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Cole scores West Ham's first. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association Images
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: West Ham v Chelsea, Premier League

Can the Pensioners register their first goal under Rafa Benitez at Upton Park?

WE’VE GOT A London derby in the early kick-off.

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West Ham 3-1 Chelsea

Good afternoon, all. There’s a busy day of Premier League football ahead with eight games to attend to. First up, Chelsea’s visit to Upton Park.

It’s fair to say Rafael Benitez has endured a difficult start to his Chelsea tenure and consecutive 0-0 draws have only given fans more reasons to express their discontent.

Having seemingly shored up their defence, the Spaniard will be looking for them to register the first goals of his reign in this London derby.

Benitez is also reaquainted with an old rival in the shape of Big Sam Allardyce. The pair have gone head-to-head in the past as managers of Liverpool and Bolton respectively.

The teams are in. For Chelsea, Juan Mata and Victor Moses are in for Oscar and Ryan Bertrand while Jon Obi Mikel replaces Oriol Romeu. The Hammers play Carlton Cole as a lone striker as Andy Carroll is injured.

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O’Brien, Tomkins, Noble, O’Neil, Nolan, Jarvis, Cole. Subs: Spiegel, Taylor, Diame, Maiga, Spence, Fanimo, Moncur.

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole, Mikel, Ramires, Moses, Hazard, Mata, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bertrand, Romeu, Oscar, Marin, Piazon.

We’re up and running and Chelsea, wearing their white and navy away strip, have earned a corner straight from kick-off. It is cleared by the home side, however, who are in their home colours of claret and blue.

West Ham have been positive in the opening eight minutes. Both full-backs, Ireland’s Joe O’Brien and Guy Demel, are getting forward while Matt Jarvis has been trying his luck against Cesar Azpilicueta.

A free-kick from the halfway is lofted into Winston Reid, who heads back across goal. Kevin Nolan attempts to get on the end of it but concedes a foul for pushing in the process.

GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Chelsea (Juan Mata)

The goalless run is over. Two of Benitez’s compatriots, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata, combine to score Chelsea’s first goal since the Spaniard took charge. Victor Moses finds Torres down the right channel and he cuts back for the former Valencia star to side-foot home first time.

Mark Noble takes out Eden Hazard before telling referee Martin Atkinson: “Oi, he fell over!”. West Ham come away with the ball from the resulting free-kick but Ramires robs it and plays in an unmarked Moses. He shoots on sight, getting the connection all wrong and slicing it wide.

After a scramble in the Chelsea box, they break at speed with Ramires. He finds Torres but the misfiring frontman can only sky the shot over the bar. It’s sad that we’ve almost come to expect him to miss the target these days.

Torres then plays a heavy pass to Hazard after getting to the end line.

Here’s that Mata goal:

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Gary Cahill does terrifically to recycle a cleared corner and get it back into Hazard. whose quick footwork earns him a couple of yards out. An effort with his left foot is struck cleanly and flies a couple of yards too high.

The home side then have the ball in the back of the net but James Collins is rightly punished for climbing on Branislav Ivanovic. Ten minutes until the break

Mata has just been prevented from doubling his tally by a combination of Jussi Jaaskelainen and O’Brien. Moses leaves Demel for dead and picks out his team-mate. who sees his first attempt kept out by the West Ham stopper. The Irish defender then throws himself at the second try.

Half-time: West Ham 0-1 Chelsea

Petr Cech takes a big risk by leaping over Gary Cahill and punching the ball clear – outside his box. He earns himself a yellow card and hands the opposition a decent chance from 18 yards out.

James Collins’ shot ricochets into the air and Cech has to be at his best to tip over a Kevin Nolan header. It’s the last piece of action as the whistle has gone to signal the break.

Second half, here we go…

Allardyce has brought Mohamad Diame on for James Tomkins in the only change at the interval.

Matthew Taylor feeds Matt Jarvis and his clipped cross is headed over by Carlton Cole. They didn’t get the big striker involved nearly as often as they should have in the opening 45.

Substitute Diame’s shot rockets off a Chelsea body from 15 yards but the spell of pressure ends when Nolan is penalised for standing his ground in front of Cech. Harsh decision.

A Taylor cross causes all sorts of problems for the Chelsea defence. Kevin Nolan has a shot blocked then Gary Cahill throws himself at the ball and takes a kick to the face from Carlton Cole for his troubles.

They’re knocking on the door now. Nolan comes close again then his curling pass is just over the head of Cole. Much better from the hosts.

GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Chelsea (Carlton Cole)

Did I say it was coming? A first Premier League goal of the season for Carlton Cole against his former team. Jarvis’ cross is deflected and the striker squeezes a header inside Cech’s post.

Chelsea applying some pressure at the moment but aren’t finding joy in the final third. It looks as though Oscar is about to be introduced by Benitez.

Jaaskeleinen then throws the ball straight to Hazard who attempts a cheeky lob from distance but gets his angles wrong.

That’s the Belgian’s last involvement as he is off for Oscar.

The equaliser:

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Marko Marin gets 12 minutes to impress. The German has been brought on for Moses.

How West Ham aren’t ahead I don’t know. Cech beats away a Jarvis strike then Ashley Cole makes a last-ditch clearance off the line.

GOAL! West Ham 2-1 Chelsea  (Mohamed Diame)

Deary me, they’ve gone ahead. O’Brien clips to Cole, he lays off to Diame and the substitute smashed the ball past Cech.

Cole, named man of the match by the stadium announcer, is off in place of Modibo Maigo as West Ham look to see the win out.

GOAL! West Ham 3-1 Chelsea (Modibo Maiga)

Ashley Cole with a suicidal ball which Maiga intercepts. The Malian feeds Taylor and while Cech palms away his strike, Maiga makes no mistake.

The Hammers fans sing ‘sacked in the morning’. Stranger things have happened.

Full-time: West Ham 3-1 Chelsea

Euphoria for the home fans, despair and disbelief is what the visiting supporters must be feeling. They weren’t happy with Benitez’s arrival and they certainly won’t be singing his praises now.

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