Eden Hazard Flair Allows Pragmatic Chelsea Approach to Determine Man Utd Victory

LONDON — If there was any doubt Chelsea will win the Premier League this season, it was put to bed with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday that sent them 10 points clear at the top.

Equally, if there were any questions over whether Eden Hazard should be named PFA Player of the Year, his performance made them null and void.

Hazard scored the game's decisive goal, but his display was about so much more. He showed there isn't a player in England who is more integral to a team's system than he is.

The Belgian is Chelsea.

Pragmatic to his core, Jose Mourinho had one aim at Stamford Bridge—not to lose. The plan was a simple one to ensure that happened. His team would be patient and soak up any United pressure before breaking at pace.

Kurt Zouma played alongside Nemanja Matic in midfield for that reason, bulking up an area of the pitch where Chelsea needed to suffocate their opponents and turnover possession.

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

It didn't matter that this meant United would enjoy most of the ball; it didn't matter that Chelsea's performance was far from easy on the eye.

They had the muscle for the task at hand, sure, but without Hazard, Mourinho's plan would never have worked.

He made the graft worth it.

Hazard's strike was like a training ground routine, one straight from the manager's playbook.

"

Mourinho: "Obviously every point we get now, every victory we get, is one step in the right direction. No more than that."

— Dan Levene (@BluesChronicle) April 18, 2015"

John Terry dispossessed Radamel Falcao on the halfway line, and before they knew it, United were trailing as Cesc Fabregas found Oscar, whose clever backheel set Hazard free to run on goal and nutmeg David de Gea.

In real time it looked exquisite, but TV replays were even more impressive.

Mourinho drills his players on their defensive responsibilities. His cheerleading from the touchline showed us how much preparation went into stopping a resurgent United in their tracks, too.

The Chelsea boss was barking his orders throughout, keeping his players focused on what was required, maintaining their structure. Everyone had a role, and Hazard's was to spot the danger as it developed.

Oscar's vision was telling to pick him out, yet Hazard's run from deep to exploit the space that was opening up was phenomenal.

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

The Belgian plays with a grace few can match, using his footballing ability to sugarcoat those moments that are defining Chelsea's campaign.

He sniffs out chances, and when opportunity presents itself, he executes to perfection.

Last weekend it was the assist for Fabregas that secured victory against QPR; this week a goal himself to deny United.

It was eye-of-the-needle stuff, a game changed on a moment's brilliance.

Nobody in a red shirt spotted what was coming, and when they did, Hazard had already bypassed them. The outcome was inevitable.

When we talk of the greats in football, it's always about players who decide a game's key moments. It's the goalkeepers who keep the ball out, defenders who marshal strikers and attackers who score goals.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Hazard falls into that last bracket with ease, and as Chelsea march on to the title, we saw just why Mourinho has built his team around him.

What impresses most about the Chelsea boss is his willingness to adapt his team and tactics to combat an opponent.

Chelsea have a style, but it doesn't come at a cost in the same way it does for others. Mourinho isn't self-indulgent enough to proceed regardless.

Everything is meticulous. He wants his team to earn the right to play their way, and to do that they must overcome what's put before them.

It's about capitalising, striking when the moments present themselves.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Chelsea dangle a carrot. They invite teams onto them with the offer of a phantom reward that ensures they sign their own death warrant.

Louis van Gaal's United fell into the same trap, thinking Chelsea were there for the taking. They weren't, and instead we saw Mourinho's plan come to fruition.

The manager created it; Hazard delivered it.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes