Eden Hazard, Diego Costa star as Chelsea extend lead at top
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Updated 25/04/2017 at 22:07 GMT
Premier League, Stamford Bridge – Chelsea 4 (Hazard 5, Cahill 45, Costa 53, 89) Southampton 2 (Romeu 24, Bertrand 90)
Chelsea's Diego Costa celebrates scoring their third goal with teammates
Image credit: Reuters
Chelsea moved closer to a second Premier League title in three years courtesy of a 4-2 win over Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte’s decision to bench Diego Costa and Eden Hazard for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final win against Tottenham was rewarded with the returning duo starring in a consummate performance.
Hazard opened the scoring just five minutes in and Costa added a second-half brace after Gary Cahill had restored the home side’s lead just shy of half-time following Oriol Romeu’s 24th-minute leveller.
Ryan Bertrand scored a stoppage-time consolation but it mattered little as the win moves Chelsea seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham, who face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte celebrates after the match with Diego Costa
Image credit: Reuters
TALKING POINT - Is the title race over?
Seven points clear again, and the Chelsea fans were evidently confident that the championship is theirs now by the end, singing happily about their imminent trophy.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Eden Hazard (Chelsea). Brilliant, thoughtful, exquisite to watch.
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Chelsea's Eden Hazard celebrates scoring their first goal
Image credit: Reuters
PLAYER RATINGS
Chelsea - Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 7, David Luiz 7, Cahill 8, Moses 7, Kante 8, Matic 7, Alonso 7, Fabregas 8, Diego Costa 8, Hazard 9. Subs - Begovic, Ake, Terry 6, Chalobah, Willian 6, Pedro 6, Batshuayi.
Southampton - Forster 7, Cedric 7, Stephens 7, Yoshida 6, Bertrand 7, Romeu 7, Davis 7, Ward-Prowse 7, Tadic 7, Boufal 7, Gabbiadini 7. Subs - Hassen, Clasie, Long 6, Rodriguez 6, Cacares, Redmond 6, Hojbjerg.
KEY MOMENTS
5’ GOAL! Hazard puts Chelsea in front. Southampton play an incompetent offside trap as Fabregas plays it through to Costa, who cuts it back to Hazard on the edge of the box. He makes no mistake.
24’ GOAL! Romeu gets the last touch as the corner pings across the box, fizzing through the backline and finding Gabbiadini at the back post. His shot reaches Romeu in the centre, and it hits his right foot and into the net.
45’ GOAL! And it's Gary Cahill in the final seconds of the half, after a corner isn't cleared, and Kante spots Alonso at the far post - he nods it over to Cahill who heads home, despite Diego Costa shaping for a bicycle kick two centimetres from his head.
54’ GOAL! Diego Costa is the one with the space in the middle of the box, standing off Bertrand to head that home beautifully.
89’ GOAL! Well, that was incisive play from Chelsea, scything through the Southampton defence. Beautiful exchange of passes, and Diego Costa lashes home.
90’+3 GOAL! Great jump from Bertrand, flicking that past Courtois after a great swinging cross in from the right.
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Chelsea's John Terry celebrates after the match with David Luiz
Image credit: Eurosport
KEY STATS
- Diego Costa’s first strike was his 50th in the Premier League in what was his 85th game – the 8th fastest player to reach the milestone in the competition.
- Eden Hazard has scored 15 Premier League goals this season – his best return in a single campaign in the competition.
- Since their return to the top-flight in 2012-13, Southampton have scored more away Premier League goals at Stamford Bridge than any other side (9).
- Cesc Fabregas’ assist for Costa’s goal was his 103rd in the Premier League – second only to Ryan Giggs (162).
- Gary Cahill has scored 26 Premier League goals – excluding penalties, the second most of any defender in the competition (after John Terry with 40).
- Saints conceded four goals in a Premier League away game for the first time since April 5th 2014, when they lost 1-4 at eventual champions Manchester City.
- The Blues have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League games.
- Three of the goals tonight came from corner situations, the joint-most of any Premier League game this season (also Man Utd v Leicester in September).
MATCH IN A TWEET
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