EPL Review: Eden Hazard, Samir Nasri Steal the Show on Sunday

Eden Hazard, signed by Chelsea this summer at the tender age of 21, has made it a habit during his already-glittering career of playing miles beyond his years.

During the 2008-09 season, his first at the top flight with Lille (he'd joined the club as an amateur in 2005), the then 18-year-old produced a display against six-time defending Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais that was so mesmerizing—so positively brilliant—that it marked him indelibly as a talent to watch for the future.

Zinedine Zidane tabbed him as a future prospect for Real Madrid, and players marveled over his technical proficiency and nose for goal.

Hazard's breathtaking play earned him the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award for two seasons in a row (2008-10), cracked the Ligue 1 Team of the Year three times running (2010-12), and was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for his final two seasons.

Quite the trophy case he was amassing, but those were individual accolades—when he helped take Lille to the Ligue 1 title and domestic double in 2010-11, the hype train kicked into overdrive.

It was only a matter of time before he left for a top-tiered European team.

So following a famously protracted transfer saga earlier this year, Hazard signed for Chelsea in June and immediately figured into Roberto di Matteo's plans for the upcoming season—one in which the Blues are looking to recreate their European triumph from a season ago while also making a push toward the league title, which has eluded them since the 2009-10 season.

Hazard couldn't have gotten off to a better start in his full league debut Sunday, providing the assists for Chelsea's first two goals against Wigan Athletic. By the time 15 minutes had gone, the game was for all intents and purposes finished.

Starting on the right wing, as opposed to the left where he'd begun last weekend's Community Shield, Hazard used the movement that was often seen during Ligue 1 play.

Hazard often starts games on the wings but has a tendency to drift centrally in order to get involved more in the play.

As ITV commentator Efan Ekoku noted on the telecast, Hazard's preferred position is a more central attacking one, but as he showed Sunday, the wings suit him just fine.

A brilliant turn in midfield took Hazard past Ivan Ramis, and after the Belgian slid a pass in for Branislav Ivanovic, the right-back did all the rest of the work, charging toward goal before unleashing a cool finish to take Chelsea up 1-0 just two minutes into play.

Ramis would relive his Hazard nightmare three minutes later when the winger pushed past Nelson Figueroa in the penalty area. Ramis rushed over, but bundled over Hazard, who won his side a penalty.

When Frank Lampard converted seconds later, Chelsea had their 2-0 lead on the stroke of six minutes.

The strength shown by Hazard to turn past Ramis not once but twice, both times contributing to Chelsea goals, will perhaps have been the most impressive aspect of his performance for his manager.

If Chelsea are to challenge for the top billing in the league standings this season, they'll need Hazard at his flowing best. He has let his mood get the better of him before, seen most notably in the early stages of the 2010-11 season with Lille, when manager Rudi Garcia benched him for poor body language.

That has not been in evidence yet in his Chelsea career—rather, it's been Hazard's immense ingenuity that has drawn him widespread praise in his burgeoning career in England.

Samir Nasri, four years Hazard's senior, nearly one-upped his midfielding rival in Sunday's later game. The new Manchester City No. 8 (he wore No. 19 after moving from Arsenal last season), was at his fluid best against Southampton at Etihad Stadium, pulling the strings for his side's remarkable comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory.

The Frenchman, who had endured a taxing European Championships, where his untoward actions resulted in the French federation slapping him with a four-match ban, was desperately needed by his club on Sunday.

David Silva, so often the instigator of City's attacking verve in the attacking third, was strangely subdued against Southampton, his day summed up perfectly by a glaring miss from point-blank range.

Nasri nearly sent Carlos Tevez in on goal with a deft no-look flick, but Tevez was bundled over by Jos Hooiveld, resulting in a penalty that Silva would hit far too casually and see saved by Kelvin Davis.

This was Nasri's day, however, and it was a performance that hearkened memories—and perhaps created expectations of a recreation of—his brilliant first half of the 2010-11 season.

Then with Arsenal, and with Cesc Fabregas out injured, Nasri had taken the league by storm on a weekly basis.

The ITV announcer presiding over the match had expressed a desire to see Nasri show more of the attacking flair and dynamism that had been such a staple of those early days in the 2010-11 campaign, and the Frenchman seemed happy to grant that wish.

His low center of gravity while dribbling, seen so frequently during his days as a starlet with Marseille and then with Arsenal, allows him to twist this way and that—often at a moment's notice, and often to the chagrin of defenders tasked with containing him.

When he's at his considerable best, and when he has players around him who share some of his footballing mentality—for example, a desire to link up through short, quick passes to get around defenders—Nasri can be unstoppable.

He had a habit of running at defenders in his early days, and while it seems he may have lost a yard of pace since the Marseille exploits, he can still work his way around defenders with aplomb.

Nasri had nearly cut Southampton apart yet again with a killer pass before picking out Carlos Tevez's canny run off the shoulder of Saints center back Jose Fonte.

The Argentine, at his industrious best for much of the first half, collected the curving pass in stride and drilled a low shot past Davis' near post to give City a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

Nasri continued his virtuoso performance in the second half, serving Edin Dzeko up goal-scoring opportunities on a platter.

There was no better example than when Nasri muscled Nathanial Clyne away near the endline before sending in a perfect low cross into the path of the Bosnian striker, who seemed taken aback and could manage only a weak effort that was easily saved by Davis.

Mario Balotelli joined Dzeko's early profligacy (in Dzeko's defense, he did score the equalizer after Southampton failed to clear their lines in the 72nd minute) in wasting Nasri's service, with the Italian sending Nasri's angled cross sent through the goal mouth area into the side netting.

If you want things done, sometimes it's best to simply buck up and do it yourself. Nasri heeded that advice some 10 minutes after Dzeko's goal, and after Daniel Fox again cleared poorly from a Gael Clichy cross, Nasri unleashed a somewhat scuffed shot past Davis to make it 3-2.

Though he pulled up lame seconds before the final whistle went, clutching his left thigh, there was no news emanating about a potential injury.

Such an occurrence would be devastating news for City, who may finally be ready to see a Samir Nasri at the height of his powers. If that is indeed the case, and with David Silva sure to rebound from this aberration of a performance, the Premier League should be very, very afraid.