Cole Palmer matches Stamford Bridge record held by Chelsea legends Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba after scoring in 5-0 West Ham win

Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer emulated a record held by club legends Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba on Sunday (May 5) as the Blues dismantled West Ham United 5-0 in the Premier League.

Palmer opened the scoring inside 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge before Conor Gallagher and Nodi Madueke also got on the scoresheet to make it 3-0 for Mauricio Pochettino's side heading to the break.

With West Ham struggling to mount a response, a Nicolas Jackson brace made it an emphatic win for the Blues who are fifth in the standings after 35 games. Meanwhile, by scoring on Sunday, Palmer joined Lampard (2009-10) and Drogba (2006-07) as the only Blues players to score 16 Premier League home goals in a season (as per METRO).

If he scores against Bournemouth on the final day on May 19, Palmer will be the standalone holder of the record. Meanwhile, he's now the first player since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (32 goals, nine assists) in 2000-01 to record 30 goal contributions in a season, having scored 21 times and assisted nine.

---

"It was a brilliant game" - Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was undoubtedly pleased with his team's performance in the rousing win over West Ham.

Three days after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at home, the Blues cut West Ham to shreds as they kept back-to-back league clean sheets in a strong finish to what has been a difficult season.

"I'm so happy for the players and staff, " Pochettino said (as per Sky Sports via BBC). "After the victory against Tottenham and to come back again after a few days is very good.

"It was a brilliant game. It was amazing. They reacted in the right way. I was so happy how we competed on Thursday, and we have talented players to create chances and score goals."

He added:

"I wasn't relaxed in the dugout, I wanted to keep a clean sheet. West Ham are a powerful team on set-pieces, and we needed some luck. It was important not just to win the game but also get the clean sheet."

Chelsea next take on Nottingham Forest away on Saturday (May 11). The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge saw Nottingham win by a solitary goal in September, with Anthony Elanga scoring the only goal of the game in the second half.