The club Sir Alex Ferguson called ‘that mob’ over Cristiano Ronaldo look to be after Manchester United’s goalkeeper and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard – but the Premier League duo should stand firmIt isn’t difficult to understand why there are times when Real Madrid, with all their haughty self‑importance and the inescapable sense that they always seem to get their way, leave some of the other clubs at the higher end of the sport filled with moments of insecurity.There are plenty of other great clubs who regard European domination as a legitimate ambition. Yet none, perhaps – not even Barcelona – have the same kind of magnetic attraction for the game’s superstars. None of the other superpowers seem so sure of themselves,...
Mourinho puts one over on Conte, Rashford and Lingard offer United vision of post-Ibrahimovic era and Hazard’s lack of hunger whets Spurs’ appetiteAt times José Mourinho has been cast as a fading force. Not after this. By the end Antonio Conte stood in rain in the technical area looking clueless. Manchester United’s victory derived from Mourinho’s tactical masterclass with the attacking axis of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, and Ander Herrera’s man‑marking of Eden Hazard. It is the ideal boost before the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Anderlecht on Thursday, with the tie poised at 1-1. Before this match Mourinho posited there was “no emotion” in meeting his former club despite two previous defeats and the abuse received during...
The Chelsea forward scored his 14th league goal of the season at Bournemouth but improvements to his tactical and physical game also caught the eyeIt has not always been this easy for Eden Hazard. His effortless feint then finish against Bournemouth on Saturday was just the latest entry in a showreel teeming with long-lasting contributions to Chelsea’s relentless charge towards the Premier League title. With seven games to go, Hazard might yet decide the outcome of this two-horse race single-handed. Related: Antonio Conte says Spurs’ pressure is bringing the best out of Chelsea Related: Chelsea’s Eden Hazard shows Bournemouth what makes leaders tick Continue reading...
Belgian playmaker has been inspirational all season and was once again in scintillating form to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 victory against Manchester CityT here was an unusual sound just before half-time in this bustling, full-body collision of a Premier League match. For most of the opening 45 minutes the usual snorts and surges of rage had barrelled around the ground, most of it directed at the ongoing Sergio Agüero-David Luiz vendetta.As the interval approached Eden Hazard picked up the ball near the centre circle one last time. Chopping the turf with his heel to stop his momentum, Hazard swayed one way, darted back the other and left John Stones looking strangely lost, wandering vaguely in the general direction of...
The stifling orthodoxy that N’Golo Kanté is the top flight’s most important player ignores the bravery and skill of Chelsea’s Belgian playmaker alongside himThere are some things in sport that you’re just not allowed to say, lines that must not be crossed. For a long time it was more or less impossible to say in public that you thought Paul Scholes was simply a very good footballer, as opposed to a chasteningly complete distillation of perfection and a one-man anti-glam debunking of the Premier League star system. You might think this. But saying it out loud is still technically an offence under the Scholes Act 2009, punishable by being stabbed in the eye with a skewer by the Queen.The same...