Hull 2-0

Independent:

Hull City 0 Chelsea 2
Eden Hazard’s masterclass in finishing opens up Chelsea’s route to the top
 
Hazard dazzled the Hull defence before firing in from outside the box to break the deadlock with Fernando Torres adding a second late on

Alan O'Brien 


There was a moment after a victory which took Chelsea to the top of the Premier League for the first time since September that Jose Mourinho was effectively asked to praise the once-again outstanding Eden Hazard.
 
“The club made a big investment in him last year,” Mourinho said. “To bring a player from France and pay the amount Chelsea did was because Chelsea liked the player and now the player is not any more a talented kid, he is now more than that, he is a player who feels and accepts the responsibility; he feels and accepts that a team player is more than a talented player. Without losing his fantastic ability and fantastic talent he is giving us other things. This is a very good moment of his career.”
The Chelsea manager could have been setting out the template for anyone who plays for him. Mourinho rarely misses a trick. Afforded the opportunity to praise the dazzling individuality of Hazard, who produced another memorable goal in the 56th minute of what had previously been a tight game, he instead reiterated the importance of the team; a team he again was at pains to remind us was one that has finished sixth and third in the last two seasons.
“It is a different team and it is a different Premier League [to when he last won it],” Mourinho added. “It is important, it is good to be top, it helps the players to be better and to be stronger and to grow faster. When you are 20 points behind the leader you have no pressure. We could do better. We lost some points that we shouldn’t. It could also be worse. Not a five out of ten, not a ten. Seven, seven-and-a-half, eight. Around there.”
Fernando Torres had confirmed victory, late on, with a smart finish, but Chelsea would have gone ahead just past the half-hour but for a superb piece of goalkeeping from Allan McGregor.
His outstanding moment had come in the 34th minute. The move from Chelsea was neat, clever and incisive. Ashley Cole delicately chipped the ball to Hazard on the left side of the Hull penalty area, the Belgian crossed low to Oscar and the unmarked Brazilian had the time to take a touch before firing a right-foot shot that seemed certain to give Mourinho’s side the lead. McGregor, however, produced a breathtaking reaction save with his left hand to tip the goal-bound shot over his crossbar. The opening half had also seen Alex Bruce deflect a Fernando Torres shot away for a corner when the Spaniard broke.
Those chances, however, did not reflect just how well Hull had done in the early stages, something Mourinho later praised. Petr Cech had to stand strong to deny long-range efforts from Ahmed Elmohamady and Jake Livermore and he would have been powerless in the 26th minute when a mistake by John Terry allowed Yannick Sagbo the opportunity of a one-on-one with the Czech goalkeeper. Sagbo, however, chose to shoot for goal with his right foot, when his left looked better suited and the golden chance was gone.
He would be given a master class in finishing by Hazard early in the second half.
David Luiz began the move, playing the ball to Cole, just outside the Hull penalty area. The left-back’s flick was clever and from there Hazard first went past James Chester, then Alex Bruce, but such was his level of control that he made sure he was free from Bruce with another clever dummy that left the defender grounded, before drilling a low right-footed drive into the bottom corner of McGregor’s goal.
It was Hazard’s 10th Premier League goal of the season from the wide forward role in which he has flourished. He had caused similar problems with an earlier dazzling run but the warning had not been heeded.
“Three consecutive times he has won the man of the match, which is something nice,” added Mourinho. “Let’s see if the Premier League decides to give him the player of the month.”
For Hull City, a dipping free-kick by Tom Huddlestone from a tight angle was as close as the home side would come.
Instead, Chelsea added a second goal through Torres who, after another indifferent afternoon, finally produced a moment of quality as he took a pass from Willian and drove past Bruce before drilling a left-footed shot into the corner of the Hull goal.
“The quality of Hazard was there for everyone to see,” said Steve Bruce, who confirmed a bid had been accepted for the Everton striker Nikica Jelavic.
“We found it very difficult in the second half. As I kept saying to my players, when you take on the big boys and you keep giving them the ball they are going to punish you. When you chase it, it becomes stretched. We have done particularly well but we are only at the halfway stage. We have a difficult four months to go but we have made a hell of a start to life in the Premier League.”

Hull City (4-5-1): McGregor; Chester (Fryatt, 77), Bruce, Davies, Figueroa; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler (Koren, 67), Boyd (Quinn, 83); Sagbo.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires (Essien, 89), Luiz; Willian (Schürrle, 84), Oscar (Mikel, 69), Hazard; Torres.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Man of the match: Hazard (Chelsea)
Match rating: 6/10

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Observer:
Chelsea's Eden Hazard shows precision to beat Hull City and claim top
Hull 0 Chelsea 2
Paul Wilson at the KC Stadium

