Brighton 1-2 Chelsea: Eden Hazard scores and assists for Pedro as blues beat Seagulls at Amex
Eden Hazard scored one and set one up for Pedro as Chelsea proved too good for Brighton in their 2-1 win at the Amex.
The Belgium star laid on an assist for a personal record fourth consecutive league game, then fired his eighth league goal of an already hugely-fruitful campaign.
Hazard has now had a hand in 17 goals in 16 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this term - last season he only mustered a combined 16 goals and assists, in some 34 turns.
Solly March's neat half-volley set up a tense finish, but Chelsea still remained worthy winners on the south coast.
Hazard actually ended a seven-match league run without a goal, but even amid that barren run he has still been serving them up on a plate for his team-mates.
The 27-year-old's set up for Pedro's tap-in even leaves him as Europe's current assist king, with his nine tee-ups topping the charts across the continent's big five leagues.
Hazard's first meaningful contribution yielded the opener, the peerless Belgian twisting and turning Brighton's defence into enough of a spin that all Pedro had to do was tap his team-mate's rolled pass into the back of the net.
Willian then sent Hazard scampering clear, who strode on and swept the ball past Brighton's bystander goalkeeper Mat Ryan, to cement victory with little more than half an hour on the clock.
But just when Chelsea settled in for an armchair ride to the final whistle, up popped March at the far post to turn home a neat half-volley and cut Brighton's deficit in two.
Marcos Alonso rode his luck when tugging down March just outside the box, escaping with a booking purely because of David Luiz's covering presence.
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea - Opta stats
- Chelsea have scored 37 goals in the Premier League this season; their most at this stage of a campaign since 2014-15 when they won the title (38).
- Five of Brighton’s six home defeats in the Premier League have come against the traditional ‘big six’ teams, including both such defeats this season (1-2 v Spurs and Chelsea).
- Chelsea have won each of their seven games against Brighton in league competition; their best 100% record against a single opponent in league history.
- Brighton have kept just three clean sheets in their last 19 games in the Premier League, conceding 31 goals in this run.
- Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has been directly involved in more Premier League goals this season (17 in 16 apps) than he was in the whole of last season (16 in 34 apps).
- Eden Hazard is the first Chelsea player to assist a goal in four consecutive Premier League games since September 2014, when Cesc Fabregas did so.
- Chelsea winger Willian has now been directly involved in 50 goals in the Premier League (27 goals, 23 assists); becoming the third Brazilian player in competition history to reach this milestone, after Philippe Coutinho (76) and Roberto Firmino (64).
- Only Glenn Murray (8) has had a hand in more Premier League goals for Brighton than Solly March this season (6 – one goal, five assists).