Eden Hazard, right, celebrates Chelsea's League Cup triumph with Didier Drogba, left, and Cesc Fabregas, centre. Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
Eden Hazard, right, celebrates Chelsea's League Cup triumph with Didier Drogba, left, and Cesc Fabregas, centre. Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

Eden Hazard backs Chelsea to use League Cup win to boost Premier League title charge



Eden Hazard believes Chelsea’s League Cup final success can provide the perfect springboard for the club’s Premier League title challenge.

The league leaders travel to London rivals West Ham on Wednesday three days after beating Tottenham at Wembley to win the first trophy of manager Jose Mourinho’s second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s victory came with the added bonus of having been achieved on the same day second-placed Manchester City lost at Liverpool.

That result means Mourinho’s side head to Upton Park five points clear of the chasing pack having played a game less.

And Belgium midfielder Hazard claims Chelsea will resume their bid to clinch the championship for the first time since 2010 with the belief that comes from already having lifted silverware.

“By winning this trophy, we can concentrate on the league 100 per cent. It’s always important to win trophies when playing for Chelsea,” Hazard said.

RELATED:

“Before the game we didn’t feel pressure or think about the Liverpool-Man City game. Of course when you see the result and that Liverpool won, it is very good for the confidence.

“The season is still long. It is not finished. Manchester City have very good players, they play very well and it will be a war until the end.

“So it is important for us to keep going, we still have a lot of matches.”

The West Ham meeting marks Chelsea’s last game before they turn their attention towards the next week’s second leg of the Champions League tie with Paris Saint Germain.

And Hazard is keen to maintain the winning momentum through a decisive period in the club’s campaign.

“When you play for Chelsea you have to win trophies and get to the semi-final or final of the Champions League,” he said.

“We know it’s always difficult because there are very good teams in it. The first game against PSG finished 1-1, it was good for us. But the tie is not finished and we need to win.

“How far can we go? I hope we can get to the final. We will see. First, we must concentrate on out next game against West Ham.”

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is in desperate need of a lift ahead of his team’s daunting meeting with the Blues.

Allardyce has come under growing pressure following a heavy FA Cup defeat to West Bromwich Albion and his position was further undermined by the weekend home loss to Crystal Palace.

That 3-1 defeat left the Hammers in ninth place and Allardyce admits their hopes of claiming a Europa League place are now fading.

“Turning performances into victories is the hardest thing at this level and we’ve really slipped up in that area, especially when we’ve been in great positions to win football matches as well,” Allardyce said.

“We’re in very a good position still to qualify for Europe but now we’re letting that slip.”

Allardyce’s side were one of the surprise packages during the opening months of the season, but the manager believes the effects of their efforts may be beginning to catch up.

“Maybe some of the players have started to really feel the pace of the Premier League for the first time and are not quite performing as well as before,” Allardyce said.

“We’ve got to make sure that we get back together and certainly on Wednesday night now we need to see our very best performance.

“As I say, you can play your very best against Chelsea and still not win and they could still beat you.”

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20EduPloyment%3Cbr%3EDate%20started%3A%20March%202020%3Cbr%3ECo-Founders%3A%20Mazen%20Omair%20and%20Rana%20Batterjee%3Cbr%3EBase%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Recruitment%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2030%20employees%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20Pre-Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Angel%20investors%20(investment%20amount%20undisclosed)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
if you go

The flights

Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes

The package

Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January

The info

Visit www.gokorea.co.uk