West Ham were denied victory in the final of London Masters Football Tournament at Milton Keynes yesterday.

The former Hammers, spearheaded by Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee, reached the final for the third consecutive season, but this time they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea.

But the men in claret and blue still emerged with credit, delighting fans at the Planet Ice Arena with the kind of silky football Upton Park devotees have come to expect through the years.

West Ham made it to the final after beating Chelsea, 1-0, in their opening group game. And though they suffered a setback when beaten 4-3 by Fulham next time out, Hammers clinched their place in the London final by defeating Charlton Athletic (Alan Pardew was an unused sub), 3-0, thanks to two goals from John Moncur, including a deftly taken penalty chipped down the middle Di Canio-style, and Kevin Keen.

Moncs, Keen and Stuart Slater looked particularly impressive, while the squad was completed by skipper Jimmy Quinn, George Parris, Kenny Brown, Steve Whitton and keeper John Vaughan.