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On this day: Chelsea thrash West Ham United to go top

Sports Mole looks back at Chelsea's 4-1 win over West Ham United in the Premier League in 2010.

On their way to a third Premier League title in five years, Chelsea beat West Ham United 4-1 at Stamford Bridge on this day in 2010, lifting them to the top of the table.

Chelsea's Brazilian player Alex celebrates scoring his opening goal with German midfielder Michael Ballack, Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic, and Ivorian striker Didier Drogba during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and West Ha© Getty Images

Carlo Ancelotti's side had been in strong form heading into the match, and needed just over quarter of an hour to edge ahead against their relegation-threatened opponents as Florent Malouda provided the cross for Alex to head in.

It looked like it could be a tricky afternoon for the Blues, who had Ross Turnbull making his Premier League debut between the posts, as Scott Parker soon got the visitors back on level terms by smashing the ball on the half-volley from outside the box.

Mido and Araujo Ilan both had opportunities to give the Hammers the lead, but they both sliced their finishes well high.

The hosts continued to push in the opening 45 minutes, but a series of saves from Rob Green and some wayward finishing ensured that the teams stayed locked at 1-1 going into the break.

Chelsea were back in front early in the second half though, as Malouda linked up with Didier Drogba, setting up the Ivorian for a tap-in from close range.

Didier Drogba of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on March 13, 2010© Getty Images

Malouda finally scored a goal of his own when Drogba returned the favour, playing a long ball in for the French international, chipping the ball past Green, who was being closely watched by then-England manager Fabio Capello ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

The winger continued to cause problems for Gianfranco Zola's side throughout, crossing in for Frank Lampard late on, only to see his teammate's effort strike the post.

Lampard made amends for the miss late on though as he forced another save from Green, who parried the ball into the path of Drogba, leaving the striker with a simple finish for his 27th goal of the campaign.

The shooting statistics showed Chelsea's dominance, as the home side had 15 shots on target compared with just two from the visitors, while a further seven failed to test Green.

Having headed into the match with a couple of games in hand over Arsenal, who were at the top of the table ahead of kickoff, Chelsea climbed back to the summit, while West Ham were left just three points clear of the bottom three.

Chelsea went on to clinch the league title, which is their most recent to date, just ahead of Manchester United, while Drogba finished the campaign as the league's top scorer.

The title was to be Ancelotti's only league success with the club, as he was fired the following season after failing to defend the crown.

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Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea goes round Marton Fulop of Sunderland to score the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match on January 16, 2010
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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