EPL | Hazard and Costa fire Chelsea 10 points clear at the top
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard scored on either side of the break against West Ham yesterday, to take Chelsea three points closer to the Premier League title. West Ham scored an injury-time consolation goal through Manuel Lanzini but the Hammers remained in the bottom half of the table.
The Blues were happy to sit back and soak up the West Ham pressure and play on the counter-attack. As it has on several occasions this season, Conte's plan worked like a charm. N'Golo Kante's interception deep in the Chelsea half started the attack as he passed the ball off to Hazard on the left wing. The Belgium captain carried the ball into the West Ham half, played a brilliant one-two with Pedro before putting the ball past Darren Randolph to give Chelsea the lead.
Chelsea doubled their lead in the second half when a Hazard's corner was bundled into the net by Costa with his thigh. The goal was the Spaniard's 17th in a prolific League campaign.
West Ham had a couple of chances of their own but Sofiane Feghouli's shot was brilliantly turned away by Thibaut Courtois and referee Andre Marriner dismissed West Ham's appeals for a penalty when Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso appeared to have handled the ball while blocking a Lanzini shot at goal.
West Ham did, eventually, get a breakthrough in the injury time through Lanzini who finished off a move that started when Andy Carroll stole the ball off Cesc Fabregas. The win was Chelsea's 21st of a season that has seen them dominate the English game completely.