Picture beginning to look much brighter for Chelsea

It has taken 11 months and 17 matches but Chelsea have done it. A deserved victory last night brought them their first away win in the league since last April and carried them to within four points of a place in the Champions League.

Goals from Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink inside seven first-half minutes proved sufficient to see off a West Ham side who defended poorly and offered little in response.

For Claudio Ranieri, who found Chelsea 17th when he officially took over, the picture is looking brighter. Given that West Ham had won only once in the league since St Stephen's Day and their manager Harry Redknapp had described this as a game his side could have done without four days before the FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham, Chelsea must have fancied their chances.

Yet apart from a long-range volley wide by Slavisa Jokanovic the visitors struggled to create clear openings. West Ham's plans were disrupted by the departure of Stuart Pearce because of injury inside a quarter of an hour.

Joe Cole, back from an ankle injury, did provide the odd spurt of inspiration for West Ham but Chelsea looked comfortable at the back until they survived two close shaves inside a minute just before the half-hour.

How Cole wasted the first chance was remarkable, somehow hitting the bar from around four yards after Carlo Cudicini had parried an Ian Pearce header. Almost immediately Rigobert Song's flying header from a Cole cross flashed wide.

But just as it seemed West Ham might gain the upper hand, Chelsea scored twice in seven minutes. Gudjohnsen got the first, picking up a pass from Jesper Gronkjaer on the edge of the area and taking advantage of West Ham's failure to close him down to fire past Shaka Hislop.

A similar lapse almost allowed Hasselbaink to double the lead before the Dutchman did get on the scoresheet aided by more poor West Ham defending.

Gustavo Poyet headed a lofted Frank Leboeuf pass into Hasselbaink's path and he beat Christian Dailly before scoring with a fine shot from outside the box. With Chelsea now in complete control, Gronkjaer shot over.

Redknapp sent on Kaba Diawara at the interval in place of his earlier substitute Sebastian Schemmel in an attempt to pep up their performance.

But Chelsea soaked up all West Ham could offer and continued to look the more likely scorers. Hasselbaink wasted a chance and Gudjohnsen, put through by Hasselbaink and too quick for Dailly, should have done better than poke the ball wide when one on one with Hislop.

WEST HAM: Hislop, Potts, Stuart Pearce (Schemmel 11), Ian Pearce, Song, Dailly, Cole, Soma, Lampard, Suker (Bassila 72), Di Canio, Schemmel (Diawara 46). Subs Not Used: Bywater, Camara. Booked: Lampard, Suker.

CHELSEA: Cudicini, Leboeuf, Desailly, Ferrer, Le Saux (Terry 87), Jokanovic (Dalla Bona 83), Wise, Stanic (Poyet 23), Gronkjaer, Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Knight. Booked: Ferrer, Gronkjaer. Goals: Gudjohnsen 32, Hasselbaink 38.

Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).