Nicolas Jackson’s double seals emphatic win for Chelsea against West Ham

The miserable denouement to David Moyes’s time at West Ham stands in stark contrast to ­Mauricio ­Pochettino’s increasing joyfulness on the other side of the capital. European football is on the cards after Chelsea cruised through their second ­London derby in the space of three days and, for all the doubts hanging over Pochettino’s future, it would surely go down as an act of extraordinary self-sabotage if the Argentinian’s bosses make a change this summer.

The main takeaway from this 5-0 win over a supine West Ham is that something is beginning to stir at Stamford Bridge. Instead of ­crumbling after last month’s 5-0 defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea have responded by dominating Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham. Far from shrinking, these young ­players are starting to grow and mature. Above all, they are starting to ­resemble a proper team and, after a season so full of turbulence, the wisest thing that Chelsea’s owners can do now is accept that Pochettino is the man to bring coherence to their £1bn project. Continue reading...