Chelsea secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday evening, with Eden Hazard’s second-half goal the difference between the two sides.
It was a solid display from the Blues in general, and they did have their opportunities to make the game more comfortable for themselves, but ultimately they’ll have to settle for the slim victory.
With the three points, Chelsea move back into the top four as they picked up their third win in a week, which will be welcome news for Antonio Conte who had come under pressure following that surprise loss to Crystal Palace.
The win means that the Italian tactician’s side have now won nine of their last 11 Premier League away games, and they’ll certainly have to continue that kind of form if they wish to close the gap on their rivals at the top of the table.
Eden Hazard takes our Man of the Match award as aside from the goal he produced a really impressive performance in the second half in particular as he began to evade the pressure and coverage from the Bournemouth players.
Eden Hazard's game by numbers vs. Bournemouth:
90% pass accuracy
7 chances created
2 take-ons
2 crosses
2 shots
1 goalStrong display. ? pic.twitter.com/iO4d2UOjAj
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 28, 2017
The Belgian was involved in some nice play after the break, and was undoubtedly one of the top performers to go with his decisive touch.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko also impressed us, but Conte will be pleased with the performance as a collective to secure all three points.
Chelsea player ratings: Courtois 7; Azpilicueta 8, David Luiz 7, Rudiger 8; Zappacosta 6, Bakayoko 8, Fabregas 7, Alonso 6; Pedro 7, Morata 6, Hazard 9.
Substitutes: Drinkwater 6, Batshuayi 6, Willian N/A.