Three things we learnt from Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over rivals West Ham

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West Ham struggle for potency without a firing Carroll

It’s no secret that Andy Carroll poses a huge threat in front of goal for West Ham, with the tall England striker’s physicality able to pose problems against the Premier League’s best sides.

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Yet, despite scoring just under 20% of the Hammers goals in the league this season (6), Chelsea did extremely well to execute a game plan against Carroll last night, keeping him subdued throughout.

It wasn’t for the lack of trying by the hosts, however, who attempted 32 crosses at London Stadium on Monday night yet only found a West Ham man on the end of it on six occasions. Antonio Conte had clearly done his research on the Hammers prior to the match, and David Luiz and Gary Cahill set up a master-plan from the back which, ultimately, worked in nullifying West Ham’s largest threat.