Eden Hazard danced through West Ham’s packed defence in the 24th minute to put Chelsea in front. (Reuters) Eden Hazard’s stunning individual performance earned Chelsea a 2-0 win over West Ham United which hoisted them into the third spot in the Premier League on Monday. The Belgian wizard tormented West Ham throughout and scored both goals to move Chelsea above Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the race for a top-four finish.
Hazard danced through West Ham’s packed defence in the 24th minute to put Maurizio Sarri’s side in front and Gonzalo Higuain should have buried the visitors before halftime. West Ham improved after the break and Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson both had good chances to equalise but Hazard sealed the points in the 90th minute with a clinical finish.
Absolutely World Class by @hazardeden10 What a goal ????#CHEWHU pic.twitter.com/1Y1LG7ZCt4
— Arif Naveed (@ArifN318) 8 April 2019
A third successive victory means Chelsea have 66 points from 33 games, while Tottenham and Arsenal have 64 and 63 respectively having played a game less. West Ham are 11th with 42 points from 33 games.
Hazard was in a class of his own, giving the Stamford Bridge faithful another example of why they are so desperate to avoid him moving on at the end of the season — a fact not lost on West Ham’s fans who chanted that about Real Madrid’s interest.
The 28-year-old’s masterful brace means he now has 19 goals in all competitions this season — equalling his previous best for Chelsea in 2014-15. His opener was a contender for goal of the season, taking on half of West Ham’s team single-handedly.
Taking possession of the ball 35 metres from goal with a blanket of West Ham players blocking his path to goal, Hazard first accelerated into the area past Declan Rice and Mark Noble. Then, as Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna converged to try and stop him, he left both tackling thin air and with Ryan Fredericks desperately trying to cover he remained perfectly balanced to smash a left-footed shot past Lukasz Fabianski.
“It was something special. I took the ball and then I tried to move forward. In the box it was hard for the defender to challenge me because if he touches me it could be a penalty,” Hazard told Sky Sports after a near-perfect display.
“I was maybe a little lucky with the shot. I wanted to shoot quickly. When I saw the ball in the net I was just so happy. I am small so it is good when I play against tall players as it’s very hard for them to change direction.”
Higuain thumped a shot against the woodwork minutes later as Chelsea threatened to run riot and the Argentine was denied again by a timely block shortly before halftime.
West Ham offered more threat in a much more evenly-balanced second half and both Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini had good chances to equalise while Marco Arnautovic headed just wide. It was left to Hazard to seal the points. This time he collected Ross Barkley’s ball over the top and before West Ham’s defence could close him down, he fired a shot across Fabianski into the far corner.
Chelsea fans savour Hazard magic, but for how much longer?
With Real Madrid reportedly lining up a huge offer to tempt Eden Hazard to the Bernabeu next season, Chelsea’s fans may wonder how many more times they will be able to savour watching the Belgian maestro at his dazzling best.
An inspired Hazard, whose contract expires next season, scored both goals in the 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Monday, the first a dazzling solo effort that brought back memories of Diego Maradona in his pomp. His second, in the 90th minute, capped a mesmerising display that took Chelsea to a third consecutive league win.
Manager Maurizio Sarri said having Hazard in such unstoppable form made winning “easy” but appeared almost resigned to losing him. West Ham’s fans might even have enjoyed Hazard’s display too, but they took pleasure in teasing the home faithful that the 28-year-old, who joined the club in 2012, might be performing his tricks in front of a new audience next season.
Hazard offered a modicum of comfort afterwards but the fear remains, for Chelsea fans and anyone who enjoys watching a master craftsman at work, that his days in London might be numbered.
“They are wrong,” Hazard, who has scored 19 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season to equal his best haul, said. “For now I am just focusing on Chelsea until the end of the season. We are in good momentum. We have won three in a row. For the mentality, it is good to keep going. Top four and the Europa League is our target so we need to do well in both.”
Victory lifted Chelsea into third place in the Premier League — above London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur who both have played a game less. Sarri said he “can do nothing” to keep Hazard at the club if he wants “another experience.”
“We are trying to become one of the best teams in Europe but I have to respect his decision,” the Italian said. “Hazard played a wonderful match. He did well against Brighton too. We are very lucky because it is very easy to win the match when he is able to make that kind of difference.”
Asked about the fee of 100 million pounds ($130 million) Real Madrid are reported to be willing to pay, he added: “It is too cheap in this market! We have seen in the last few windows every price I think. So it is very hard to get another player like him.”
