LONDON - Frank Lampard scored his 200th Chelsea goal as his side beat West Ham United 2-0 yesterday to snatch third place in the Premier League from faltering London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham's 1-0 loss at home to Fulham opened the door for Chelsea and they took full advantage by recording a victory that lifted them to within four points of second-place Manchester City.
Lampard broke the deadlock against his former club West Ham in the 19th minute at Stamford Bridge, springing to head Eden Hazard's dinked cross into the top-right corner.
The England midfielder, 34, now stands only two goals behind Bobby Tambling in the list of Chelsea's all-time top goal-scorers.
Hazard added a delightful second goal five minutes into the second half, exchanging passes with Juan Mata on the right and drifting past Winston Reid before drilling a left-foot shot into the bottom-right corner.
Fulham dealt Spurs' challenge for a Champions League place another setback by condemning Andre Villas-Boas' side to a second consecutive Premier League defeat.