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Now unbeaten in seven league games under Avram Grant, Chelsea continue their post-Mourinho progress, that leaves them poised for a mid-season push on the leaders. Some residual issues remain with their home form - six of their last nine games at Stamford Bridge have been drawn - but their dominance away from home (Derby was their fourth consecutive win on the road), suggest a return to their belligerence of old might be just around the corner, a theory given greater weight by their emphatic mid-week Champions League win in Rosenborg.

In particular, Grant will be looking for a return to their flawless 11 game 2005/06 home season record against the division's top-half, a key feature of that season's title win. In stark contrast last campaign, they drew 7/9 such games and their failure to beat Everton last time out at the Bridge suggests they're still struggling to impose themselves over good opposition like they used to.

And whilst they only sneak into the top-half category (they are 10th), West Ham have won more league games than Chelsea (nine wins to eight) since the Blues won the last meeting between these clubs (4-1) at Upton Park, despite playing two games fewer (17 to 19).

Equally, they've been formidable Big Four opposition so far under Alan Curbishley. The first team in Premier League history to double both Manchester United and Arsenal in the same season, it gave West Ham half the available points (12/24) from their eight games against the Big Four over 2006/07. That said, of the Big Four, Chelsea have presented by far the biggest obstacle  - West Ham themselves doubled in consecutive seasons since promotion.

However, they arrive at the Bridge unbeaten in five - partly thanks to Robert Green's last minute penalty save against Spurs on Sunday - and happy from the memory of their most emphatic Premier League away win (5-0) at Derby on their last trip. It was their third away victory of the season - already only one shy of last season's total - having also taking maximum points from both Reading and Birmingham. Chelsea have had the fewest +2.5 goal games (3) of any Premier League club this season, passing the mark only twice at the Bridge. Equally, since the start of last season, two thirds of Chelsea's home games against top half opposition (8/12) have had two goals or fewer.

West Ham haven't been throwing the goals around either, their 13 games yielding +2.5 goals only five times - and six of their last eight games against the Big Four have been settled by a single goal - four of which have been 1-0 West Ham wins.

Indeed, all of West Ham's last six away victories have been to nil. In fact, when they concede, they lose - the last time they were breached but not beaten was at Blackburn, 11 away games ago.

The last nine sides to go to Chelsea on a five-game unbeaten streak have all failed to score. West Ham's last draw in the league at a Big Four ground was over eight years ago in a stalemate at the Bridge in 1999.

In the last four seasons in games at the Bridge following a Champions League encounter, Chelsea have managed only five half-time leads, going in level in 17 of the 22 games. In contrast, they have been in front at the break in 55% of the rest of their home games in that time. In their title winning seasons, Chelsea won 16 of 20 games at the Bridge in which they did not have a half-time lead. Since the beginning of 2006/07, it is just four of 12 (eight drawn).

West Ham are one of only 11 sides to take the lead at Stamford Bridge in Chelsea's current 69-game unbeaten Premier League run at home. In those matches Chelsea have trailed for under three hours in total, equalising within 20 minutes in nine of the 11 and within 10 in 5/11.