Saturday 27 December 2014 07:52, UK
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce admitted his side were second best against Chelsea as they were beaten 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The Hammers didn't muster a shot on target throughout the Boxing Day match and conceded goals in either half from John Terry and Diego Costa.
They did improve in the final stages as Chelsea took their foot off the gas but by then it was too little too late, as Allardyce acknowledged.
“Up to 2-0, we didn’t really do anything to affect them enough because of the quality they have got and the fact we didn’t play as well as we know we can,” he told Sky Sports.
“It was a bit of both, a top-quality team playing against us not on top of our game. I said if we were going to get anything against Chelsea, you have to play your best and even then that might not be good enough.
"The best chances for us came after we went 2-0 down which was really our fault and not due to great football from Chelsea."
Particularly frustrating for Allardyce was Chelsea’s first goal from Terry, which came after a corner was flicked on by Costa for the defender to finish from close range.
"It kills me conceded from set pieces because we do markings every week," said Allardyce. "But to be fair we are one of the best at defending them this season, that’s why we are where we are and we are pretty good at scoring them, but it’s pretty disappointing.
"Against a team as good as this, you can’t give them a goal from a set piece. You have so much to worry about in general."
The Hammers’ best moments came late in the match as Morgan Amalfitano headed wide and hit the post.
And Allardyce said it was disappointing his side couldn’t grab a goal and force a nervy finish.
“I am not saying we deserved anything, Chelsea were the better team, but the last 20 minutes when we carved out those chances, you want one to go in and see if they got nervous or not,” he commented.
"It would have been a bit of a smash and grab job that might have upset Chelsea but because one didn’t go in, it’s pretty disappointing. At least we created some good chances late on and didn’t give up."
