“Chelsea win one and lose one.”

Chelsea (0) 3 v 2 (2) West Ham United

 57 Pedro, assist Fofana                            7 Bowen, assist Wan-Bissaka

 70 Cucurella                                                     36 Summerville, assist Wan-Bissaka

 90+2 Fernandez, assist Pedro

Yellows: Caicedo, Fernandez, Pedro      Scarles, Traore        Ref. Anthony Taylor

Played Saturday 31 January 2026 at Stamford Bridge, attendance undeclared.

This was a game of two halves with Chelsea abysmal in the first half and West Ham United eventually overwhelmed in the second half. It was The Blues first Premier League (PL) win from a 0-2 half-time deficit. The Hammers’ dangers came principally down the right flank with first Jarrod Bowen, and then Crysencio Summerville scoring after assists by right fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Two of the three half-time Chelsea substitutes scored to get the much-improved formation back on equal terms. The cruel winner for Chelsea came in added time with West Ham United down to 10 men after Jean-Clair Todibo rightly received a straight Red Card for trying to throttle Joao Pedro

There was another London Derby involving Premier London Derbies (PLDs) Clubs on Tuesday 03 February when Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in the second leg of the English Football League (EFL) Cup semi-final. The only goal was a very late one by Kai Havertz on 90+7 minutes and added to The Gunners’ first leg 2-3 win at Stamford Bridge for a 4-2 aggregate win and a trip to Wembley on Sunday 22 March 2026.

There Arsenal will meet Manchester City who put out EFL Cup Holders Newcastle United 5-1 on aggregate adding a 3-1 home win to their 0-2 away victory. This will be Manchester City’s 10th EFL Cup Final appearance. They are seeking a Rules change so their recently acquired, but ineligible to play under the current EFL Cup Rules, central defender Marc Guehi (formerly of PLDs Club Crystal Palace) can play in the Final. “Rules are Rules” but is this a test of which type of ”Might is Right”?  

There are no PLDs matches this weekend with 5 of our 7 Cubs away from London, so until next time “Keep Safe” and enjoy your football, Andrew at PLDs.

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