Will Chelsea be able to secure a Champions League spot?

Chelsea beat West Ham 2-0 last night in what was truly Eden Hazard's night. They now sit in third place having played one game more than Arsenal, Spurs, and United.

Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea started off the season with a bang and were unbeaten for a while. Things have however gone downhill for the Italian since then. Chelsea's away form has been very poor and they have often failed to break down defensive units.

A top-four finish a month ago looked bleak but recent results have been in their favor and they truly look to be back in contention for a Champions League spot. Tottenham's poor form, United's slump along with Arsenal's shocker against Everton means Chelsea find themselves in a good position.

The upcoming fixtures for Chelsea include two fixtures against Man United and Liverpool. Whereas one would assume that Chelsea won't be able to overcome Liverpool, the contrary happened earlier this season when Chelsea beat Liverpool in the FA Cup and were seconds away from beating them in the Premier League only to settle for a draw thanks to a Sturridge screamer.

Their next big match would be against Man United, this could settle the dust on the top four questions and beating United and getting points against Liverpool would mean Chelsea become favorites to go through.

Fixtures for other top four contenders must also be looked at considering Spurs and Arsenal are also in the hunt with United on the fringes. Spurs have a good line of fixtures which, however, includes playing Man City at the Etihad.

If Spurs retrieve even a point from this fixture and end up winning all others then they should be able to pass through considering Chelsea don't beat Liverpool. Arsenal, on the other hand, were the most likely candidates for finishing 3rd but a loss to Everton meant that even their chances now depend on how other teams do.

Arsenal don't have a single fixture against a top 4 side, hence, if they avoid any slip-ups, they should pass through considering Chelsea or Tottenham end up dropping some points.

All in all, Chelsea has to look at winning all remaining matches while hoping the Pep's City end up beating Spurs. Chelsea must win all matches against their non top 6 opponents and beat Ole's United as well. But all that starts off with a battle against Liverpool, one they cannot afford to lose.