A resounding victory over Brighton on Saturday saw Chelsea return to winning ways in the Premier League. An Eden Hazard double, as well as goals from Willian and Victor Moses meant the Blues went on to win their first league game of the New Year in emphatic fashion. Here’s who impressed in Chelsea’s win at the weekend.
3. Willy Caballero
Keeping his spot from midweek due to an injury to Thibaut Courtois, Caballero made his Premier League debut for the club. Although his decision making can be questionable at times, you cannot doubt that the Argentine is a great goalkeeper. He made a brilliant save to deny Tomer Hemed from close range, and ended his first league appearance with a clean sheet. He might feel slightly lucky not to have given away a penalty, however, after he brought down Ezequiel Schelotto.
2. Willian
Despite playing 120 minutes in midweek against Norwich, Willian managed to complete 80 minutes only a few days later, and produce arguably his best performance this season. His appearance in Saturday’s fixture was his 50th consecutive appearance in the Premier League, and he capped with a great performance. He combined well with Hazard and Batshuayi well all game, and unleashed a ferocious shot which gave Mat Ryan no chance. He almost added his second with a free kick, but Ryan denied him with a brilliant save.
1. Eden Hazard
Willian’s brilliant performance would’ve been good enough to top this in most other weeks, but not this week. Eden Hazard was utterly unplayable, and the Brighton defenders had no idea how to cope with him. He got the ball rolling after three minutes with a great finish, before combining with Willian and Batshuayi for the Blues’ second. He grabbed the third in the second half, with a great finish. His two goals saw the Belgian move onto 102 Premier League goals and assists, and go above Gianfranco Zola.