Man-of-the-match Eden Hazard called for Chelsea to wrap up the Premier League title as soon as possible after orchestrating a controlled 2-1 win at West Ham.
Hazard opened the scoring after 26 minutes, giving the latest demonstration of Chelsea’s devastating counter-attacking prowess.
Diego Costa’s 18th of the season arrived five minutes into the second period and Manuel Lanzini’s stoppage-time consolation gave the illusion of a tight contest at London Stadium.
Antonio Conte’s side are 10 points clear of Tottenham in second, while Manchester City will aim to cut that lead to a slightly less imposing eight by winning their game in hand at home to Stoke City on Wednesday.
“We played a good game – maybe not the best of the season but at least we created a couple of chances, scored two goals and we won the game,” Hazard told Sky Sports.
“We are at the top and we want to stay at the top. We have 11 games to play.
“We will try to win the title as soon as possible. We want the title back at Stamford Bridge. This is our target this season.”
Chelsea ceded the title during a forgettable campaign last time around but 2014-15 PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year Hazard is a symbol of their renaissance under Conte, revelling in an inside-forward role off the prolific Costa.
“It’s more easy for me to play inside close to Diego and close to the goal,” he explained.
“Sometimes when I play on the wing I am alone and if I want to be decisive I have to dribble past one or two guys.
“In this system we know what to do.
“[Conte] is good for the team – a great manager, a great character. He helps a lot.”
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