Chelsea 1 West Ham 1: Javier Hernandez earns London derby draw as Premier League champions slip up again

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Vaishali Bhardwaj8 April 2018

Javier Hernandez came off the bench to rescue a point as West Ham came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Amid a backdrop of remembrances for Chelsea legend Ray Wilkins, who died earlier this week aged 61, Antonio Conte's men took the lead in the derby clash in the 36th minute when a short corner was played to Alvaro Morata, whose header was tapped in by Azpilicueta.

Despite the hosts dominating for much of the game, David Moyes' decision to send on Hernandez in the 70th minute paid off within just three minutes when he received Marko Arnautovic's cut-back and drove past Thibaut Courtois.

The result means Chelsea now sit 10 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham while West Ham moved six points clear of the relegation zone.

Action Images via Reuters

Much of the pre-match attention had focused on former Chelsea captain Wilkins, who passed away earlier this week after suffering a heart attack. Flowers were laid by fans at the ground before kick-off while supporters queued to sign a condolences book.

There were more tributes to the 61-year-old moments before the game begun, with both teams and both sets of fans observing a minute's applause to celebrate the life of a player who was made Chelsea captain at just the age of 18.

And when the derby got underway, it was clear to see that the Chelsea players were able to put the emotion of Wilkins' death to the back of their minds as they went about dominating the ball and creating the better of the first-half chances.

In Pictures | Chelsea pay tribute to Ray Wilkins | 08/04/2018

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Indeed, Eden Hazard's fourth-minute effort that flew wide and Alvaro Morata's 24th-minute goal, which was rightly ruled out for offside, were big danger signs for a Hammers side fighting against relegation.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte would have been pleased to see his team fighting for every ball after suffering a 3-1 defeat to top-four rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge exactly a week ago.

But the Italian was left with his arms in the air and a look of disbelief on his face when Hazard's low cross from the left was backheeled by Morata toward goal - but instead skimmed just wide of the far post.

West Ham were in part to blame for some of Chelsea's early dominance of the ball, with the Hammers losing possession cheaply on a few occasions.

But Chelsea deservedly took the lead in the 36th minute when, just moments after Joe Hart had produced a superb save to deny Willian, he was left frozen as Azpilicueta's close-range effort flew past him and into the net.

AFP/Getty Images

The opener came from a short corner, which Morata headed into space where Azpilicueta was waiting to drive the ball past Hart.

AFP/Getty Images

It was more of the same from the hosts in the second half, with Willian driving wide and Morata having another goal ruled out for offisde.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard, it appeared as though he had been onside when he shot but West Ham took full advantage of Chelsea's inability to convert their chances as they equalised in the 73rd minute.

Just three minutes after coming on as a substitute, Hernandez restored parity to send the West Ham fans nearby into wild and jubilant celebrations.

Action Images via Reuters

Chelsea captain Gary Cahill failed to clear a cross, which allowed Arnautovic to cut the ball back for Hernandez who got past Cesc Fabregas to finish.

Action Images via Reuters

Chelsea responded through Marcos Alonso, who saw a fine effort saved by Hart, who went on to produce another superb stop to deny substitute Olivier Giroud.

West Ham felt they should have had a penalty for N'Golo Kante's challenge on Arnautovic in the box, but it wasn't given and both teams had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

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