Chelsea’s best goals of the season: Eden Hazard? N’Golo Kante? Hazard again?
Chelsea scored 85 goals in the Premier League this season, with 14 Blues getting a cut of the action. Which of those 85 (plus those in cup tournaments) was the best of the season?
As we like to say around here, goal goals love us some goals. Chelsea took care of us well, then, finishing just one goal shy of the league lead. When even Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante score, you know your team likes the back of the net.
Chelsea scored golazos, worldies, screamers and the occasional howler. Out of them all, we’ve picked a few of the best.
Eden Hazard vs. Arsenal: 4 February, 3-1
Rayna Sidhu: This is one of the best moments of the season. Whenever I look back, I can feel the smugness that Hazard radiated in that moment.
Hazard took the ball from the halfway line, dribbling past Koscielny who tripped over his own feet. Coquelin was the second Arsenal player to have a try. Hazard kept the ball and Coquelin ended up on the floor after a dramatic mid-air twist as he tried to stay upright. It was comical.
The Belgian kept on, and by then Koscielny was ready to give it another go. He failed, again, and Hazard slotted the ball calmly past Petr Cech.
Everything about the goal was flawless, disrespectful and beautiful. It was one of the clearest insights of the season into exactly what Eden Hazard is capable of. He couldn’t have done more, and to do it against Arsenal makes it even sweeter.
Brendan McDonnell: This should be the only acceptable answer.
N’Golo Kante vs. Manchester United: 23 October, 4-0
Scott Brant: This was N’golo Kante’s first goal for Chelsea and it was a absolute peach. He receives the ball about ten yards outside the box. He immediately drives towards United’s goal. When Chris Smalling approached, the Frenchmen sold him a dummy leaving Smalling in the dust looking stupid.
WIth only David De Gea to beat, Kante was as cool as the other side of the pillow, finishing far post. The celebration after was equally memorable as the remaining players on the pitch except Thibault Courtois engulfed Kante. The happiness they all exhibited for him scoring along with Kante’s ear-to-ear smile helped make it a goal I won’t forget.
Eden Hazard vs. Everton: 5 November, 5-0
Daniel Mcclue: For the significance, Michy Batshuayi’s goal against West Brom, of course. But for the best, most skilled goal all season, it has to be Eden Hazard’s goal in the home fixture against Everton.
The whole game was the best display of pure footballing dominance, coupled with team confidence that I’ve ever seen from a Chelsea side. It was perfection, topped off by Hazard’s goal. Chelsea gave a clinic in give-and-goes, off-the-ball movement and the weight of flicks. The Belgian and Pedro made it look so easy.
George Perry: A highlight clip cannot do this goal justice because it came at the end of a 28-pass sequence, the last two passes being the brilliant flick from Hazard and back-heel from Pedro. There are individual goals and there are team goals. This goal – and the entire game – showed how Antonio Conte was bringing the best out of 11 top-class individuals to build a world-class team.
Next: Tammy Abraham may open his Premier League career on loan at Brighton