Hazard stars as Chelsea thrash Everton to go top of the league
Antonio Conte's side kept a fifth successive clean sheet and were irresistible in attack as they swept Ronaldo Koeman's side away at Stamford Bridge.
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Eden Hazard put in the sort of performance that earned him the PFA Player of the Year Award as Chelsea thrashed Everton 5-0 at Stamford Bridge to move to the top of the Premier League at the expense of Manchester City, who were held 1-1 at home by a last-minute goal from Middlesbrough’s Marten de Roon.
Chelsea knock City off perch
It was the first time City had been knocked off the top all season. Chelsea's sparking performance sent them a point clear, although Arsenal and Liverpool will have an opportunity to overtake them by winning home games on Sunday.
Successive losses to those teams in September raised questions about whether Antonio Conte's side were ready for a serious attempt to regain the title they lost last season.
But Chelsea produced an irresistible performance with Belgian forward Eden Hazard scoring twice to inspire a fifth successive win without conceding a goal.
Rout at the Bridge
Marcos Alonso, Diego Costa and Pedro completed Chelsea's biggest victory under Conte and sixth-placed Everton's heaviest defeat by far since Ronald Koeman became manager in the close-season.
Hazard opened the scoring in the 19th minute, drifting in from the left to drill a shot into the bottom-right corner, and a minute later Pedro teed up Alonso for the hosts' second.
Costa made it 3-0 three minutes before half-time, slamming home at the back post after Nemanja Matic flicked on Hazard's corner to bring up his ninth goal of the campaign.
Chelsea's fourth goal was a jewel, Pedro returning Hazard's pass with a sweet back-heel and the Belgian dancing into the box from the right before lashing home with his left foot.
Pedro volleyed in the fifth, in the 65th minute, after Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg parried a shot from Hazard.
Conte: "Fantastic to be top of the league"
"When you win in this way it's fantastic because we played good football with good intensity," Conte told BT Sport. "All the players played in the right way with and without the ball. We created many chances to score and also it's the fifth clean sheet in a row, which is fantastic. It is fantastic to be top of the league."
