Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard 'worth entrance fee', says Jamie Redknapp
Eden Hazard scored as Chelsea won the Carabao Cup semi-final tie on penalties
Friday 25 January 2019 23:46, UK
Jamie Redknapp says Eden Hazard is "worth the entrance fee" after his man-of-the-match-performance in Chelsea's Carabao Cup win against Tottenham.
Hazard netted in the first half of the semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea eventually going through on penalties after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.
He picked up the man of the match award after helping his side through to the February 24 final against Manchester City - live on Sky Sports - and Redknapp was full of praise for the playmaker.
"He's magnificent. He's worth the entrance fee," he said after the game.
"You watch some of the things he does - the touches, the way he goes past people and that was not a simple finish [for his goal]. There's nothing he can't do - the little one-twos, how he injects pace into the game like no-one else can. [Gonzalo] Higuain will have been watching, thinking, 'I'll have a bit of that'.
"It was hard for Tottenham - it's like fighting Anthony Joshua with one hand behind your back. We're talking about their top players not on the pitch. If you'd taken Hazard out of the Chelsea side, it would have made it a completely different game.
"I thought they [Tottenham] showed a lot of character in the second half. The change of system helped them - they got up the pitch and looked a better team - but in fairness, I think Chelsea did deserve to go through."
Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole joined Redknapp in the Sky Sports studio, and he believes Hazard showed his leadership qualities after manager Maurizio Sarri questioned the Belgian before the game.
He said: "Hazard was different class again tonight. The manager questioned him too, saying, is he a leader? We talked about different types of leaders and he took the ball in diff situations, releasing Emerson down left, releasing Giroud. I felt he led the team with his performance on the pitch. He's a pleasure to watch, a top, top player.
"I think [Mauricio] Pochettino got it wrong at the start of the game. He allowed Chelsea to get at the flanks. Credit to him, he changed to a back three, five to stifle Chelsea. They managed to get back in the game but Chelsea were excellent.
"Giroud allowed Hazard to drop in and then you see the runners - everyone was getting involved. That's the marker. [Hazard] has to play in that role going forward and they'll have a great chance in the final, that's for sure."
Ryan Mason told The Debate that he also sees Hazard as a leader for Chelsea, saying: "It depends what you think of as a leader and what perception you have.
"If you think of Hazard, he's not a leader that is verbally dictating and bossing people around but in terms of a technical leader, then for me, he is one of the highest in the Premier League.
"You saw tonight that when he plays in his position, he ran the game at times and Tottenham couldn't control him so in my eyes, I see him as a leader from a technical point of view. I'm sure Sarri is thinking of it from a different way."
