Chelsea and Liverpool thrive — after five
LONDON— The foundation is being laid for one of the English Premier League’s most exciting and competitive title races.
For the first time since the league’s inception 26 years ago, two teams — Chelsea and Liverpool — have a 100 per cent winning record after five matches.
Eden Hazard’s hat trick powered Chelsea to a 4-1 victory over Cardiff on Saturday shortly after Roberto Firmino helped Liverpool overcome Tottenham 2-1. Dual-track perfection can’t last much longer, as Chelsea hosts Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in two weeks.
And the defending soccer champions are in the slipstream. Still unbeaten, Manchester City beat Fulham 3-0 to remain two points behind the front-runners.
Watford made an unexpectedly perfect start to the campaign, but that’s now over after being beaten 2-1by Manchester United, which is trying to close a six-point gap on the leaders.
Hazard prepared for the Car- diff game with some encouragement and advice from Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri on Friday.
“You can score 40 goals,” Sarri recalled telling the winger. “But you have to spend less energy far from goal and you have to play in the last 25 metres of the field.”
Hazard’s best tally since joining Chelsea in 2012 is 18 in the 2016-17 campaign. He already has six from the opening five fixtures fuelled by only his second Premier League treble.
The Belgium international surged through the defence before finishing powerfully in the 37th minute at Stamford Bridge to cancel out Sol Bamba’s surprise opener from winless Cardiff.
Before halftime, Olivier Gi- roud laid the ball off for Hazard to unleash a strike that deflected in off Bamba to send Chelsea in front. Hazard’s third came from the spot in the 80th after a penalty was won by Willian, who curled in the fourth three minutes later.
“When I arrived, I thought that Hazard was one of the best players in Europe,” Sarri said. “Now I have changed my mind. Maybe he is the best. But I also think he can still improve more.”
Tottenham spent nothing in the off-season. Liverpool invested more than $200 million in new talent. Now the tables have been turned in a rivalry that saw Tottenham beat Liverpool 4-1at home last season and finish a place ahead in third.
Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at Wembley pointed to a tight contest. In fact, after Erik Lamela pulled one back in stoppage time, Son Heung-min was unfortunate not to earn a stoppage-time penalty when South Korea’s returning Asian Games champion was kicked by Sadio Mane.