Shaun Wright-Phillips believes Chelsea have been able to maintain their relentless pursuit of Premiership leaders Manchester United because every player feels part of Jose Mourinho's family.

Wright-Phillips scored twice as Chelsea closed the gap on United to three points with a 4-1 win at West Ham on Wednesday. But the England winger is convinced it is the team's all-for-one mentality rather than individual talent that has kept them on course for an unprecedented quadruple.

The reigning champions underlined that comradeship with another demonstration of their unbreakable will to win just hours after a missile was thrown at their team coach en route to Upton Park, shattering a window and shocking the players.

Chelsea hardly needed any more motivation to get the victory they sought to keep the pressure on United. But just in case they weren't sufficiently fired up, the mindless supporter provided further incentive.

As a former West Ham player, Chelsea's Frank Lampard knows passions can run high in east London and he said: "A window got broken on the way. The outer layer shattered and there was a huge bang.

"It's football. These things happen when emotions are running high. West Ham are coming here fighting for their lives. But nobody died so there is no point making a big deal about it."

If Chelsea really are the close-knit community that Wright-Phillips describes, then he must be the long-lost relative who suddenly turns up on Christmas Day.

The 25-year-old has been anonymous since his move from Manchester City in 2005 and the fact that these were his first Premiership goals for Chelsea merely underlined the extent of his struggles.

In the past he has often appeared over-anxious to impress during his cameo appearances, but for once he managed to channel his boundless enthusiasm into a match-winning display.

While he admitted his two fine strikes gave him a measure of personal vindication, it was their impact on the title race that was more important.

"It's an undescribable feeling and I just have to thank the other lads for being behind me all the way," Wright-Phillips said. "It's only normal that the more games you play the more confident you get.

"It was very important for us to cut down the gap again. We know what we have to do. We have to win every game to put them under pressure.

"The determination is unbelievable. Even if we go a goal down, we believe we can get back into it. That's the strength we have as a family at this club. We're always together."

(China Daily via AFP April 20, 2007)