Moises Caicedo reveals Chelsea's target for the remainder of the season as Blues cling on to top-four place after coming through 'tough' period

Chelsea approached the West Ham game on Monday after a series of disappointing results, having won just one of their previous seven league outings. The Hammers further rubbed salt into the wound when Jarrod Bowen handed the visitors a first-half lead at Stamford Bridge. The Blues, however, responded strongly after the break, as Pedro Neto's equaliser and Aaron Wan-Bissaka's own goal helped the English giants get back to winning ways and reclaim their position among the top four teams.

After a brilliant performance against the Hammers that earned Caicedo the Player of the Match award, the Ecuadorian midfielder said: "The most important thing was the performance. The team is happy and we want to continue like this. We are really together and working hard every day. The last couple of games have been tough for us but we reacted so well last night and got the three points.

"It was really important because we needed this victory to get our confidence higher. So I think it was really good, even if we were 1-0 down. The team was good and we showed good character. It was a great win for us. We were working for this and we got it yesterday."

He added: "The team showed our character in the second half. We talked between us in the dressing room. We wanted to win this game and then showed our full worth in the second half. We reacted really well. The manager said, 'Just be relaxed, we are doing well, the goal is going to come, stick to the plan and we will get the win'.

"It was frustrating to be behind because we were dominating the game, but the team stuck to the plan like the manager said. We showed our character in the second half and got the three points."

Speaking on the club's target for the 2024-25 campaign, Caicedo added: "It was really important to get back into the top four. We are in the fourth position and we are happy. We want to keep working hard to keep ourselves up there, that’s it. We always get more confidence when we win a game, it’s very important for us to get the confidence higher. The team is so happy, now we’re going to keep working hard to stay there."

Enzo Maresca's side will be back in action this Saturday as they take on Brighton in a fourth-round FA Cup clash.