Eden Hazard caps starring role with ice-cool penalty as Chelsea come from behind to down struggling Newcastle

Chelsea 3 Newcastle United 1: Hazard scored goals either side of Alvaro Morata's headed finish as the Blues consigned their former manager Rafa Benitez to another defeat

Eden Hazard equalised for the Blues (Getty)

There was to be no group of death for England in Friday’s World Cup group stage draw. But Diego Maradona’s hand of God may well have pulled out something even more deadly.

If Eden Hazard arrives in Kaliningrad in the form he is in right now there will be no English survivors. The brilliant Belgian single-handedly took Newcastle apart on Saturday afternoon. Gareth Southgate may wonder what fate may befall his side when he strides out against them on June 28.

Hazard is playing to the beat of his own drum right now and was the conductor extraordinaire here. Time slowing down around him, others trailing in his wake, everything coming oh so extraordinarily easy. Like Tom Brady in a pocket or Steve Smith on a crease we are truly watching a master at work, one far too good for the mere mortals in black and white opposite him at the Bridge, that's for sure.

Antonio Conte made four changes to the side that beat Swansea in midweek, Victor Moses, Danny Drinkwater and Cesar Azpilicueta joining Hazard in a starting eleven that now appears to be the Italian’s favoured selection. Newcastle themselves made three alterations and it was one, Dwight Gayle, who made an almost immediate impact on proceedings.

The Magpies haven’t won since October but were the better team out the gate and when Jacob Murphy latched on to a loose ball in the area, Thibaut Courtois could only parry the ball into Gayle’s path who slotted easily into an empty net.

Dwight Gayle celebrates the opener (Getty)

The travelling support were elated. The home faithful stunned. The returning Rafa Benitez, very much public enemy number one for the afternoon, grinning ear to ear. But the Spaniard’s expression was soon vexed once more with the early goal seemingly only serving to wake the sleepy hosts from their Saturday morning lie-in.

First Hazard raced clear from a delicious Cesc Fabregas pass only to be brilliantly denied by Karl Darlow. Darlow was again in the thick of the action moments later when he appeared to bundle Alvaro Morata to the ground. A surefire penalty but Kevin Friend waved away the furious home appeals. They were denied again when Andreas Christensen’s slightly scuffed header crashed off the post with Darlow beaten but the theme of the contest had been set. All it needed was the game’s star turn to make it count and he soon did.

It had to be him that would drag Chelsea level and he did so after 20 minutes, angling a neat half-volley into the ground and over Darlow after Florian Lejeune had blocked an Azpilicueta cross into his path.

Just as they did a fortnight ago at Manchester United, Newcastle had squandered a surprise early lead, and it was no shock at all when they were soon behind minutes later.

Alvaro Morata stoops to put Chelsea in front (Getty)

Morata had plenty to live up to upon his arrival in England this summer, a club record transfer fee on his shoulders and a club legend’s shadow over him. But deliver he has, his thumping header here a 13th goal or assist in 14 matches and a fourth in five games. The Spaniard is an old fashioned number nine, never afraid to put in the hard yards or wear a bruise or two for his cause, and was again excellent with none of Newcastle’s three centre-backs ever really able to get a grip on him for too long.

But as good as the young pretender was, Hazard is king around these parts and his reign is absolute. When Moses was felled by Matt Ritchie in the box after the break there was only man who would step up, and step up he did coolly dinking over Darlow to secure all three points.

He left the stage with 10 minutes to go, the maestro given the standing ovation he so richly deserved. With Hazard on this plane Chelsea could well be the one team to chase down Manchester City, he really is that good. Watching on from Moscow, Southgate will know that too.