Eden
Hazard did what he used to do so often and Cesc Fabregas was exquisite,
a master craftsman of vision and touch. At times it was possible to
remember when Chelsea didn’t play dead rubbers in April.
This
was frequently brilliant and occasionally compelling, with no two men
more impressive than Hazard, who scored twice, and Fabregas, the puppet
master with three extremely good assists.
And
yet they are also the two men who, arguably, have been the most
underwhelming in this weakest of title defences. With the trophy long
gone, why has it taken so long to see their tremendous talents?
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Eden Hazard is lifted into the air by
Chelsea captain Branislav Ivanovic after scoring his side's second goal
against Bournemouth
The Belgian winger struck from 20 yards with 35 minutes gone to convert a 15-pass Chelsea move and make it 2-0 to the visitors
Hazard's strike was his first from
open play for more than a year and his first time on the scoresheet in
the Premier League this season
BOURNEMOUTH VS CHELSEA MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS
Bournemouth (4-4-2):
Boruc 6; Francis 7, Elphick 7, Cook 5, Daniels 5.5; Stanislas 6.5
(Ritchie 78), Surman 6.5, Gosling 6, Pugh 6.5; Grabban 5.5 (Afobe 63,
6), King 6.5 (Wilson 63, 6)
Subs not used: Federici, Wiggins, MacDonald, O'Kane
Goals: Elphick 37
Booked: Ritchie
Manager: Eddie Howe
Chelsea (4-2-3-1):
Begovic 5; Azpilicueta 5.5, Mikel 6, Ivanovic 6, Baba 5; Matic 7,
Fabregas 9; Pedro 7, Willian 7.5 (Loftus-Cheek 83), Hazard 8; Costa 6
Subs not used: Amelia, Miazga, Kenedy, Traore, Pato, Falcao
Goals: Pedro 5, Hazard 35, Willian 71, Hazard 90+1
Manager: Guus Hiddink
Referee: Roger East 6.5
MOM: Cesc Fabregas
Att: 11,365
Eden Hazard finished off a 15-pass Chelsea move to score his first goal of the season
That
might well be the frustration for those who care about such things. In
Hazard’s case, the slump is best illustrated by the fact he had not
scored a Premier League goal since last May.
With
the count reaching 355 days, last year’s PFA Player of the Year got not
one but two goals in his first game for six weeks following a hip
injury.
As
for Fabregas, a player of such gifts has been damned and slammed in
this strange season for the number of games in which he coasted. Here,
he surged. It was a stunning performance.
He
made each of the first three goals for Pedro, Hazard and Willian before
playing a part in Hazard’s second at the death. As they went in,
Chelsea’s supporters sang: ‘You better beat Tottenham.’ Those London
rivals are next up for Guus Hiddink’s side, who find themselves on the
outside looking in as the trophies are decided.
Hiddink
said: ‘Of course we want to win that game. We have nothing at stake but
we as Chelsea don’t want the season to fade away.’
If
Hazard and Fabregas retain this form, Chelsea might yet be relevant to
the table, considering they not only face Spurs but Leicester as well in
their final four games. Hiddink said: ‘Cesc was enjoying it very much.
He is very fast (mentally), one of the few who knows he can execute what
he is thinking. Not many can.
‘He has had some decent games (since Hiddink came in) but this one was one of his best.’
Chelsea took the lead in the fifth
minute of the game when Pedro latched onto Cesc Fabregas' through ball
to put it past Artur Boruc
The Spaniard pounced to finish off a quick Blues counter-attack after Bournemouth had dominated the early exchanges
Pedro (centre) celebrates with fellow winger Willian (right) after giving the Blues an early lead against the Cherries
The fifth-minute strike was the 28-year-old former Barcelona forward's third goal in four games for the Premier League champions
Hazard's second was also created by Fabregas who backheeled the ball to tee up the Belgian after an excellent Chelsea move
The 25-year-old winger (second from
right) is congratulated by team-mate Willian after making it 2-0 to
Chelsea with 35 minutes gone
The
Dutchman added: ‘Hazard was light in his movement again. We had talked
about playing 45 minutes or more but he was enjoying it so much that he
played the whole game. That is a sign of the good spirit of his.’
As
far as signs go, this scoreline may be a trifle misleading. Having lost
their previous two, Chelsea again looked shaky at times, especially in
the first half when every cross they faced looked like yielding a goal.
Had Bournemouth taken more of their many chances, it might have been
level at the break and with it a different conclusion.
Steve Cook was guilty of one particularly bad miss and Lewis Grabban a couple more against a makeshift and wobbly defence.
‘We were terrific in the first half,’ said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. ‘But they took their chances and we didn’t.’
Tommy Elphick rose above the Chelsea defenders less than two minutes later to pull his side back into the match at 2-1
Bournemouth captain Elphick (centre) roars in celebration as he runs back towards his own goal after pulling a goal back
Elphick (right) gives a high five after scoring his first goal for Bournemouth in an injury hit season for the centre back
Willian placed the ball past Boruc from a Fabregas lay-off to secure the three points for Chelsea with 19 minutes remaining
Fabregas (right) celebrates with goalscorer Willian after setting up his third goal of the game as Chelsea make it 3-1
| Team | Mins | KM | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 122.4 | 76.0 | |
| Dan Gosling | 90 | 13.9 | 8.6 |
| Andrew Surman | 90 | 12.5 | 7.8 |
| Marc Pugh | 90 | 12.0 | 7.5 |
| Chelsea | 112.6 | 70.0 | |
| Cesc Fàbregas | 90 | 12.8 | 7.9 |
| Nemanja Matic | 90 | 11.5 | 7.1 |
| Pedro | 90 | 11.0 | 6.8 |
Crucially,
Chelsea also had Fabregas. He made the opener by leading a
counter-attack after five minutes, taking possession near halfway and
surging through the middle before passing out to the right in the space
between left-back Charlie Daniels and Cook at centre-half.
Pedro took a touch and waited for goalkeeper Artur Boruc to go to ground before chipping his finish. An excellent goal.
Fabregas’s
contribution to Chelsea’s second, half an hour later, was even better.
Willian, so reliable in an unreliable side this season, played in the
Spaniard whose little flick with his heel took Dan Gosling out of play
and set up Hazard. The Belgian playmaker finished well from outside the
area. Chelsea’s defence, with John Mikel Obi deployed at centre-half,
was not nearly so effective as their attack. That was demonstrated with
Bournemouth’s goal, scored by Tommy Elphick two minutes later.
A
Marc Pugh cross caused trouble for Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic, who
nudged the delivery over the bar. Andrew Surman played the corner short
to Simon Francis and Elphick was free to head past Begovic.
Fabregas
got his third assist after the break with another lovely pass between
Cook and Daniels. This time Willian was waiting and again Boruc was
chipped.
Nemanja Matic pulled the ball back to
Hazard for the Belgian to score his second goal of the game in the first
minute of stoppage time
Hazard volleyed past Artur Boruc to
complete the rout at Dean Court as Chelsea broke their run of defeats
after losing two in a row
Bournemouth goalscorer Elphick kneels down with his hands on his hips as Hazard celebrates his second goal of the game
The
fourth, in stoppage time, was no less aesthetic. Hazard started the
move on the left and Fabregas laid off to Nemanja Matic, who pulled back
for Hazard to finish. Blink and you would have missed it.
Brilliant
football from a team and individuals who used to do it so often. If
they play like this against Tottenham on Monday week, Chelsea might yet
have a say in the title race.
Chelsea captain John Terry was on the bench as he steps up his return from an injury that has kept him out for more than a month
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