Resurgent Eden Hazard inspiring Chelsea
After being named player of the season as Chelsea won the Premier League in 2015, the Belgian’s form slumped like his team’s dismal defence of their title.
He managed just four league goals in 31 games, a poor return when you consider his tally had been 14 in each of the proceeding campaigns.
Thankfully, for Chelsea, that season of woe appears to be nothing more than an anomaly and Hazard looks back to his best once again.
He was certainly the stand-out player yesterday, scoring the game’s opening goal courtesy of a piece of skill that left Steven Davis for dead, before setting up Diego Costa for the second. It was Hazard’s fifth league goal of the season, meaning he has already surpassed last year’s tally in just 10 games.
And, having watched the playmaker terrorise his team for 90 minutes, Southampton manager Claude Puel couldn’t deny that a player he gave his debut to when he was just 16 at Lille was back to his best.
“I spoke with him after the game,” he said. “He has come back after a difficult last season, but he has come back with a very good level. When he plays with this level it is difficult of course.”
After shuffling his pack in the middle of the week for Chelsea’s EFL Cup defeat to West Ham, Antonio Conte returned to the same side that beat Manchester United 4-0 eight days ago.
Southampton too reverted to their ‘Premier League XI’ after knocking out Sunderland 1-0 on Wednesday as Puel made 10 changes, with only captain Jose Fonte surviving the cull.
The alterations seemed to work for both managers as the match started at full pace. Hazard was causing mischief down the right from the off and it was he who break the deadlock with a moment of magic.
Davis had appeared to usher him into a dead end, but with a deft turn Hazard was away and once inside his man he made no mistake, lashing a low left-footed shot past Fraser Forster.
The goalkeeper will perhaps feel he could have done better with the effort, but the speed and sharpness of the shot would have caught him off guard.
Like most teams who had lost just once in their last nine matches, Southampton refused to roll over and responded by dominating possession.
But for all their neat passing, Puel’s men were struggling to find away past a Chelsea defence who have now not conceded for four Premier League games.
Fonte went close with a header and Tadic called Thibaut Courtois into action with a well struck free-kick, but there was a distinct lack of cutting edge.
In contrast, Chelsea were making the most of their time on the ball and their threat on the counter had Puel waving his arms in a manner Conte would have been proud of.
Hazard was finding pockets of space and calling Forster into action, but it was Costa who should have made it two just before the break.
Nemanja Matic won the ball in midfield and, surging forward, he played in Costa. Forster, though, stayed big and thwarted the Spaniard.
Clearly not content with their slender lead, Chelsea began the second-half hunting for the goal that would kill the game and they duly got it in the 55th minute.
After scoring the first, Hazard turned provider this time, laying the ball off to Costa just outside the penalty area. The striker took aim and, after wasting a golden chance in the first-half, he made no mistake as he curled the ball past Forster.
Suddenly, Chelsea smelt blood and they went for the juggler.
Costa fired over the bar from yards out following Hazard’s cross and then Pedro failed from close range too.
Southampton were rocking and Sofiane Boufal was thrown on by Puel in the hope he could perhaps somehow change the outcome of the game.
Half chances were conjured and Austin even had the ball in the net — only for it to be ruled out for offside — but Chelsea held on though to make it four Premier League wins in a row.
The last time they did that? April 2015, when they went on to win the title.
But, for now, Conte is keeping calm about any talk of Chelsea winning a fourth Premier League title.
“I think it is important to pass the first part of the season,” he said. “Then when we start the second part I think that our ideas are more clear.
“But if you ask me if I am confident? Yes, I am.” And on yesterday’s showing, he has every right to be.
Forster 5; Martina 5, Fonte 6, Van Dijk 6, Bertrand 6 (’77 McQueen 6); Clasie 5 (’61 Boufal 6), Romeu 7, Davis 6; Tadic 6 ( ’77 Hojbjerg), Redmond 6, Austin 6.
Taylor, Yoshida, Ward-Prowse, Olomola.
Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 7, David Luiz 7, Cahill 7; Moses 7 (’86 Ivanovic 6), Kante 6, Matic 7, Alonso 6; Pedro 7 (’77 Willian 6), Diego Costa 8, Hazard 9 (’88 Batshuayi 6).
Begovic, Terry, Chalobah, Oscar.
Mike Jones.
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