseen, sending them 15 points clear of the once looming relegation zone and up to 10th place. However, the Blues are still finding wins hard to come by and have managed just five since the start of the year, although three of those have come in the past month. Whilst a top-four finish is arguably well out of their reach with only nine games left to play, the objective now seems to be to finish as high as possible as they aim to end a forgetful campaign on as much of a positive as possible.
•  

   

  Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.