Chelsea defeated West Ham 1-0 to stay fourth in the Premier League and go three points clear of their beaten, fifth-placed opponents.
Entering Saturday evening’s fixture at the London Stadium, Thomas Tuchel’s Blues were ahead of their hosts on goal difference alone.
The most significant piece of the match came with just three minutes remaining in the half-time as Ben Chilwell passed the ball into the hosts’ box, allowing Timo Werner to slot home from close range.
For all the 25-year-old’s missteps, the finish marked his 11th goal of the season – pulling him level with Olivier Giroud and one behind the club’s top scorer this season, Tammy Abraham.
West Ham were reduced to 10 men when Referee Chris Kavanagh, sent off Balbuena, for boot scraping down Chilwell’s calf.
The official had consulted the pitchside monitor before the sending off which all but ended the home side’s hopes of avoiding a second straight defeat as the tie ticked into its final 10 minutes.
Up next for the Blues is the first leg semi-final match against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
