Chelsea

It’s interesting to see how the media leans into stereotypes and known formulas of success — regardless of truth or sincerity in approach — to perpetually reinforce the confirmation bias of its readership.

For example, this past weekend Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain spoke about how criticism used to affect his personal life before he acquired a sense of perspective regarding his own career and the amount of importance that should be placed on chasing a ball around a large patch of grass.

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday morning with a convincing 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, heaping the pressure on Liverpool ahead of its colossal clash against Chelsea at Anfield later in the day.

That pressure built after Chelsea kept Liverpool off the scoresheet in the first half despite decent opportunities for the misfiring Mohamed Salah and the in-form Sadio Mané, and the Blues posed their own menace on the counter through Eden Hazard and Willian. 

Thorgan Hazard has been a revelation for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season. The Belgian has scored 12 goals and assisted 12 in all competitions in Germany and has attracted suitors from across Europe.

Hazard left Chelsea on loan to Möchengladbach in 2015, where he would earn a permanent stay.

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Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s magician. The Belgian is rumored to be looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, and his performance against West Ham today might have made it more difficult for Chelsea to keep ahold of its star.

Chelsea needed three points to go third in the Premier League, above both Arsenal and Tottenham. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gonzalo Higuain got their starts in a front three alongside Hazard, but it was the Belgian who stole the show. In the 24th minute, Hazard produced a goal of the season candidate.

Statistics can and will be used to deceive you. For example, I could tell you that with 12 goals from 52 shots, Romelu Lukaku is the most clinical finisher in the Premier League behind Raheem Sterling. That’s the truth when using those parameters. However, I could conversely tell you that Lukaku has missed 14 big chances this season, joint-fifth most in the division, and he’s one of the worst finishers in the Premier League. It’s hard to know where the truth lies, but it’s probably somewhere in the middle.

Chelsea thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 on Wednesday, momentarily moving the squad up a spot in the Premier League.

The Blues were merciless to Brighton keeper Matt Ryan as three goals were scored in the right corner.

Brighton started well, limiting Chelsea’s touches while playing aggressive. 

However, things turned fast for the 15th-placed English team.

Cardiff City sat third bottom of the Premier League table and, coming into Sunday, had eight games to go to claw its way out of the relegation zone. Cardiff’s schedule seems daunting, having to play Chelsea, Manchester City and the team above them, Burnley, in its upcoming three matches.

Chelsea arrived in Cardiff today looking for what was supposed to be three easy points. To be fair to Cardiff, it seemed like a match that would not be won. But that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Gonzalo Higuain has called it quits on his national career after ten years with la Albiceleste. The Chelsea star was one of Argentina’s best strikers in recent years, scoring 31 goals in 75 appearances, but his decision to retire from international duty comes after constant criticism from Argentina fans.

For the first time in four years, one of Chelsea’s biggest stars will return to play at Stamford Bridge. On June 16, Didier Drogba will headline the 2019 Soccer Aid for Unicef, hosted at Stamford Bridge.

He will also be joined by England’s own Jamie and Harry Redknapp as well as Olympic legend Usain Bolt. This will be Drogba’s first appearance back home at the Bridge since 2015.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal second legs were held across Europe today, and the field has now been trimmed to four after some truly captivating matches between the continent’s biggest clubs.

After defeating Norwegian side LSK Kvinner 3-0 in the first leg, Barcelona took care of business in Lillestrøm by opening the scoring in the seventh minute to doom any hopes of a Kvinner comeback. Barca has advanced to the semis in two of the last three seasons, but the club has never made it to the final.