MARCOS GOES ON A BENDER
EVERY KICK, EVERY GOAL, EVERY GAME Alonso free-kick keeps Blues on track for title
MARCOS ALONSO DIEGO COSTA
MARCOS ALONSO bent it like Beckham to kill off Bournemouth.
The Spanish wing back squashed the Cherries with a wonder free-kick which David Beckham would have been proud of.
His inch-perfect shot found the top corner to seal a “massive” victory which kept the Blues seven points clear of Spurs – and needing just five more wins to claim the title.
Alonso then set his sights on going to Beckham’s former Old Trafford stomping ground on Sunday, saying: “We have seven finals left.
“Every game is going to be massive. We are going to have to play each game as the last one because we need the points to get closer to the title.
Fighting
“Every game we win is a strong message for the other teams.
“We’ve been there almost all season, we are showing we want to be there, we’re playing very good and fighting for it and that’s what we need to keep doing.
“The group is fantastic. We all know where we are going, we are all going in the same direction and that’s very important.
“The starting 11 and the players who are not playing so much, the staff are altogether and that’s very important. That’s a big thing and it’s going very well this year.”
Chelsea were clearly relieved to get away from the Vitality Stadium in one piece but they required a good slice of fortune to seal the points after Tottenham had cut the gap at the top to four points by blitzing Watford. Diego Costa’s horribly sliced shot was heading for the car park on 17 minutes before it hit Cherries defender Adam Smith’s head and ended up in his own net.
But there was no fluke for the second three minutes later when N’Golo Kante sent Eden Hazard clear to dummy goalkeeper Artur Boruc before slotting home.
Benik Afobe was soon cursing his luck when his half-volley crashed against the Chelsea post and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ back.
But Josh King kept the Blues on their toes when he thumped home his 10th goal in 11 Premier League games just before the break.
Alonso had the final word with his delightful 68th-minute free-kick after taking some advice from his team-mates.
He said: “I hit the post twice already. When I took the ball, everyone was saying, ‘Please, one inch lower…’.
“I was very happy because it was the goal which gave us the peace to relax and make the game more comfortable. So happy for that and hopefully more to come.”
Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter left the ground believing that he had just played against the champions and the best player in the Premier League.
He said: “Mentally and physically it was very demanding and it’s easy to see why they are top of the league.
“I personally think they are championselect and they are well deserved champions if they manage to do it because they have been on top for the majority of the season.
“Chelsea have got so many individuals there it comes to a point whereas it’s almost impossible to play against.
“And they have got Hazard, who I feel is the best I’ve played against this season.” ED BOY: Eden Hazard gets Chelsea’s second