West Ham 0 - Chelsea 3: Initial reaction and community rating form

After a long international break following a period of poor form from Chelsea, an early goal or two were something most fans were crying out for. They wouldn't have to wait long, as Frank Lampard scored his 206th Chelsea goal from the penalty spot after Oscar was taken down in the box.

Chelsea continued to be the better side, and could have doubled that lead shortly after the goal. Oscar slid an excellent ball to a wide-open Frank Lampard, but Lamps was unable to finish the golden chance.

Before the end of the half though, Oscar would make it 2-0 with a perfectly placed ball into the corner of the net. That goal forced Sam Allardyce into a first half double swap, and forced West Ham to be a bit more aggressive.

West Ham certainly pushed forward in the second half, with the Blues seeming content to simply sit back and absorb pressure. There would be a few worrying moments along the way, but Frank Lampard eventually put the game to bed with an 82nd minute goal.

Here are a few thoughts now that this one has concluded:

• I know the lineup raised some eyebrows with many, but it made perfect sense when taking West Ham's style into account.
• The early penalty could have been a straight red card, but it was absolutely deserving of at least a yellow. Today was a very bad day for referee's awarding (and not awarding) cards around the league, so I suppose we can expect Mike Riley to have quite a few phone calls to make this week.
• Oscar played like he's been reading the comments here at WAGNH lately. Excellent game overall from the Brazilian.
• Cesar Azpilicueta is quickly making himself one of the mandatory names on Jose Mourinho's team sheet.
• Did anyone really believe we'd ever see all of Michael Essien, Ramires, John Obi Mikel, and Frank Lampard on the pitch at the same time? That's one way to shore up the midfield.
• I hate seeing what Joe Cole has become.
• No Demba Ba appearance would be complete without being caught offside, would it?