It is like running into a brick wall, right now, playing this Chelsea team. A beautifully constructed brick wall, obviously. Not one slung up by a couple of navvies looking to take an early cut over Christmas. This is a wall of great precision and craftsmanship, of sound foundations and excellent structure. West Ham came here in good form, with half an eye on an upset, and bounced straight off Chelsea. They hit a post through Morgan Amalfitano in the 87th minute, but barely threatened before that. Leaders Chelsea recorded their third straight 2-0 Premier League victory on Boxing Day against London rivals West Ham . Chelsea were in complete control from start to finish as they eased past West Ham at Stamford Bridge . Diego Costa feels right at home at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard has scored nine goals and had one assist in his eight home league games this season. Not starting two of your best players does not help — but it is hard to imagine even Alex Song and Diafra Sakho would have made an enormous difference, so tight is this Chelsea unit. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce elected to introduce them in the 59th minute and in the 62nd Chelsea scored their second. They could have had many, many more. Chelsea had 28 shots, of which nine were on target and Adrian, West Ham’s goalkeeper, was arguably the man of the match. Jose Mourinho is getting huge performances out of his players and even the goals were events, of a sort. John Terry scored in consecutive games for the first time since August 2006 — against Greece for England and Manchester City for Chelsea — while Diego Costa marked a return to form with an absolute peach to confirm victory in the second half. John Terry gave his side the lead in the first half at Stamford Bridge when he converted from close range on the half hour mark . The Chelsea captain prodded home from two yards out after a corner was flicked on into his direction at the near post . Terry turns away to celebrate his second goal in as many games after setting Chelsea on their way to a win at Stoke on Monday . Terry celebrates his goal in the 31st minute at Stamford Bridge with Spanish duo Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas . Chelsea: Courtois 6.5, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7.5, Azpilicueta 7, Fabregas 7, Matic 7.5, Willian 6.5 (Ramires 86), Oscar 6.5 (Mikel 83), Hazard 6.5, Costa 7 (Drogba 83). Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Schurrle. Goals: Terry 31, Costa 62. West Ham: Adrian 7.5, Jenkinson 6.5, Collins 6, Reid 6, Cresswell 6, Nolan 5.5, Noble 5.5 (Song 59, 6), Kouyate 5, Downing 5.5 (Amalfitano 74, 6), Carroll 5 (Sakho 59, 5.5), Valencia. Subs not used: Jarvis, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen, Cole. Booked: Collins, Cresswell, Reid. Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland). Attendance: 41,589. Ratings by NEIL ASHTON at Stamford Bridge . Cesc Fabregas, whose heat map is displayed above, produced another dominant performance in central midfield for Chelsea - CLICK HERE FOR MATCH ZONE . Costa’s form has dipped of late and he had scored one goal in his last six appearances going into this match. As strikers feed off confidence, the sight of him taking three West Ham defenders out of the game in one swift goalscoring movement will not make comfortable viewing at Southampton, where Chelsea are due next. Yet this was not just about the matchwinners. The usual suspects in the supporting cast — Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard — maintained their extremely high standards, while Willian was tireless, perhaps the hardest worker on the field. Last to play at the weekend, first out this Boxing Day, Chelsea showed no signs of festive fatigue. Mourinho said he does not have a grand plan for this holiday season, and takes each game on merit. Maybe this optimism will catch up with his players come January 1 at White Hart Lane, but this was another display that had the mark of champions. Allardyce needs to beat Arsenal on Sunday for his own strategy to be deemed successful. Leaving out Song and Sakho weakened West Ham and the first half confirmed that. For a team in fourth place who had outplayed Manchester City in October, they were never in contention and lucky not to be out of the game at half-time. Branislav Ivanovic was involved in a flashpoint towards the end of the first half after taking a tumble in the West Ham penalty area . The Serbian defender went down in the penalty area in first-half injury time and that sparked a furious reaction from West Ham's players . Chelsea defender Ivanovic goes to ground after a challenge from West Ham striker Andy Carroll . The goals came a distance apart, after 31 and 62 minutes, illustrating Chelsea’s control, but it was the sheer weight of opportunity that should impress. Allardyce prides himself on constructing robust defensive units, but a conservative estimate suggests Chelsea had 15 chances that could have produced goals, including long-range free-kicks and a series of stunning saves by Adrian. David de Gea is not the only Spanish goalkeeper in top form in the Premier League right now. Cesc Fabregas made 103 passes against West Ham on Saturday, almost double any other player on the pitch. This was the eighth most in Premier League history. So, yes, Chelsea should have had more, but that is the only quibble. It was certainly not for want of trying. One day they will catch a team when it all goes right and will run up a rugby score. As it was, two were enough. Terry must really like this time of year. His last three Premier League goals for Chelsea have all come in December — spread across more than a year — although there were just four days between his last two. On both occasions, they were the all-important deadlock breakers, and particularly vital on Friday after so many misses. How he must have enjoyed scoring it in front of those mocking him in the away enclosure, too. West Ham players felt Ivanovic tried to trick referee Michael Oliver into awarding Chelsea a penalty while the Serbian thought he was caught . Carroll and Ivanovic exchange words as a number of players from both sides join in the debate . West Ham's Adrian, Aaron Cresswell and Kevin Nolan join Chelsea striker Costa in trying to separate the arguing pair . West Ham players help Ivanovic to his feet after they felt he dived in an attempt to win a penalty . Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (left) and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce (right) issue instructions to their teams . It was a typical Chelsea move — brains and brawn. An intricate build-up climaxed with Hazard surging into the area and winning a corner from a frenzied scramble. Fabregas curled it in, Costa flicked it on and Terry popped up, two yards from goal, to tap the ball past Adrian — powerless, for once. The second came shortly after Allardyce had made his big changes, rather negating their impact. Cheikhou Kouyate lost the ball in midfield, Hazard pounced, played it through to Costa and he took a trio of West Ham defenders out of the equation before finishing with a shot low across his body. He has been missing a few of late, and he did here as well, but that was a goal of the highest quality, in tune with Chelsea’s performance. The last time West Ham came to Stamford Bridge, the match finished goalless and Mourinho accused Allardyce of taking football back two centuries. He says he regrets such harshness now but, despite West Ham’s lofty position, the present was still an awkward place to be for Allardyce’s men. They spent most of it chasing Chelsea, often with limited success. Sharper finishing and a lesser display from Adrian could have ended in a horrid humiliation, and the opportunities are truly too numerous to record in detail. Let’s just say there were chances for Oscar (fourth minute), Gary Cahill (10), Oscar (16), Cahill (21), Oscar (27), Willian (29), Matic (34), Costa (39), Costa (42), Hazard (52), Willian (55), Costa (65), Oscar (67), Matic (68), Fabregas (69), Oscar (71, twice) and Hazard (81). Apologies if some are missing. It was like trying to count a shoal of fishes. Costa scored on the hour as he fired into the far corner beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian to double Chelsea's lead at Stamford Bridge . Costa celebrates his 13th goal of the Premier League season that gave Chelsea a two-goal cushion over West Ham . A minute applause is observed to mark a 100 Years since the Christmas Truce in WW1 before the game at Stamford Bridge . West Ham poked fun at Jose Mourinho's '19th century football' jibe last year by posting this picture on Twitter before the game . Chelsea supporters, including one dressed like Santa, watch the Boxing Day action at Stamford Bridge . Former Arsenal team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song embrace after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge . Of those, at least six were kept out by the magnificent Adrian. He charged down a close-range shot from Cahill, a low effort after a forward run from Willian, tipped round from Matic 20 yards out, frustrated Hazard cutting inside, flicked over an Oscar free-kick and cleared off the line after Matic tried to replicate Terry’s opener. West Ham had the odd attempt, but their only scoring chance came with three minutes remaining. Mourinho is rare among managers in stating he loves the festive fixture pile-up, and lists it as one of the elements of the English game he most missed while abroad. One can see why. There was no question of him resting players, even after the battering Hazard received at Stoke, and no sign of fatigue as Chelsea left the pitch. Frank Lampard, recalling his time under Mourinho, said there were occasions when the players felt so confident, they could have gone out again a few hours after the final whistle. This looked like one of those days. The brick wall stood unmoved at the end, as West Ham wondered what had hit them.
Chelsea secure their third straight Premier League victory on Boxing Day at Stamford Bridge .
John Terry scored his second goal in as many games to give Chelsea the lead in the first half .
Diego Costa's strike in the second half secured a win for Jose Mourinho's side over West Ham .
Terry and Nemanja Matic impressed for Chelsea while Adrian did his best to keep them out .
