The player responsible for marking Hazard at this moment was Cresswell.
It was undeniable—Cresswell's ability ranked among the top defenders in the Premier League.
He was also quite fast,
And his defensive positioning was excellent.
So when Hazard saw that it was Cresswell standing in front of him,
A trace of anxiety surfaced in his heart.
"Nine-Eighty" Hazard had a decent understanding of Cresswell's defensive capabilities.
At that moment, tens of thousands of Chelsea fans in the Stamford Bridge stands were shouting Hazard's name.
They were eagerly anticipating his breakthrough.
But in reality, Hazard faced stiff resistance from Cresswell.
He originally attempted to nutmeg the defender to get past him,
But the experienced Cresswell didn't give him the chance.
Instead, he used his strong body to block Hazard's path early on—
And successfully stole the ball.
Just seconds later,
Cresswell quickly passed the ball to Edimilson Fernandes in the center.
After all, in the current West Ham United lineup,
The player in the best form was none other than Fernandes.
He often managed to shake off defenders in quick succession and create chaos for opponents.
Seeing this, Chelsea head coach Conte immediately tensed up.
He clearly had a good grasp of Fernandes's individual capabilities.
"Help out on defense, now! Don't hesitate! Don't let him get a chance to shoot!!" he roared.
Chelsea's defenders quickly responded, showcasing their high level of competitiveness.
The first to step up was Marcos Alonso.
As previously mentioned,
Marcos Alonso was an extremely quick player.
When he saw Fernandes receive the ball in the attacking third,
He was the first to sprint the length of the pitch and close in on him.
Just like that—
It was a one-on-one duel between Marcos Alonso and Edimilson Fernandes.
But Fernandes remained calm.
He deliberately slowed his pace with the ball…
At that moment, Marcos Alonso lunged in for a tackle without hesitation.
And in that critical instant—
Fernandes suddenly moved his right foot!
With dazzling footwork,
He displayed brilliant control in that electrifying moment.
In under two seconds,
He had escaped Marcos Alonso's challenge.
There was no doubt—Edimilson Fernandes was in outstanding form tonight.
After shaking off Alonso,
He didn't choose to continue dribbling.
Instead, before Kanté and Fàbregas could close him down,
He sent a precise through ball forward.
In an instant—
The ball landed at the feet of Arnautović.
As the best striker in West Ham United's squad,
Arnautović took full advantage of the opportunity.
He used his strong physical presence to shield the ball from Azpilicueta,
Then decisively unleashed a powerful volley!
But unfortunately for West Ham—
Chelsea's defenders were still fully focused and alert!!
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