Hazard Hits Two as Chelsea Nails Hammers

With just over a month left to go, the Premiership's Top Four is featuring a three-way race for Spots 3 and 4 that offer a place in Europe for next season.

Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal are basically playing football's version of musical chairs. Only three points separate them.

Thus, anything other than a max-point result in any match produces wary scoreboard watching to see how the other sides did.

It's with that in mind that Chelsea kept control of their own fate -- at least until the next game day -- when Eden Hazard stepped up and scored twice in the Blues' 2-0 triumph over West Ham.

 

The Hammers are sitting mid-table and out of all trophy competitions. Their hopes of sneaking in the back door for a European League slot are Slim and none ...

...and Slim left town.

 

Nothing left for them to do, then, than play spoiler. When that means tripping up a fellow London side, it's inspiration enough.

But alas, the Hammers don't have the horses for a task like that.

 

Dudes did dominate and create solid chances outta the gate. It just didn't last. Chelsea absorbed those early waves and soon gained control of time and space.

By the 24th minute, the Blues served notice with an incredible individual play by Hazard. The Belgian international got the ball, drove forward, dribbled past three defenders, and slotted a worldie past goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański:

 

Chelsea spent the rest of the half reminding West Ham who's who in the zoo.

 

After the break, the Hammers took another stab at playing more aggressively -- creating good chances through Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini -- but no dice.

The balance of the half saw them conceding more and more space and surrendering counter-attacks. It was all they could do to keep within a goal.

Ultimately, they couldn't. In the 90th, Chelsea sealed the deal when Ross Barkley's cross from the left found Hazard inside the area. Dude struck a low half-volley, and that was that:

 

This result kept the Blues barely ahead of their pursuers:

The race gets hotter with every forthcoming match day.