IF LUCKS COULD THRILL

Blues boss Sarri says he is fortunate to still be unbeaten.. and to have superstar Hazard as a sub

Morata 32, 65, Pedro 70 MOTM ALVARO MORATA Townsend 53 MAURIZIO SARRI claimed he was “lucky” to make a record-equalling start to Premier League management – and have Eden Hazard on the bench to save his side yesterday.

For 12 nervy second-half minutes, Crystal Palace threatened to grab an unlikely point after Andros Townsend’s fine strike showed the Eagles are not totally reliant on Wilfried Zaha.

But Chelsea’s multi-millionpound side lacked a spark at slumbering Stamford Bridge until the Blues boss sent on the inspirational Hazard. A minute later he won a freekick and sent in a set-piece delivery for Alvaro Morata to score his second goal.

Pedro slotted home a third five minutes later (celebrating with Marcos Alonso, far right) to see Sarri equal Frank Clark’s 1994 record of staying unbeaten in his first 11 Premier League games while in charge of Nottingham Forest. Sarri also overtakes Jose Mourinho’s run of 10 games without defeat at the start of his Blues reign in 2004.

“I’m very proud to be the coach of this team,” he said. “The record is not one of the coach, but of the team. I was lucky. I have very good players and, in the last two months, we were able to win without a great level of organisation from the tactical point of view. I was lucky, I think.”

But Sarri still maintained his team have a long way to go to close the gap on Manchester City. And the first hour showed they are still a work in progress all over the pitch. Without a central striker, Palace deployed the mobile Zaha and Townsend up front and Max Meyer had two shooting chances in the opening quarter.

Morata opened the scoring with a clinical finish after 32 minutes (below, left) when Pedro’s first cross was cut out when he was offside – and he retreated to get back into the game to fire home from his fellow Spaniard’s second cross.

Willian had a strike disallowed for offside and Morata then missed a header, but Chelsea only led 1-0 after enjoying 78 per cent of firsthalf possession. The Eagles made them pay after the break when Townsend exchanged passes with James McArthur to race past David Luiz and fire home his first league goal of the season.

“We need to improve from a tactical point of view,” Sarri said. “In the first 15 minutes of the second half we were not compact. When we can’t cover the ball in the opponent’s half we are in trouble. So we need to improve.”

Sarri called for the cavalry after 64 minutes. Even when not fully fit as he recovers from a back injury, Hazard lifts his team-mates and the whole crowd.

“We were a little bit in trouble, so we needed some quality and personality,” Sarri added. “We were lucky we had Eden on the bench.

“I spoke with the doctor and he said Eden was able to play no more than 30 minutes.

“We were lucky. Immediately, he was able to change our match. Hazard is Hazard – he’s able to do this very often.”