Chelsea 3 West Brom 0: Eden Hazard stars as Blues climb back into top four

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Vaishali Bhardwaj12 February 2018

Eden Hazard's brace got Chelsea back to winning ways as the champions beat Premier League strugglers West Brom 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Despite the final score-line, the Baggies began the match well even with Daniel Sturridge's early exit due to injury, but it was Chelsea who found the opener through Hazard.

The Belgian, who scored against Watford a week ago, combined with Olivier Giroud - making his first start for the Blues - before latching back onto the Frenchman's pass and firing past Ben Foster in the 25th minute.

Victor Moses then made it 2-0 in the second half before Alvaro Morata returned from injury to help set up Hazard's second of the night, which helped secure a 3-0 victory that moves the Blues back above Tottenham into fourth place - one point behind third-placed Liverpool.

Despite good spells in west London, the loss means that West Brom remain rock-bottom in the Premier League standings - five points behind Stoke.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte came into the clash against the Baggies under severe pressure following on from Chelsea's humiliating defeats to Bournemouth - which came at Stamford Bridge - and Watford at Vicarage Road last Monday.

With no midweek fixture for the Blues for the first time since November, Conte reacted to the 4-1 loss to the Hornets by giving the majority of his squad three days off to help them recover from what he described as "mental fatigue".

Getty Images

But despite the break, it was West Brom who started the match on Monday the better of the two sides - with Victor Moses being let off the hook when he inadvertently sent a headed clearance into the path of substitute Jay Rodriguez, who fired wide.

One of Chelsea's issues since the turn of the year has been their inability to convert their chances, indeed, in the last two matches without Alvaro Morata - who has been suffering with a back injury - the Blues only scored once with Hazard deployed up front in the 'false No.9' position.

But Conte opted against having Hazard play as a striker on Monday and, instead, handed Giroud his first start for Chelsea since joining the club on transfer deadline day - which paid off.

AFP/Getty Images

After tamely driving a cross from Hazard into the arms of Foster in the 19th minute, Giroud turned provider as he played a one-two with the Belgian, which ended in Hazard firing into the bottom corner of the net six minutes later.

It was the goal Chelsea had been desperately searching for - with the relief easy to see on Conte's face as he celebrated the opener with a powerful fist-pump.

The goal helped Chelsea regain control of the match, and the hosts thought they should have had a penalty when Moses went down in the area following contact from Rodriguez, although nothing was given.

Action Images via Reuters

Chelsea came back out after the break intent on trying to find their second of the evening but were first needed to be fully alert at the back when a cross flew into the box, which Cesar Azpilicueta brilliantly cleared with Salomon Rondon waiting to pounce.

West Brom upped the pressure and forced Thibaut Courtois into tipping Rondon's effort away for a corner before Jonny Evans' header from the set piece flew inches over the bar.

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