ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea 3

Newcastle 1

•LONDON • Eden Hazard gave England followers a glimpse of what to expect at next year's World Cup with a glorious display as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Less than 24 hours after the World Cup draw put Belgium and England in the same group, Belgian Hazard was in imperious form, scoring twice and running at defenders at will.

Chelsea also played with controlled aggression to stamp out the Magpies' early attempts at insurrection, and there were no touchline histrionics from Antonio Conte this time.

There was no need for a repeat of the eruption that led to the Chelsea manager being sent to the stands in the tight 1-0 win over Swansea City on Wednesday, and subsequently charged for misconduct by the Football Association.

Instead, it was an afternoon for Conte to stand back and appreciate Hazard's special talent as the forward helped Chelsea recover from a goal down to clinch victory.

Dwight Gayle scored for the visitors in the 12th minute but Hazard's double, which came either side of Alvaro Morata's 10th goal of the season, sealed the precious three points for Chelsea.

"After going 1-0 down, we started to play with good intensity and good football," Conte told BBC Sport.

"We did well after only two days' rest. It was a solid performance. I made rotations in the game and the response of my players was positive. I think that today, to play and win after two days of rest means a lot."

The Italian has used a 3-5-1-1 system this season. The formation is designed to coax the best out of Hazard, granting him the freedom to roam from a central position and enhance his goalscoring threat.

It was arduous for Newcastle, who strained to track the Belgian's slippery movement and to contain the brilliance of his dribbles.

Chelsea are now on a run of seven unbeaten games in the league, and a fit-again Hazard is proving to be the difference after he missed the start of the season with an ankle injury.

He has had a hand in 11 goals in his last 10 games in all competitions (eight goals, three assists).

"I'm not frustrated that I didn't get a hat-trick. The most important thing is that we won the game," Hazard, who was substituted in the 77th minute after his brace, told Sky Sports.

"We play on Tuesday (against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League) so a rest is sometimes good."

His display also earned him praise from Rafa Benitez.

"He has good movements. When he received the ball he can make the difference," the Newcastle manager said.

Hazard's penalty in the 74th minute all but rounded off a strong, aggressive team performance.

Still, Conte, without crossing the line, never stopped barking out instructions until the final whistle allowed him to relax.

THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE