West Ham United winger Dimitri Payet. (Photo : Getty Images)
Last season's English Premier League winners Chelsea FC (10-9-10, 40 points) will surely not defend their crown this year, but they are currently enjoying a 13-game unbeaten streak in the domestic top flight with interim manager Guus Hiddink.
The Blues will next face possible Champions League qualifiers West Ham United FC (13-6-10, 49 points) at their home stadium of Stamford Bridge on Saturday, March 19th for a 2015-2016 Premier League season game.
Chelsea's last game in the EPL is a 1-1 draw with middling club Stoke City FC also at the Stamford Bridge on March 5th, as per Goal.
Burkinabe winger Bertrand Traoré scored the opening goal for the Pensioners at the 39th minute to gain the lead after the first half of play.
The defending champs looked headed to a fourth straight win as they still had the one-point lead late in the game, but the Potters were able to level the count five minutes before the full time whistle to salvage the tie.
While the Blues did not lose and gained only a point in the overall standings, they are still settled at the 10th spot of the league table, 15 points away from relegation, with only nine games remaining in this season's campaign.
Meanwhile, West Ham pulled off a high-scoring, come-from-behind 3-2 road victory against a 10-man Everton FC squad at the Goodison Park also on March 5th, as reported by SkySports.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku drew first blood at the 14th minute to give the Toffees the early upper hand in the match, but his compatriot striker Kevin Mirallas was sent off for a second yellow card at the 34th to give the hosts a one-man disadvantage.
Everton did not surrender from their drawback and had actually doubled their lead at the 56th courtesy of a goal from midfielder Aaron Lennon off a pass from Lukaku.
However, the visitors saved their best in the last 12 minutes of the game as the Irons netted goals at the 78th, 81st, and 90th minutes, from Michail Antonio, Diafra Sakho, and Dimitri Payet respectively, to overtake the hapless Toffees.
The predicted result is tough 2-1 road win for West Ham to hand Chelsea their first loss in 14 matches.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Rahman; Matic, Mikel; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Traore
West Ham United starting lineup (3-4-2-1 formation): Adrian; Kouyaté, Oxford, Ogbonna; Antonio, Noble, Obiang, Cresswell; Lanzini, Payet; Emenike
