Hazard scored twice, Chelsea defeated Man City

Coach Antonio Conte's team came very close to winning the 2016/2017 Premier League championship when they defeated Man City 2-1 in the match on the evening of April 5.

Goals: Hazard (10', 35'), Aguero (26')

Eden Hazard has been a nightmare for Man City this season. In the first leg at the Etihad, the Belgian scored the decisive goal for Chelsea in the final minute of regulation time, ending the home team's hopes of a point. And in the return match at Stamford Bridge, he did even better, scoring both goals in the first half to secure all three points for Conte's side.

Hazard was the hero in Chelsea's victory. Photo: Reuters

Compared to the 1-2 loss to Crystal Palace, Coach Conte only made one change in the starting lineup. He brought Azpilicueta into midfield, used Zouma for the first time in 14 months, playing in a three-man defense with Cahill and Luiz. Fabregas was arranged in the central midfield position with Kante, Matic was pushed to the bench. In attack, Pedro and Hazard played right behind Costa.

Chelsea did not have much possession in the first half (38%) but their efficiency in playing was much better than Man City. It took the home team only 10 minutes to open the scoring. Azpilicueta coordinated with Pedro before assisting Hazard to finish past goalkeeper Caballero.

Man City played a deadlocked game but in the 26th minute they were able to equalise thanks to a mistake by goalkeeper Courtois. The Chelsea goalkeeper kicked the ball up to Silva near the penalty area and although he blocked the Spanish midfielder's shot afterwards, Aguero was there in time to score the equaliser into an empty net.

This was Courtois' 100th appearance for Chelsea and the Belgian goalkeeper had a memorable day. Despite making a mistake in Man City's 1-1 equaliser, he also made a series of saves for his team, notably beating Sane in a one-on-one situation in the 28th minute.

Man City are having a season to forget. Photo: Reuters

The score of the match was decided in the 36th minute when Fernandinho fouled Pedro in the penalty area. Goalkeeper Caballero dived accurately, blocking Hazard's 11m penalty kick but could not stop the Belgian player from rushing in to increase the score to 2-1.

In the second half, Man City pressed the field and attacked continuously. However, this team had a lot of difficulty approaching Courtois' goal because of Chelsea's disciplined defense. Pep Guardiola's team only created two more really significant chances, but Kompany headed the ball against the crossbar in the 47th minute while in the second minute of added time, Stones shot the ball over the bar from less than 5m away.

Defeating Man City, Chelsea is very close to winning the Premier League. Coach Conte's team currently has 72 points, seven points more than the chasing team Tottenham, while the tournament has only seven rounds left to end. In particular, the match schedule is very favorable for the team at Stamford Bridge when they only have to face weak teams such as Sunderland, Middlesbrough, West Brom... The only remaining serious opponent for Coach Conte's team is Man United.

According to VNE