Eden Hazard Comments on Diego Costa, Chelsea After Manchester City Win

Eden Hazard has said that Chelsea team-mate Diego Costa can win the Premier League's Golden Boot award ahead of him so long as the Belgian regains his Player of the Year title.

According to the Telegraph's Matt Law, Hazard was questioned on his tally of eight goals, which puts him three behind Costa's 11 for the season:

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It’s not bad is it? But I always say to Diego that he can become the top scorer. If I get the chance to score a goal, I will take it. But he can become the top scorer if I can win the trophy of the best player.

We can laugh about it now, but we’ll see. Diego is performing on a high level, we are scoring a lot of goals. We are strong as a team, we are together and that’s very good. We are going to try to keep playing on this level.

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The pair both found the net on Saturday as they helped the Blues come from behind to beat Manchester City 3-1.

Costa's strike puts him level at the summit of the top goalscorers' charts alongside Alexis Sanchez and one ahead of Sergio Aguero, though it will be some time before the latter is able to add to his tally:

Football writer James Horncastle and Premier League all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer hailed the Spain international's efforts after the game:

The striker bagged 27 league goals in his final campaign with Atletico Madrid, and he would likely need to achieve a similar tally this year to claim the gong—in each of the last five Premier League seasons, the winner has netted at least 25.

If he continues scoring at such an impressive rate, he may well do so, particularly if Hazard also maintains his form.

As football journalist Kristof Terreur demonstrated, the pair have been instrumental to Chelsea's success this season:

If the Belgium international can continue wreaking havoc each week, he'll not only stand an excellent chance of winning the Player of the Year award, he will also boost Costa's chances—the forward can only benefit from the opportunities Hazard creates.

More importantly, they could help the Blues win the title. Antonio Conte's side are top after a tricky spell in September having won their last eight games in succession.

Hazard also said it is the Blues' ultimate goal: "Chelsea are always competing for the title. We are in a good position right now, but let’s see. We are trying."

Defeating City is a good sign, but the Sky Blues remain firmly in the title race alongside Arsenal, Liverpool and perhaps even Tottenham Hotspur, so there's a long way yet to go.

Whether Chelsea manage it or not, the Stamford Bridge faithful will be delighted to see Costa and Hazard performing at their best once again after such a disappointing season last year.