Chelsea vs West Ham: Hammers Looking to Break Stamford Bridge Cold Streak & 5 Other Key Stats

It’s the Frank Lampard derby and these two London-based sides go into Saturday’s game in starkly contrasting form.

Chelsea have won four of their last five matches and continue to defy their pre-season expectations by making a push for Champions League qualification.

West Ham on the other hand have not won a single game since beating Manchester United in September and currently sit just three points above the relegation zone.

Things do not look hopeful for the Hammers but is there anything that suggests Manuel Pellegrini’s side can cause an upset? 90min delved into the stats to find out…

Look Away Hammers Fans

History does not bode well for the east Londoners. The last time they managed to defeat the Blues at Stamford Bridge was in September 2002 when Paolo Di Canio inspired the Hammers to a 3-2 victory.

In the 13 games that have followed, West Ham have drawn four and lost nine. Chelsea will be eager to keep this hot streak alive on Saturday afternoon.

It Gets Worse as Well

As if their historical failures were not enough, West Ham also come into this game in horrendous form.

The Hammers are are winless in their last seven Premier League matches and have lost each of their last three, conceding a trio of goals in each of them.

Twice before they have lost four in a row while conceding at least three goals in every game. If they repeat the feat on Saturday they will become on the first team to suffer this on three separate occasions. Oh dear.

London Calling

Saturday will be Chelsea’s 250th Premier League London derby. The Blues have won more such games than any other side in the competition’s history, and also have the best points-per-game ratio (1.8).

West Ham on the other hand have lost more derbies than anyone else and if they are defeated on Saturday, it will be the 100th defeat to a London-based Premier League side in their history.

Strong Starters

Chelsea have opened the scoring more than any other side in the league this season. However, five of their 11 openers have been netted by Tammy Abraham, who misses out on Saturday’s game through injury.

Whether the Blues can replicate this early success without their talisman remains to be seen.

Blues Better Away

Chelsea surprise success this season has largely been courtesy of their superb record away from home.

The Blues have scored just 32% of their goals at Stamford Bridge and if they keep up this level of performance they are on course to beat Manchester City’s record 34% of goals registered at home during the 2006/2007 campaign.

Hammers Goalkeeping Woes

Roberto’s unsuitability to be a Premier League goalkeeper has attracted a lot of column inches of late but delving into the stats provides the most blatant evidence for how much the Hammers miss Lukasz Fabianski.

West Ham have conceded a goal on average every 41 minutes with their backup in goal (19 in 776 mins) compared to one every 72 minutes with Fabianski between the posts. The sooner the Pole can return to full fitness the better.

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