Boss hails Hazard after Chelsea victory

Delighted boss Roberto Di Matteo hailed Eden Hazard after the summer signing played a starring role in Chelsea’s win at Wigan.

Hazard was involved in both goals in the Blues’ 2-0 victory, setting up Branislav Ivanovic for the opener and then winning a penalty which Frank Lampard converted.

It was a hugely encouraging Premier League debut for the Belgian and suggested there is plenty more to come.

“He showed all his quality today. He was outstanding and combined well with his team-mates,” said Di Matteo.

“He was a threat and exactly what we were looking for. He has great technical ability and a turn of pace.

“He can play with his back to goal and has a lot of characteristics he can bring to our team. This kind of player is difficult to mark because of the movement.”

Both Chelsea’s goals came in the opening seven minutes and although Wigan improved in the second half, they never looked like staging a comeback.

“I’m very pleased with the performance and result because the first game of the season is always tricky,” Di Matteo added.

“We were expecting a difficult game and the two early goals really helped us and settled a lot of nerves.”

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