Hazard shines as Chelsea shuts out Wigan
Source: Agencies |
August 20, 2012, Monday
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NEW Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, widely hailed as the next big thing, lived up to all the hype inside the first seven minutes of his English Premier League debut after setting up both goals in a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic yesterday.
The Belgian, who joined the Champions League winner from Lille in the close season having turned down champion Manchester City and Manchester United, quickly silenced doubters who suspected England would be far tougher than the modest French league.
First he expertly turned marker Ivan Ramis to release right back Branislav Ivanovic, who ran in and coolly slotted home in the second minute having been allowed to play despite a red card in the 2-3 Community Shield loss to City last Sunday.
He then danced his way into the box and was upended by error-prone Wigan debutante Ramis, leaving Frank Lampard to slam in the seventh-minute penalty.
Roberto Di Matteo's side, only sixth in the league last term despite its Champions League triumph, then strolled through the rest of its season opener.
Fernando Torres should have finished the game off in the 63rd minute when he was played in by Juan Mata, but the Spanish striker's effort was partially blocked by 'keeper Ali al-Habsi before Ramis made up for his earlier errors by clearing off the line.
Champion City was hosting promoted Southampton in yesterday's other game while Manchester United and new striker Robin van Persie open their campaign at Everton today.
On Saturday, new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers could barely have imagined a worse opening day to the season after a 0-3 loss at West Bromwich Albion.
The loss was made more galling by a thumping 5-0 win at Queens Park Rangers for Swansea City, the team he left after devising a style of play that wooed a Liverpool hierarchy keen to return to the pass-and-move groove of the 1980s.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had almost as bad a day as Rodgers, watching his toothless side held 0-0 at home by Sunderland.
Tottenham Hotspur was also frustrated in a 1-2 defeat at Newcastle United, where former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas's new charges hit the woodwork twice before Newcastle's Demba Ba netted to end a personal 14-game goal drought.
Jermain Defoe grabbed Spurs' equalizer, following up his own header on 76 minutes, but Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa soon converted a penalty after the Frenchman was brought down.
The Belgian, who joined the Champions League winner from Lille in the close season having turned down champion Manchester City and Manchester United, quickly silenced doubters who suspected England would be far tougher than the modest French league.
First he expertly turned marker Ivan Ramis to release right back Branislav Ivanovic, who ran in and coolly slotted home in the second minute having been allowed to play despite a red card in the 2-3 Community Shield loss to City last Sunday.
He then danced his way into the box and was upended by error-prone Wigan debutante Ramis, leaving Frank Lampard to slam in the seventh-minute penalty.
Roberto Di Matteo's side, only sixth in the league last term despite its Champions League triumph, then strolled through the rest of its season opener.
Fernando Torres should have finished the game off in the 63rd minute when he was played in by Juan Mata, but the Spanish striker's effort was partially blocked by 'keeper Ali al-Habsi before Ramis made up for his earlier errors by clearing off the line.
Champion City was hosting promoted Southampton in yesterday's other game while Manchester United and new striker Robin van Persie open their campaign at Everton today.
On Saturday, new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers could barely have imagined a worse opening day to the season after a 0-3 loss at West Bromwich Albion.
The loss was made more galling by a thumping 5-0 win at Queens Park Rangers for Swansea City, the team he left after devising a style of play that wooed a Liverpool hierarchy keen to return to the pass-and-move groove of the 1980s.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had almost as bad a day as Rodgers, watching his toothless side held 0-0 at home by Sunderland.
Tottenham Hotspur was also frustrated in a 1-2 defeat at Newcastle United, where former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas's new charges hit the woodwork twice before Newcastle's Demba Ba netted to end a personal 14-game goal drought.
Jermain Defoe grabbed Spurs' equalizer, following up his own header on 76 minutes, but Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa soon converted a penalty after the Frenchman was brought down.
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