Jackson scores twice as Chelsea routs West Ham 5-0

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea routed West Ham 5-0 in the Premier League on Sunday to boost its chances of qualifying for Europe next season.

Nicolas Jackson scored twice at Stamford Bridge as Mauricio Pochettino’s team moved up to seventh in the standings and two points behind sixth-place Newcastle.

The win maintained Chelsea’s impressive recent scoring run at home, taking its total to 22 goals in the last six league games in front of its own fans.

“It’s true last season was tough for everyone here and to turn the feelings and performance this season is difficult,” Pochettino said. “We needed time for everyone to trust in the process and we have recovered good feelings at Stamford Bridge.”

Chelsea was 3-0 up at halftime after Cole Palmer scored his 26th goal of the season in all competitions in the 15th minute. Conor Gallagher volleyed in a second in the 30th and Noni Madueke headed in the third six minutes later.

Jackson scored in the 48th and 80th minutes to take his season’s tally to 16 and three in his last two games.

The victory meant Chelsea recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time since January.

The loss for West Ham means it is likely to miss out on Europe, with the result leaving David Moyes’ team in ninth, five points behind Chelsea, with only two games remaining this season.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer