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.
