Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City: Hazard HAT-TRICK sends Blues top with five wins

Chelsea beat new comers Cardiff City 4-1 at Stamford Bridge to top PL table as Eden Hazard's hat-trick overturns early deficit for Blues to make it five out of five.

Match Events

6' Giroud's header over the bar

The Blues go close with their first serious attack of the game; Giroud steers a header just wide to the upper right post from the centre of the box as he meets Azpilicueta's cross.

16' GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Cardiff City (Sol Bamba)

They've started well, and now they're in front! A free-kick is played forward and Morrison wins the first ball, heads it towards the six-yard box and Bamba is there to finish beyond Kepa. It's exactly how Cardiff got so much joy against Arsenal last weekend - Chelsea haven't learned.

24' Pedro's shot inches wide of far post

Pedro! From 15 yards out, the Chelsea man turns in the Cardiff box to step around Bennett and chips a shot inches wide of the left post. The hosts are throwing everything they've got at their visitors to level things up.

37' GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Cardiff City (Hazard)

Hazard pulls Chelsea level, and it's a marvellous, marvellous move from the hosts. He starts the move in midfield, a number of one-touch passes end with Giroud returning the ball into the path of his run and he finishes on his right into the bottom corner beyond Etheridge from the edge of the box. 

44' GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Cardiff City (Hazard)

Chelsea's one-touch passing is at it again, and Hazard is at it again. 

A quickly-taken free-kick is moved out to the left where Pedro cuts it back to Giroud. The ball is behind the Frenchman so he smartly uses his first touch to pick out Hazard, who is better placed to shoot, and he finishes from close-range to put the hosts in front.

62' Pedro's shot wide to the left

80' Penalty Goal! Chelsea 3-1 Cardiff City (Hazard)

Hazard sends Etheridge the wrong way from the spot, smashing it low into the right-hand corner.

83' GOAL! Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City (Willian)

Another lovely goal from Chelsea, but this time it's Willian's individual quality which does it. 

Alonso works it inside from the left, and the Brazilian takes a good first touch before curling it inside the far post.

Match reports

Chelsea nudged ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table as Eden Hazard's hat-trick helped secure a come-from-behind 4-1 win over Cardiff City on Saturday.

The Belgium star needed just six first-half minutes to erase an early deficit and later returned to seal his treble from the spot as the hosts continued their perfect start to the new season.

Cardiff did fleetingly threaten an almighty upset thanks to Sol Bamba's shock 16th-minute opener before Maurizio Sarri's men took command on the way to a convincing fifth straight victory.

The in-form Hazard instigated a hasty turnaround that became a comfortable three points when Willian curled home seven minutes from the end, ensuring the Blues inched into top spot on goal difference.

Line-ups

Chelsea XI: D.Luiz, Azpilicueta, E. Hazard, O. Giroud, Pedro, M.Alonso, M. Kovačić, Jorginho, A. Rüdiger, Kepa, N. Kanté

Subs: Willian, W. Caballero, Drinkwater, Morata, Barkley, Zappacosta, A. Christensen

Cardiff City XI: David Junior Hoilett, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Sol Bamba, Arter, S. Morrison, J. Bennett, D. Ward, Neil Etheridge, Bobby Reid, J. Ralls, Camarasa

Subs: L. Peltier, B. Murphy, Gary Madine, Jazz Richards, Greg Cunningham, Kenneth Zohore, Callum Paterson