Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea has played great football in the past few weeks. Since getting demolished by Arsenal in a 5-0 loss, the Blues have won two consecutive London derbies. Their first one came against Tottenham Hotspurs, where they handed Ange Postecoglu’s men a 2-0 defeat. Riding high on confidence after the win against Spurs, Chelsea invited West Ham United to Stamford Bridge and handed them a 5-0 defeat.
The win against their London rivals has helped the club get to seventh place in the Premier League standings. Chelsea looked like a team on a mission as they never left their foot off the gas till the final whistle. Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson were the goal scorers on the evening. Every player on the team made great contributions, resulting in one of the best wins of the season for Chelsea.
West Ham United have been a very difficult side to beat this season. Considering Chelsea’s inconsistencies, no one expected the Blues to be at their dominant best on the evening. But the Blues followed up their performance against Spurs with yet another brilliant display to keep their hopes of a European place alive.
Can Chelsea make it to Europe through the league this season?
Chelsea’s brilliance in the last two games has helped them stay in contention for a European spot. The Top 4 looks almost impossible, but the Blues could make it to the Top 6 and qualify for the Europa League competition. They are now just two points behind Newcastle who are currently sixth with 56 points. The Magpies have three games left to play, one of which is against Manchester United.
United are eighth in the standings, but they could displace Chelsea to take the seventh spot with a win against Crystal Palace today. What makes the fight for Europe interesting is that United could seal their place in the Europa League with an FA Cup final win against Manchester City. But if they were to lose, that spot could go to the team that finishes sixth in the standings.
As it currently stands, Chelsea could be in the UEFA Conference League, but with three more fixtures to go, the Europa League is not a distant dream. Looking at the way Chelsea has played in the past games, one would expect them to bag wins against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth. Mauricio Pochettino has finally got the team under his control and is making them play great football. He has a few players back from injury and will be hoping that they contribute in the remaining three games to help his team make it to Europe next season.
