EDEN LOVES SPADEWORK
<M<IP >8D<# <M<IP B@:B Conte hails Hazard effect
EDEN HAZARD just loves playing by the seaside.
And Antonio Conte is banking on the reinvigorated Belgian to prove Chelsea’s title defence is not built on sand.
Hazard crowned a man-of-thematch performance by bagging a second-half winner at the Vitality Stadium – his fifth goal in four games against Bournemouth.
Blues boss Conte says the 26-year-old wizard is getting back to his stellar best after shaking off earlyseason injuries.
The Italian, who returns to his home country to face Roma in the Champions League tomorrow, said: “Eden now is in a good physical condition and don’t forget we started this season with a lot of problems. “Eden was a problem in the summer. To have a top player injured was difficult for us. Now he is playing well and I saw a good commitment from Eden with the ball and without the ball. “He is the type of player who needs to be involved with the ball to be active. “I hope in the next game to see him score against Roma because it is a very important game for us.” Hazard tormented Bournemouth all game and deserved to get his name on the scoresheet – even if the Cherries gave him a helping hand. Alvaro Morata was hungrier than the home players to get on the end of Asmir Begovic’s goal-kick and when the Spaniard’s scooped ball over the top was misjudged by Simon Francis, Hazard ran in to finish powerfully from a tight angle.
Chelsea needed the win to stay within touching distance of leaders Manchester City, knowing a fourth defeat of the season would all but end their hopes of retaining the title.
Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake says his old club can still have a big say in the chase for the trophy, especially with Hazard on fire.
Ake, who quit Stamford Bridge in a £20m summer deal, said: “Chelsea were really good. They have a really good squad, really good players.
“Individual quality from Hazard changed the game. He is a massive player for them, but has been injured and is coming back now. We saw he is really difficult to play against.
Dangerous
“He is up there with people like Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.
“He is different to Kane, really difficult to mark and he can be running everywhere on the pitch. He is just a really good player.
“Chelsea are a big team and they are 100 per cent one of the teams competing for the title.
“They have similar quality players to the other top teams and Chelsea’s front three is really dangerous.
“I really like Conte. I think he is a top manager and you can see what he is doing with the team.”
It is back to the drawing board for Bournemouth, who have not managed back-to-back wins since April and remain rooted in the relegation zone.
But Cherries chief Eddie Howe is refusing to panic ahead of a crucial run of four games against Newcastle, Huddersfield, Swansea and Burnley.
Howe said: ‘I don’t think the spirit is the problem. We recognise the run of fixtures we have had has been very difficult.
“We need to keep a calm head at this stage and not react as everyone else may want us to.
“I said earlier we have a key run of fixtures coming up.
“That does not mean they are easy fixtures, as there is no such thing in this league, but certainly it is a key spell.” BOURNEMOUTH (3-4-1-2): BEGOVIC 7; Francis 4, S Cook Ake 5, 5; A Smith 5, Surman 5, L Cook 6, Daniels 6; Stanislas 6 (Pugh 63, 6); Defoe 4 (Ibe 46, 6), Afobe 6 (Wilson Subs: 74). Boruc, Gosling, Arter, Mousset UP NEXT: Newcastle (a), Premier League, Saturday. CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Courtois 6; Rudiger 6, Luiz 7, Azpilicueta 7; Zappacosta 7, Bakayoko 8, Fabregas 7, Alonso 6; Pedro 6 (Drinkwater 79), HAZARD 8 (Willian 85); Morata 7 (Batshuayi 79). Subs: Caballero, Cahill, Christensen, Ampadu. UP NEXT: Roma (a), Champions League, tomorrow. Referee: Craig Pawson 7. YOUR TURN: When did the Cherries last beat Chelsea at home – never, 1938 or 1988?