Hazard and Costa fire Chelsea 10 points clear
Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were on target as clinical Chelsea swatted aside West Ham 2-1 to take a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Two of Chelsea’s three Premier League defeats this season were away London derbies - to Arsenal and Tottenham - and West Ham beat the Blues in the EFL Cup in a match marred by crowd trouble at the London Stadium. Those scenes - of violence and a Chelsea defeat were not repeated here, although one fan hurdled the advertising hoardings to remonstrate with celebrating Chelsea players after Hazard’s goal before he was wrestled away. Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte may be taking nothing for granted in the title race, but his side are showing little sign of slipping up. Tottenham are the Blues’ nearest rivals with 11 games to go, but thirdplaced Manchester City could move eight points behind by winning their game in-hand. West Ham’s direct tactics were predictable, but Chelsea withstood the bombardment until Manuel Lanzini’s stoppagetime strike, which proved mere consolation. Slaven Bilic would have anticipated the visitors playing on the counterattack, but his side could not stop Chelsea going in front once the excellent N’Golo Kante had intercepted a Robert Snodgrass pass intended for Sofiane Feghouli. Ten seconds later the ball was in the Hammers’ net as Hazard struck his 10th of the campaign. While, Costa bundled in his 17th and now has 49 Premier League goals. Next the Blues play Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.