Chelsea have sacked manager Liam Rosenior after just 107 days in charge.
The former Blues boss had a great start to life at Stamford Bridge, impressing in his early games.
One of those games was a 3-2 victory against West Ham United. The Hammers led 2-0 at half-time before goals from João Pedro, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández meant they left Stamford Bridge empty-handed.
But after a desperate run of results that has seen Chelsea fail to score in their last five league games, the Blues have parted ways with Rosenior – which could be a blessing for West Ham.
Chelsea have a surprisingly important role to play in West Ham’s relegation battle run-in. The Blues still have to play two of the Irons’ relegation rivals.
They play Nottingham Forest in their next league game on Monday, May 4. Just under two weeks later, they face Tottenham Hotspur in their second-last game of the season.
Those games are huge for West Ham, and it looks like Chelsea have axed Rosenior at just the right time.
Callum McFarlane will take charge as interim head coach, and hopefully the Blues will experience a new-manager bounce of sorts to get positive results against Forest and Spurs.
He will also oversee his side’s FA Cup clash against Leeds United at Wembley Stadium later this month. If the Blues get to the final of the cup, their league form may not be a priority, which could be a concern for Hammers fans.
McFarlane previously took charge of Chelsea’s first team in January, following the departure of Enzo Maresca. He managed the side in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City and a 2-1 loss at Fulham.
West Ham need to pick up points in their last five games to have a chance of staying up. But if Chelsea and McFarlane can do them some favours in the run-in, it would go a long way.