By Sulaimon Jamiu
Chelsea tightened their grip on third place in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over 10-man West Ham United on Sunday, with Christian Pulisic’s 90th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge making up for teammate Jorginho’s missed penalty.
Substitute Pulisic arrived in the box at the right time to guide home a superb pass by Marcos Alonso shortly after Jorginho had wasted his chance from the spot, firing straight at West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
West Ham defender Craig Dawson, one of their best players in a much-changed side, was shown a red card after a check by the Video Assistant Referee following a clumsy foul on substitute Romelu Lukaku that resulted in the penalty.
Seventh-placed West Ham made six changes to their starting line-up with an eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, a competition that offers them their best chance of reaching next season’s Champions League.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel’s side ended a run of two straight defeats at home, first against Brentford and then Arsenal but it is their forward line rather than defence that will concern the manager ahead of their final few matches.
“[Tuchel] just said to make a difference; to combine and make opportunities. It feels good to be more secure in the top four,” Pulisic, who replaced Timo Werner in the 76th minute, told Sky Sports postmatch.
“We needed a win at home, and it feels great in front of our fans. We need to finish the season strong … some good league games and then a final [in the FA Cup against Liverpool]. I needed to come in and make a difference and show I want to be playing.”
With the victory, Chelsea move five points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal, with a match in hand against Mikel Arteta’s side. They can consolidate their position with a victory over struggling Manchester United on Thursday.
