A Boxing Day Knockout Punch

The anticipated Boxing Day boxing clash between east and west London resulted in the Hammers being hammered. It proved to be a mis-match between a rampant heavyweight versus a lightweight, desperately trying to weather the blows and failing to land a punch of their own, except for a decent effort from Amalfitano in the dying seconds.

Although Chelsea will be glad to have negotiated another Premiership hurdle with relative ease, it remains a source of frustration that Chelsea's emphatic superiority in some of their matches does not translate into an equally emphatic scoreline, which would act as an accurate indicator of the team's comprehensive dominance. Admittedly, for the second time in 2014, the Hammers' goalkeeper Adrian had an inspired performance between the sticks at Stamford Bridge which certainly minimised the goals conceded. Obviously it is difficult to legislate for goalkeeping heroics, but Chelsea are still shy in front of goal. The biggest culprit was young Oscar who blazed over from point blank range in the first few minutes. It is absolutely vital to nail those early chances as they can lead to an avalanche of goals or alternatively set the tone for a catalogue of near-misses. Fortunately, el capitano [as Costa calls him] stepped forth to deliver his second goal of the week from a corner kick. Remarkably, John Terry continues to defy age and injury to remain one of the most indispensable players at Chelsea Football Club. England's loss is certainly Chelsea's gain.

Elsewhere, the Blues finally extended their lead in the second half when Diego Costa executed an exquisite solo effort which reminded us all of his skill and expert finishing. It's funny to see our striker totally eclipsing the shambolic efforts of the misfiring Balotelli and Falcao at Liverpoo and ManUre. Only Aguero [or possibly Van Persie] can compare with DC in terms of being the Premiership's best striker this season. May his goals continue to flow in 2015 and beyond for his new club.

Finally, what a pity that the proceedings were a little spoiled by a silly dive from Ivanovic in the penalty area in the first half. Contact seemed minimal and what is more criminal is that the big guy was basically through on goal. He should have stayed on his feet and slotted home, instead of tumbling foolishly to the floor. Oh well, the league leaders must now brace themselves for the challenge of a trip to Southampton. This business of packing in lots of fixtures over the Christmas period is not doing any of the footballers anywhere any favours. There simply is no time to prepare for a vital trip to the south coast. The fixtures schedule is insanity. To think that stupid Richard Scudamore was advocating an extra, 39th fixture for the Premiership is ludicrous in the extreme. Instead, the top tier needs to be trimmed from twenty to eighteen or nineteen teams, but obviously many clubs will refuse to sanction any such improvement. I believe that it would be tantamount to turkeys voting for Christmas. Shame.

CHELSEA 2 West Ham United 0; half time: 1-0. Friday 26th December 2014.

CHELSEA goal scorers: Terry, Costa

CHELSEA team: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Oscar, Fabregas, Willian, Matic, Hazard, Costa. Used substitutes: Drogba, Mikel, Ramires.

CHELSEA LEADING SCORERS:

Costa - 13 goals

Hazard - 9 goals

Drogba - 6 goals

Fabregas, Oscar, and Schurrle - 4 goals

Matic, Remy, and Terry - 3 goals

Ivanovic, Ramires, and Willian - 2 goals