Chelsea beat West Brom, Hazard is trying to pull Conte out of the quagmire
Coach Antonio Conte's position at Stamford Bridge is less shaky thanks to a 3-0 win over the bottom team in the Premier League.
Goals: Hazard 25 & 71, Moses 63
After two consecutive defeats by three goals, Chelsea were like “sleepy on a mat”. They played at home, welcoming a team that was said to have lost the motivation to compete for relegation. Since coach Tony Pulis left, West Brom no longer had the annoying style of play. Before the late match of round 27 against Chelsea yesterday, February 12, the away team was seven points behind the safe zone.
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Hazard is trying to pull Conte out of the quagmire. Photo: Offside |
A defeat could have been the final straw, ending Conte's reign at Chelsea. But the Italian coach was not afraid to take a risk by giving Olivier Giroud his first start for the Blues. The French striker did not disappoint his coach. In the 25th minute, Giroud created a wall for Eden Hazard to break through the West Brom defence, and open the scoring for the home team with a decisive shot.
Chelsea easily dominated the game against the visitors who lost their fighting spirit. The players in blue actively broke through the middle when they were not closely marked. In the 63rd minute, it was Victor Moses' turn to spark a combination of hitting West Brom's face, passing the ball with Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata. Receiving a well-placed pass from the Spanish striker, Moses finished delicately to defeat Ben Foster.
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Giroud tried hard in his first start for Chelsea. Photo: REX |
The beautiful combination that led to Chelsea's double did not overshadow Hazard's brilliance in this match. Eight minutes later, the Belgian continued to hold the ball and passed it to Morata in the middle. Hazard dribbled across the goal and fired a left-footed shot into the near corner from outside the box, leaving goalkeeper Foster rooted to the spot. It was his 11th goal in the Premier League this season.
The victory helped Chelsea reclaim fourth place from Tottenham, but the clouds have not yet cleared over Stamford Bridge. In the next two rounds, Conte will have to take his troops to the fields of Man Utd and Man City. Before that, Chelsea also hosted Barca in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
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