Chelsea v West Ham United
Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Monday 3 February 2025, 8pm GMT
East London meets west London on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football at Stamford Bridge as West Ham United make the short trip across the capital to take on Chelsea in our ninth London derby of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Graham Potter’s charges go into the contest off the back of earning a valuable Premier League point on the road at Aston Villa on Sunday. The Irons will be looking to turn the tables on the Blues, too, having fallen 3-0 in the reverse fixture at London Stadium in September.
Enzo Maresca's Chelsea occupy sixth position in the Premier League table on 40 points, with the former Irons coach turning the Blues into a young, energetic, entertaining side led by England international Cole Palmer.
Former Chelsea boss Potter, meanwhile, returns to Stamford Bridge hoping to take three points off his former employers, and the 49-year-old will no doubt be eager to prove Chelsea they were wrong to part company with his services.
All signs point to an enticing match-up, then, with both sides aiming to start February on a high note.
Tickets…
The Club’s allocation of 3,065 tickets have sold out. The first 90% of tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 23+ Loyalty Points. The remaining 10% (306 tickets) were then made available by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture.
Travel…
Stamford Bridge is well served by public transport, like most London stadia.
The nearest London Underground station is Fulham Broadway, which is on the District line’s Wimbledon branch. From there, it’s a five-minute wander to the stadium.
Alternatively, one can reach Stamford Bridge by London Overground direct from Stratford, with West Brompton and Imperial Wharf stations on the Clapham Junction route a 15-minute walk away from the ground.
Various buses pass the stadium on Fulham Road, including the 14 (from Euston Square to Putney), 211 (from Waterloo Station to Hammersmith), 414 (from Maida Vale to Putney Bridge), 11 (from Liverpool Street), 28 (from Kensal Rise), 296 (from Ladbroke Grove and Clapham Junction), and 391 (from Richmond).
How To Follow…
Monday’s 8pm kick-off has been selected for live broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports. If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on talkSPORT, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Boss Graham Potter confirmed in his pre-Aston Villa press conference that captain Jarrod Bowen (fractured foot) and fellow forward Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) are being monitored closely ahead of their much-anticipated returns, and the attacking duo could be available to feature at Stamford Bridge, with a decision on their availability likely to be made closer to kick-off.
Niclas Füllkrug is also recovering after suffering a serious hamstring problem picked up in the FA Cup tie at Villa Park, Jean-Clair Todibo has a calf problem and Michail Antonio is unavailable following his car accident towards the start of December.
Dinos Mavropanos is available, having served his suspension from a red card against Crystal Palace, and sitting it out against Aston Villa.
Chelsea will be without midfielder Roméo Lavia, who has a muscle injury, and also centre-back Wesley Fofana, who has a hamstring injury, while Benoît Badiashile has a thigh issue.
Opposition…
Things certainly never seem to be dull over at Stamford Bridge. Following the trophy-filled period under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s prospects were thrown into the unknown when sanctions were placed on the Russian by the UK government following the invasion of Ukraine, and sold the club he had bought in 2003.
Since the 2022 takeover by American investment group BlueCo, Chelsea have spent more than £1.5 billionn on transfers, and have gone from Thomas Tuchel to Graham Potter to Frank Lampard to Mauricio Pochettino and now Enzo Maresca as Head Coach.
Indeed, just as it seemed as though Pochettino had found something - overseeing just one defeat in the final 15 games of the 2023/24 league season, and earning a return to Europe - the former Tottenham boss left by mutual consent in the summer.
And so it is Maresca who will be in the home dugout on Monday, having impressively won the EFL Championship title in his first campaign in English football management with Leicester City last term, after spending some of his formative years in coaching under Manuel Pellegrini with the Hammers.
While the squad turnover has been high, there is no denying that there is serious talent within Chelsea’s playing ranks, with reigning PFA Young Player of the Year Cole Palmer - who notched 25 goals last season after switching from Manchester City - among those to be sure to watch out for.
As we approach the tail end of the 2024/25 season, Maresca has led Chelsea to a relatively successful Premier League campaign so far. The west Londoners currently occupy sixth position in the Premier League table on 40 points, with a drop in form over the festive period simmering down any title aspirations.
There is still a level of expectation across the capital these days, however, and while they strive to get back to the level they had been used to, the main aim for Maresca’s men now is a top-four finish and a place in the UEFA Champions League, while the UEFA Europa Conference League is a trophy Chelsea will fancy their chances of winning this term.
Previous Meetings…
While Stamford Bridge hasn’t been an especially happy hunting ground for West Ham United down the decades, we have enjoyed some memorable days there in the Premier League era, including a vital 1-0 victory achieved in November 2019 through the unlikely source of debutant goalkeeper David Martin and Aaron Cresswell’s right boot.
Prior to that, we also won there in October 1994 (2-1), February 1996 (2-1), March 1999 (1-0) and September 2002 (3-2). However, we have lost on our four most-recent visits, including a 5-0 humbling in May last year.
Before the Premier League’s introduction in 1993, our most memorable visit to Chelsea was a 4-0 First Division victory achieved in March 1986, when Frank McAvennie, Tony Cottee (two) and Alan Devonshire got the goals as John Lyall’s side continued their march towards a record-high third-place finish.
Match Officials…
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistant Referees: Constantine Hatzidakis and Natalie Aspinall
Fourth Official: Gavin Ward
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood
Stuart Attwell has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash away to Chelsea on Monday.
The 42-year-old became the-then youngest referee in Premier League history when, at 25, he took charge of Blackburn Rovers’ match against Hull City in August 2008.
He returned to the National List of Referees in 2012, but was promoted back to the Select Group for 2016/17 and earlier this season took charge of his 200th fixture in the English top flight.
Originally from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Attwell held the whistle during Liverpool’s penalty-shootout win over Chelsea in the 2022 EFL Cup final, and also oversaw Arsenal’s dramatic Community Shield victory over Manchester City in August 2023.
He was the man in the middle of our 0-0 home Premier League draw with Everton in November, and in total he has refereed 23 West Ham matches during his esteemed career, the first being a 1-0 Premier League victory away at Wigan Athletic in March 2009, during which Carlton Cole scored a superb winner for the visiting Irons.
That Everton clash is one of 12 Premier League matches in which Attwell has held the whistle this season, while he has refereed in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying and in the EFL Championship during 2024/25, as well as on the international scene in the UEFA Nations League.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
