Chelsea v West Ham: Premier League – live! | Football

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Well this is very touching. It’s been about 10 months since I last saw a colleague, let along hugged one.

Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham of Chelsea embrace each other as they warm up wearing t-shirts with the Support Someone Else message as part of a campaign against mental illness and loneliness prior to the Premier League match against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

By my count Chelsea make three changes: in come Azpilicueta, Jorginho and Abraham, and out go James, Havertz, and Giroud. West Ham bring in Balbuena and Noble and leave out Diop and Benrahma.

2.03pm EST
14:03

The teams!

The team sheets have been handed in, and the names in the frame this evening are these ones:

Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Jorginho, Kante, Mount, Werner, Abraham, Pulisic. Subs: Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Christensen, Kovacic, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Gilmour, Havertz, Emerson Palmieri.
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Noble, Fornals, Haller. Subs: Yarmolenko, Benrahma, Snodgrass, Dawson, Diop, Fredericks, Martin, Johnson, Randolph.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.

5.15am EST
05:15

Hello world!

After successive defeats in Merseyside and the Midlands this is the first of six successive London-based games for Chelsea, whose only away assignments between now and the trip to Leicester in a month’s time take them to Arsenal and Fulham. Their home form has been more than decent – a win here would take them to second in the home table, a draw to third, though Liverpool’s 100% home record makes everyone else look pretty feeble – and they have lost just one of their last 14 home games against West Ham, albeit that it was their last one, which the Hammers won 1-0 last November with an emotional David Martin keeping a clean sheet on his debut for the club, aged 33. West Ham have won their last two away games, both in Yorkshire, and really shouldn’t be troubled by feelings of inferiority against a side that sits only one point and two places above them at kick-off. Chelsea would go fifth if they win tonight, and West Ham could go sixth (though they’re likely to have to win by two or more goals to do so).

This is what Stamford Bridge looks like this evening. Ruddy magnificent, basically. You should see my lawn at the moment: an absolute embarrassment. More of a swamp, really. If you happen to be Chelsea’s groundsman, and you’re going to be in Finchley any time soon, do drop me a line.