It is like running into a brick wall, right now, playing this Chelsea team. A beautifully constructed brick wall, obviously. Not one slung up by a couple of navvies looking to take an early cut over Christmas. This is a wall of great precision and craftsmanship, of sound foundations and excellent structure. West Ham came here in good form, with half an eye on an upset, and bounced straight off Chelsea. They hit a post through Morgan Amalfitano in the 87th minute, but barely threatened before that. Leaders Chelsea recorded their third straight 2-0 Premier League victory on Boxing Day against London rivals West Ham . Chelsea were in complete control from start to finish as they eased past West Ham at Stamford Bridge . Diego Costa feels right at home at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard has scored nine goals and had one assist in his eight home league games this season. Not starting two of your best players does not help — but it is hard to imagine even Alex Song and Diafra Sakho would have made an enormous difference, so tight is this Chelsea unit. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce elected to introduce them in the 59th minute and in the 62nd Chelsea scored their second. They could have had many, many more. Chelsea had 28 shots, of which nine were on target and Adrian, West Ham’s goalkeeper, was arguably the man of the match. Jose Mourinho is getting huge performances out of his players and even the goals were events, of a sort. John Terry scored in consecutive games for the first time since August 2006 — against Greece for England and Manchester City for Chelsea — while Diego Costa marked a return to form with an absolute peach to confirm victory in the second half. John Terry gave his side the lead in the first half at Stamford Bridge when he converted from close range on the half hour mark . The Chelsea captain prodded home from two yards out after a corner was flicked on into his direction at the near post . Terry turns away to celebrate his second goal in as many games after setting Chelsea on their way to a win at Stoke on Monday . Terry celebrates his goal in the 31st minute at Stamford Bridge with Spanish duo Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas . Chelsea: Courtois 6.5, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7.5, Azpilicueta 7, Fabregas 7, Matic 7.5, Willian 6.5 (Ramires 86), Oscar 6.5 (Mikel 83), Hazard 6.5, Costa 7 (Drogba 83). Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Schurrle. Goals: Terry 31, Costa 62. West Ham: Adrian 7.5, Jenkinson 6.5, Collins 6, Reid 6, Cresswell 6, Nolan 5.5, Noble 5.5 (Song 59, 6), Kouyate 5, Downing 5.5 (Amalfitano 74, 6), Carroll 5 (Sakho 59, 5.5), Valencia. Subs not used: Jarvis, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen, Cole. Booked: Collins, Cresswell, Reid. Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland). Attendance: 41,589. Ratings by NEIL ASHTON at Stamford Bridge . Cesc Fabregas, whose heat map is displayed above, produced another dominant performance in central midfield for Chelsea - CLICK HERE FOR MATCH ZONE . Costa’s form has dipped of late and he had scored one goal in his last six appearances going into this match. As strikers feed off confidence, the sight of him taking three West Ham defenders out of the game in one swift goalscoring movement will not make comfortable viewing at Southampton, where Chelsea are due next. Yet this was not just about the matchwinners. The usual suspects in the supporting cast — Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard — maintained their extremely high standards, while Willian was tireless, perhaps the hardest worker on the field. Last to play at the weekend, first out this Boxing Day, Chelsea showed no signs of festive fatigue. Mourinho said he does not have a grand plan for this holiday season, and takes each game on merit. Maybe this optimism will catch up with his players come January 1 at White Hart Lane, but this was another display that had the mark of champions. Allardyce needs to beat Arsenal on Sunday for his own strategy to be deemed successful. Leaving out Song and Sakho weakened West Ham and the first half confirmed that. For a team in fourth place who had outplayed Manchester City in October, they were never in contention and lucky not to be out of the game at half-time. Branislav Ivanovic was involved in a flashpoint towards the end of the first half after taking a tumble in the West Ham penalty area . The Serbian defender went down in the penalty area in first-half injury time and that sparked a furious reaction from West Ham's players . Chelsea defender Ivanovic goes to ground after a challenge from West Ham striker Andy Carroll . The goals came a distance apart, after 31 and 62 minutes, illustrating Chelsea’s control, but it was the sheer weight of opportunity that should impress. Allardyce prides himself on constructing robust defensive units, but a conservative estimate suggests Chelsea had 15 chances that could have produced goals, including long-range free-kicks and a series of stunning saves by Adrian. David de Gea is not the only Spanish goalkeeper in top form in the Premier League right now. Cesc Fabregas made 103 passes against West Ham on