Hazard's performance announces a bright future for Chelsea, which could never happen



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Eden Hazard scored two brilliant goals for Chelsea in a win over London rival West Ham, putting the Blues in third.

Eden Hazard scored two brilliant goals for Chelsea in a win over London rival West Ham, putting the Blues in third.

Eden Hazard scored two brilliant goals for Chelsea in a win over London rival West Ham, putting the Blues in third.

After another dazzling demonstration by Eden Hazard, the FC crew explains why his form dictates the direction of Chelsea as he fights for the top four.

LONDON – Good times do not last long in Chelsea, and it was a tempting glimpse of a future that club fans will probably never see.

Eden Hazard 's pristine performance in Chelsea' s 2-0 win Monday over West Ham United inevitably left all the other players on the field in the shadows. Between the flames that danced around him every time he took possession of the body, there were sparks of nascent connections that seemed destined to extinguish themselves in smoke.

It is now widely accepted that Hazard will leave Chelsea at the end of the season – most likely for Real Madrid – and although he dismissed the reports in a postmatch television interview, nothing could prevent him.

As soon as Chelsea's fans jumped out of their seats to celebrate his two goals, the first of which was one of the best he's ever scored, their thoughts turned to his probable departure. He now has an elegiac appearance in Chelsea's blue, to the slow and deliberate way with which he applauded to the four corners of the ground as he left the sodden lawn by the rain. "We will miss him!" Shouted a Chelsea fan as he climbed the concrete steps next to the Stamford Bridge press room.

The future of Eden Hazard seems more and more uncertain for Chelsea.

Opposition defenders aside, few people involved in English football will be sure Hazard if and when he finally gets out of West London. Obviously Monday's game, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi will miss him as much as anyone.

Chelsea supporters are clamoring for more opportunities for Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi all season. Follow here the pair's impressive performance in Brighton's 3-0 win last week and a first-leg match in the Europa League quarter-finals against Slavia Prague. Thursday, Maurizio Sarri has kept his two international international beginners in his starting lineup.

With Hazard, their names garnered the loudest applause when the teams were read before the kickoff, and both impressed home support with their sector at the very beginning. Hudson-Odoi blocking a center Aaron Cresswell and Loftus-Cheek retracing their steps to dispossess An English colleague, Declan Rice, who gave the ball higher on the ground.

Statistics will show that Loftus-Cheek gave a decisive pbad to opening Hazard's score in the 24th minute – his fourth contribution in seven matches – but in reality, that was all the work of the Belgian. Taking the ball 40 yards from the goal in the middle of the field, the 28-year-old played between Rice and Mark Noble, then Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna, before thwarting Ryan Fredericks' desperate tackle on a left foot shot. in the lower right corner.

It was a surgical precision goal that separated the entire West Ham team in two. Sarri, the coach from Chelsea, called it "truly incredible goal". For his counterpart, Manuel Pellegrini, it was "beautiful".

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Suddenly, Hazard was everywhere and West Ham had no answer. Gonzalo Higuain fired a shot at the post. The next time he entered the box, Marko Arnautovic sent him flying by planting a shoulder in his chest. Inexplicably, referee Chris Kavanagh motioned to continue playing.

At Hazard's request, Hudson-Odoi entered the fray. He saw Cresswell's shot blocked first, then warmed Lukasz Fabianski's palms with a powerful training after Chelsea's No. 10 had sent a sparkling pbad to the grbad from the back of his half.

A player as talented as Hudson-Odoi could not fail to be emboldened by Hazard's provocative trickery. The 18-year-old winger, who had just taken off for the second time, began browsing his own repertoire. No matter the half-time, he delighted local fans by lifting the ball over the head of an opponent, with Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrbad his victim every time.

Loftus-Cheek is imposed in the second period, proof of his understanding of Hazard with each interaction between them. The tall, elegant midfielder created the first opening of Chelsea in the second half with a loose-limbed dribble at the center of the ball that culminated in a well-drilled hole.

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The pair had bonded to a promising second-half action against Brighton, each setting a goal for the other. Hazard sought Loftus-Cheek's favor in the first half shortly before the hour against West Ham, but the 23-year-old's efforts curled up.

Sarri was stormed when he sent Ross Barkley to replace Loftus-Cheek in the 70th minute. The replacement of Hudson-Odoi, at five minutes an hour, aroused strong applause, but the two reactions were the same: the eyes of the fans of Chelsea, their two young stars are too beautiful to be saved in Europa League .

Hazard ended the match at the last minute by recovering Barkley's center on the left and hitting for Fabianski. His crossing allowed Chelsea to win a third consecutive victory for the first time since Sarri's reign with five victories in August and September. He also put Chelsea in third place, despite playing one more game than his top four rivals Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United.

With 16 goals in the Premier League and 19 in all competitions, Hazard has now equaled its most prolific season with Chelsea colors. In addition to his 12 badists, he was directly involved in more goals than any other player in the division.

Starting Sunday's trip to Liverpool, he will play five league games to reach the 20-goal mark for the first time since his last season in Lille. He left the club in 2012 to embark on English football. Chelsea fans and his young team-mates will already count them.

Source: espn.co.uk

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