Eden Hazard has stated that Chelsea are still aiming to win the Premier League this season despite remaining eight points behind leaders Liverpool.
Hazard put on another mesmerising display in attack for the Blues against Brighton, setting up Pedro’s 17th-minute opener before getting on the scoresheet himself after a little over the half-hour mark as Chelsea ran out 2-1 victors at the Amex Stadium.
The victory meant the west Londoners solidified their grip on the fourth and final Champions League spot as they opened up a three-point gap against Arsenal in fifth. However, there remains a significant gap with the top two sides Liverpool and Manchester City, who also won both of their games this weekend.
Yet while Chelsea are seven and eight points behind the Citizens and the Reds respectively, Hazard remains confident in their hopes of catching the pacesetters, insisting that there isn’t too much of a gap between the overall quality of the Blues squad and those of Liverpool’s and Man City’s, while also stating that Maurizio Sarri’s side’s aim is to become the No1 club in England.
“Of course, we want to be top of the league at the end of the season,” said the Belgian superstar. “I know Manchester City and Liverpool are good teams, but we are with them and don’t want the gap to be any bigger than it is now. We want to win and be the best team in England.”
Solly March’s 66th-minute strike for Chris Hughton’s side set up a down-the-wire finish at the Amex and Hazard admitted the Blues, who looked set for a comfortable victory, could have put the contest to bed earlier.
“Of course, the way we won, it was hard to win in the end,” the forward added. “This game was one of the most important of the season, especially after such a big game against Manchester City. We knew at half-time that we wanted to score a third, when you are 3-0 up it is not easy for the opponent to come back.
“But we didn’t, and at the end you could feel the pressure a bit in the last five, 10 minutes, but we managed the game well and we just deserved to win.”