Saturday, almost double any other player on the pitch. This was the eighth most in Premier League history. So, yes, Chelsea should have had more, but that is the only quibble. It was certainly not for want of trying. One day they will catch a team when it all goes right and will run up a rugby score. As it was, two were enough. Terry must really like this time of year. His last three Premier League goals for Chelsea have all come in December — spread across more than a year — although there were just four days between his last two. On both occasions, they were the all-important deadlock breakers, and particularly vital on Friday after so many misses. How he must have enjoyed scoring it in front of those mocking him in the away enclosure, too. West Ham players felt Ivanovic tried to trick referee Michael Oliver into awarding Chelsea a penalty while the Serbian thought he was caught . Carroll and Ivanovic exchange words as a number of players from both sides join in the debate . West Ham's Adrian, Aaron Cresswell and Kevin Nolan join Chelsea striker Costa in trying to separate the arguing pair . West Ham players help Ivanovic to his feet after they felt he dived in an attempt to win a penalty . Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (left) and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce (right) issue instructions to their teams . It was a typical Chelsea move — brains and brawn. An intricate build-up climaxed with Hazard surging into the area and winning a corner from a frenzied scramble. Fabregas curled it in, Costa flicked it on and Terry popped up, two yards from goal, to tap the ball past Adrian — powerless, for once. The second came shortly after Allardyce had made his big changes, rather negating their impact. Cheikhou Kouyate lost the ball in midfield, Hazard pounced, played it through to Costa and he took a trio of West Ham defenders out of the equation before finishing with a shot low across his body. He has been missing a few of late, and he did here as well, but that was a goal of the highest quality, in tune with Chelsea’s performance. The last time West Ham came to Stamford Bridge, the match finished goalless and Mourinho accused Allardyce of taking football back two centuries. He says he regrets such harshness now but, despite West Ham’s lofty position, the present was still an awkward place to be for Allardyce’s men. They spent most of it chasing Chelsea, often with limited success. Sharper finishing and a lesser display from Adrian could have ended in a horrid humiliation, and the opportunities are truly too numerous to record in detail. Let’s just say there were chances for Oscar (fourth minute), Gary Cahill (10), Oscar (16), Cahill (21), Oscar (27), Willian (29), Matic (34), Costa (39), Costa (42), Hazard (52), Willian (55), Costa (65), Oscar (67), Matic (68), Fabregas (69), Oscar (71, twice) and Hazard (81). Apologies if some are missing. It was like trying to count a shoal of fishes. Costa scored on the hour as he fired into the far corner beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian to double Chelsea's lead at Stamford Bridge . Costa celebrates his 13th goal of the Premier League season that gave Chelsea a two-goal cushion over West Ham . A minute applause is observed to mark a 100 Years since the Christmas Truce in WW1 before the game at Stamford Bridge . West Ham poked fun at Jose Mourinho's '19th century football' jibe last year by posting this picture on Twitter before the game . Chelsea supporters, including one dressed like Santa, watch the Boxing Day action at Stamford Bridge . Former Arsenal team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song embrace after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge . Of those, at least six were kept out by the magnificent Adrian. He charged down a close-range shot from Cahill, a low effort after a forward run from Willian, tipped round from Matic 20 yards out, frustrated Hazard cutting inside, flicked over an Oscar free-kick and cleared off the line after Matic tried to replicate Terry’s opener. West Ham had the odd attempt, but their only scoring chance came with three minutes remaining. Mourinho is rare among managers in stating he loves the festive fixture pile-up, and lists it as one of the elements of the English game he most missed while abroad. One can see why. There was no question of him resting players, even after the battering Hazard received at Stoke, and no sign of fatigue as Chelsea left the pitch. Frank Lampard, recalling his time under Mourinho, said there were occasions when the players felt so confident, they could have gone out again a few hours after the final whistle. This looked like one of those days. The brick wall stood unmoved at the end, as West Ham wondered what had hit them.
recorded their third straight 2-0 Premier League victory on Boxing Day against London rivals West for England and Manchester City for Chelsea — half. John Terry gave his side the lead in the his second goal in as many games after setting supporting cast — Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, the first half after taking a tumble in the West to double Chelsea's lead at Stamford Bridge . West Ham poked fun at Jose Mourinho's '19th