When all else fails, Chelsea have Eden Hazard. That has been the case all season and it was again on Boxing Day, when the Belgian's goal fired the Blues to a 1-0 win over Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Final score 1-0, Eden Hazard wins it for the Blues
Once again, Hazard came to Chelsea’s rescue.
Chelsea dominated Swansea from the start, but true to form, they couldn't turn it into anything. Samuel Eto'o was spectacularly wasteful and turned what could have been a hat trick day for the striker turned into nothing, but he wasn't the only player who struggled in the final third. Nearly all of Chelsea did, failing to connect on the final ball and sending shots wide when they did have opportunities.
Luckily for the Blues, they have Hazard. After nearly a half-hour of Chelsea being on the front foot with nothing to show for it, Hazard took matters into his own hands. He cut in from the left and rifled a shot that Gerhard Tremmel should have saved, but he was distracted by his defender in front of him and the ball skipped into the net.
From there, Chelsea didn’t have a ton to do. They defended relatively well and Swansea rarely threatened, instead leaving Chelsea to find a way through for a second tally. They struggled to at times and when they did, Eto’o led the charge of poor finishing, but it didn’t matter.
Chelsea had Hazard, and with that, they had three points.
Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Terry, Luiz, Ivanovic, Mikel, Ramires, Hazard (Willian 82’), Oscar (Lampard 67’), Mata (Schurrle 72’), Eto’o.
Goals: Hazard 29’.
Swansea: Tremmel, Taylor, Williams, Amat, Rangel, Cañas (de Guzman 61’), Britton, Routledge (Bony 67’), Shelvey, Pozuelo (Pablo 45’), Vázquez
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