Sam trusts boys to come through

Sam Allardyce is full aware of the dangers lurking around Stamford Bridge as he takes his born-again Irons into the Boxing Day clash.

The Hammers manager said: “Chelsea can beat you five or six-nil on their ground but we’re enjoying our football this year and enjoying our Christmas a lot more than we enjoyed Christmas last year.

“We’ve got the two hardest games over 48 hours over Christmas – Chelsea away and Arsenal at home is a big demand for us, even though we’re on top of our game at the moment.

“Getting through these two games is going to be a tremendous effort for all the players selected, and hopefully they’ll come through for us as they have done for most of this season.”