West Ham 0 - Chelsea 1: Eden Hazard produces the goods for league leaders

EDEN HAZARD was Chelsea’s unlikely hero as last night’s game at Upton Park turned into a snarling battle.

Eden Hazard scores for ChelseaGETTY

Eden Hazard (centre) bagged Chelsea's opener at Upton Park

Hazard’s 22nd-minute header proved the only goal in an encounter notable for its bad temper.

The Belgium international has lived up to his name in a number of different variations since arriving in the Premier League but seldom the two that marked the good and bad of a petulant first half.

Indeed the uncharacteristic Trip Hazard that earned him a booking in first-half injury time for an angry lash out at Mark Noble was a measure of how narky proceedings had been.

Those 45 minutes had produced just one goal when West Ham completely ignored the Head Hazard warnings – why wouldn’t they, after all, as the Chelsea playmaker is only 5ft 7in.

Nevertheless, he started a move outside the box with Cesc Fabregas and when the former Arsenal player knocked the ball wide to Ramires, Hazard continued a darting run towards goal.

James Collins made a late decision to try to step out and the sort of TV technology not immediately available for the replays beamed to the press box at Upton Park will ultimately determine the split-second call as to whether Hazard was in an offside position when he buried the simplest of headers past Adrian.

Crucially the assistant referee felt he was onside and Sam Allardyce felt he was not – a difference of opinion that was to lead to the purple-faced West Ham manager wagging his finger fiercely at the official’s decision after another debated call, this time over a throw-in. 

While Chelsea were clearly the better team, West Ham had shown enough nous with the ball to threaten the Capital One Cup winners.

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Diafra Sakho spurned two good chances in quick succession immediately before the Chelsea goal and worse was to come nine minutes before the break when Carl Jenkinson’s cross was headed so far down by the unmarked Senegal international seven yards from goal that it bounced up to a comfortable height by the time it reached Thibaut Courtois’ outstretched hand.

A minute earlier, Jenkinson had provided just as exquisite service at the other end, making up a 10-yard gap when Diego Costa was put through, switching from outside to inside the Chelsea striker and nipping the ball off his foot just as Costa was poised to shoot.

By such narrow margins the game growled into a second period.

Sakho was the first to show, firing into the side netting five minutes after the restart and Chelsea continued to ride their luck as another Sakho effort was pushed unconvincingly aside by Courtois.

West Ham, though, enjoyed an even greater slice of fortune when Ramires appeared to have added a second on the counter-attack. But his shot bounced off the inside of the far post and back into the grateful hands of the beaten Adrian. Courtois again stopped Sakho as the chances continued to come at either end. An Enner Valencia shot bounced off the Chelsea goalkeeper’s chest and Sakho could not quite reach the rebound.

Hazard could easily have seen red after a callous foul on Noble and only John Terry will know if he deliberately dallied in the path of Cheikhou Kouyate, leading to a sickening clash of heads as the latter threatened to burst into the box. Referee Andre Marriner thought it was an accident.

The giant egg which swiftly swelled under the West Ham midfielder’s eye was testament that last night’s game was a proper fight with the Hammers taking the Premier League’s top side right the way to the final bell.

WEST HAM (4-1-4-1): Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid (Collins 8), Cresswell; Noble; Downing, Kouyate (De Carvalho 87), Nolan, Valencia; Sakho. Booked: Kouyate, Collins, Nolan. NEXT UP: Arsenal (a), Sat March 14 PL.

CHELSEA (4-1-4-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Zouma; Ramires, Oscar (Willian 74), Fabregas, Hazard (Remy 90); Costa (Drogba 90). Booked: Terry, Hazard, Fabregas, Drogba. Goal: Hazard 22. NEXT UP: PSG (h), Wed CL.

Referee: A?Marriner (West Midlands).

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