One-nil to Chelsea is a familiar scoreline, but there was an unfamiliar scorer at Stamford Bridge: Mateja Kezman.

The Serb's 13th Chelsea game proved lucky as, 611 minutes into his Blues career, he scored the winner against West Ham in the Carling Cup.

Kezman latched on to Joe Cole's slide-rule pass in the 57th minute to finish clinically. Four previous chances for the 5 million man had gone begging, but his persistence was finally rewarded.

Before that, the unmarked striker was brilliantly thwarted by James Walker on five minutes, rounded the keeper but took the ball too wide eight minutes later, headed wide from six yards and robbed Anton Ferdinand only for the athletic Walker to stop him again. It was a sequence of events to illustrate Jose Mourinho's arguments that Chelsea are not defensive.

Faced with a League Championship side, Mourinho rang the changes but his concept of a weakened team cost 84 million; a further 39 million had been spent on his substitutes. West Ham have been among the beneficiaries of their lavish spending, pocketing 23.6 million, but Cole was the only former Hammer to start.

With a fired-up Cole prominent, Chelsea launched an early onslaught, but aided by Kezman's profligacy, West Ham weathered it. Cole's fierce drive drew the first of several fine saves from Walker, who came out on top in another duel between the two minutes later, and Geremi skied his shot from the inventive Arjen Robben's cross.

Then West Ham started to come into the game. Adam Nowland twice tried his luck from distance and Matthew Etherington's winding solo run would have resulted in a clear chance, but for a poor touch.

Chelsea resumed their assault on the West Ham goal in the second half, Walker denying Cole and Kezman before they combined to break the deadlock.

A second West Ham old boy emerged and Frank Lampard should have sealed victory from the penalty spot when Tomas Repka tripped Robben. However, the heroic Walker kept out Lampard as a bloodied Kezman walked off, hit by an object thrown from the crowd.

And though the recalled Carlo Cudicini had a quiet evening, Chelsea almost conceded for the fourth time this season in injury time when Ferdinand's header hit the bar. Hard as West Ham worked, however, an equaliser would have flattered them.