A flash of genius
Hazard’s late belter clinches it for Blues
IT WAs, ultimately, the perfect performance — the perfect strategy — for this competition. Begin with an understrength side, stay in the game, and then dispatch the cavalry to do what they do better than most players in the world.
This game was goalless when Maurizio sarri sent on Eden Hazard just before the hour. Before the Belgian had even touched the ball, Chelsea were a goal down to a Daniel sturridge scissor-kick.
For a while, it seemed as though Chelsea would go out. Liverpool were the better side for long spells of the second half. But after Chelsea full-back Emerson equalised with 11 minutes to go, Hazard stepped up to score a goal of breathtaking quality to send his team into the fourth round.
sturridge’s goal was memorable, but the winner was something else. Playing a one-two on the far touchline — the first pass being a nutmeg through the legs of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino — Hazard received the return pass to turn, beat both Naby Keita and Alberto Moreno twice, and drive a raking shot across simon Mignolet and into the far corner with his right foot.
It all happened so fast that many Chelsea fans in the ground will not have appreciated its quality until they saw it again on their phones. It was a goal worthy of a more important game than this, but it will serve as a marker before these teams meet in the Premier League at stamford Bridge on saturday.
Both managers fielded potent, if not full-strength sides, but only Chelsea looked anything like the real thing in the opening period. With a little more edge in front of goal, they would have been ahead early in the game.
In the first 15 minutes, the Chelsea attempts on goal were relatively harmless as Andreas Christensen headed tamely at Mignolet from a corner, Ross Barkley drove wide from 22 yards and then Willian exchanged passes with Alvaro Morata to draw another comfortable save from Liverpool’s No 2 goalkeeper.
A super chipped pass from Cesc Fabregas in the 18th minute played Morata into space behind the defence and, when Mignolet could only parry the spaniard’s first attempt, he was relieved to see the follow-up driven across the face of goal.
Morata then turned Joel Matip far too easily to work Mignolet at his near post after another neat pass from Willian and, at this stage, the Liverpool defence — in which left-back Moreno was struggling desperately — looked very uncomfortable.
Their front three of sadio Mane, sturridge and Xherdan shaqiri had been anonymous for the best part of half an hour, while midfielder Keita’s first contribution was to dive over gary Cahill’s leg in the 31st minute. It was never a penalty but it was an act of simulation for which Keita should have been booked.
With the crowd engaged at last, Liverpool started to impose themselves. Keita cut infield from the left and drove hard towards the far corner with his right foot in the 35th minute and the save from Willy Caballero diving to his left was the moment of the half.
Part of what made this Liverpool team different from the one we are used to seeing was the lack of pressure on the ball applied by players such as shaqiri and sturridge when Chelsea were in possession.
sturridge missed a great chance in the first minute of the second half. A slack pass from Christensen set him clear and though Caballero tackled him, the loose ball was begging to be rolled into the empty net only for the Liverpool striker to miss by fully two yards.
That shocking miss was followed by a flurry of activity. First Morata headed a good chance over after Willian’s cross found him unmarked, then Barkley’s mistake in his own half let Mane in. This time Caballero made a good save.
so, finally, the night was alive. sarri’s response was to send on Hazard for Willian. It was a bold move and a surprising one, given that the Brazilian had played well, but before Hazard could touch the ball Liverpool were ahead.
James Milner harassed the hell out of Fabregas and Cesar Azpilicueta and, when the latter eventually surrendered the ball, Keita brought another flying stop from Caballero only for sturridge to fizz the ball back into the net with a wonderful scissor-kick.
Liverpool were by far the better team in the second half and had dominated almost all of it. But when Chelsea won a free-kick on the right with 11 minutes left, Barkley reacted quickest to head down at the near post. Mignolet saved well but could only parry and Emerson poked in the rebound.
Liverpool duly responded and sturridge curled a shot from 20 yards on to the top of the crossbar and over.
But there was simply nothing Liverpool could do to stop Hazard’s moment of magic sending Chelsea through.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Milner (Henderson 60), Fabinho (Salah 87), Keita; Shaqiri, Sturridge, Mane (Firmino 71). Subs not used: Gomez, Solanke, Jones, Grabara. Booked: Milner, Matip, Fabinho, Keita, Henderson.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Caballero; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen (Luiz 73), Emerson; Barkley, Fabregas, Kovacic (Kante 64); Moses, Morata, Willian (Hazard 56).
Subs not used: Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi, Zappacosta, Bulka. Booked: Kovacic, Moses, Morata. Referee: Kevin Friend. Attendance: 45,503. Man of the match: Naby Keita.