If Chelsea are still not overwhelming their opponents away from home they cannot be faulted for economy of effort. A single moment of quality from the exceptional Eden Hazard was enough to win an otherwise scrappy and uneventful contest and take José Mourinho's side to the top of the Premier League. Fernando Torres's late second was mere decoration, Hull never looked like being allowed back into the contest once they had gone behind.
"After the first goal I was happy because we were in control," Mourinho said. "We were always the more likely to score the next one, and when we did the game was over." Steve Bruce did not disagree. "It became a very difficult afternoon for us once we went behind," the Hull manager said. "We were OK in the first half but in the second we were nowhere near, we couldn't keep hold of the ball."
Both these teams are in the market for new strikers, with Hull apparently closer to doing business than Chelsea, and in a goalless first half it was not difficult to see why. Few clear-cut chances were created and it was evident it would not be a high scoring game, yet each side had a golden opportunity to take the lead and neither managed to take it.
At least Chelsea managed to hit the target after half an hour, when Ashley Cole and Hazard created a shooting opportunity for Oscar, but the Brazilian should still have done better from near the penalty spot than place a shot too close to the falling Allan McGregor. The goalkeeper managed to push the ball away almost by instinct, though with time to steady himself and the whole of the goal to aim at Oscar needed to be more clinical.
Hull's best opening came a few minutes earlier, when a John Terry mistake near his own line allowed Ahmed Elmohamady to dispossess him and cue up Yannick Sagbo for a shot. It needed to be hit first time, and Sagbo managed that, only to see the ball clear Petr Cech's right-hand post without the goalkeeper needing to save. To miss completely from inside an unprotected penalty area was pretty unforgiveable, and one could understand the pursuit of Everton's Nikica Jelavic, a more reliable finisher. "A fee has been agreed, now we have to persuade him to come here," Bruce said.
Apart from those two incidents the nearest the first half came to a goal was right at the end, when David Luiz tested McGregor with a free-kick from 25 yards. David Luiz threatened again in a similar manner at the start of the second half to bring another save from McGregor, this time a more comfortable one, as Chelsea almost imperceptibly upped the tempo and began to attack with a little more purpose.
Operating in a midfield role and advancing up the pitch at will, David Luiz was also involved in the move that led to the opening goal. His pass forward on the left was helped on by Cole to Hazard, who carried it along the edge of the area, made space for a shot with a casual dummy, then found McGregor's bottom left corner with a precise clip from 18 yards.
It was an elegant goal of the type Chelsea had been trying to score all afternoon without success, Hull's defenders usually managing to get a foot in to break up the interpassing between Hazard, Oscar and Willian.
Hull inevitably tired, however, not only in defence but attack. Without summoning much urgency Chelsea were the only side threatening in the final quarter, and Oscar and Willian combined effectively to almost bring a second goal before Torres scored, Curtis Davies making a block at the last moment to prevent Oscar capitalising on an unselfish pull-back. Torres struck four minutes from time, taking Willian's pass and taking on Alex Bruce, who backed away to leave the striker room for a shot.
Torres had barely been involved in the previous 80-odd minutes, but that is what top strikers do.
Both managers agreed Hazard was the best player on the field, Mourinho even expressing disappointment he had missed out on the player of the month award. "I don't know why they don't like him because he's not just a talented kid any more," the Chelsea manager said. "He's a fantastic team player and his form at the moment is exceptional."
There has been some speculation over Hazard's future in recent days, with Mourinho stating the Belgian international would not be leaving the club. He reiterated that stance on Saturday. "The club made that decision because every manager wants a player like him," said the Portuguese coach. "I'm not expecting to put too much pressure on him or for him to be the man of the match every game, but what I expect from him is his motivation, his commitment, his responsibility. This season I think you are watching a much more mature player and because of that he is becoming a fantastic player."
Bruce, having agreed a fee for Jelavic on Friday, has also been linked with a move for West Bromwich's Shane Long. He said: "A new player always brings a little bit to the squad, a bit of impetus. Let's hope we can get both. You're never sure how it can go but we're trying our best."

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Telegraph:

Hull City 0 Chelsea 2
By  Oliver Brown, KC Stadium

Jose Mourinho might be more sanguine of attitude and more silver of hair, but here in the East Riding yesterday it felt suspiciously like 2005 all over again as his machine-like Chelsea side restored themselves at the summit of the Premier League.
In a performance of greater efficiency than élan, they holed Hull below the waterline with a wondrous goal from Eden Hazard before seeing out a fifth straight victory, thanks to the resilience of Petr Cech, who collected a top-flight record of 209 matches without conceding.
The blue bulldozer is moving ominously through the gears once more. The significance of snatching top spot on Saturday night was not lost on Mourinho, whose coolly understated reaction underlined his reinvention as the ‘Happy One’. “We like to be leaders,” he said. “You can see the evolution of this team. It’s important that the team grows up and accepts the responsibility, because we knew that we could not lose this chance.”
It was evident, too, why Chelsea have strongly rebuffed the rumoured interest in Hazard from Paris St Germain as the Belgian delivered a third straight man-of-the-match display, producing the eye-of-the-needle finish that finally broke Hull’s admirable resistance.
“Eden has been playing very well for a long time,” Mourinho reflected, while Hazard toasted his 11th goal of the campaign. “This season we are seeing a much more mature player, who is getting better and better. He accepts what he has to do, without losing any of his fantastic talent. Our strikers, without being the top scorers in the league, are giving us all the important things.”
Such a verdict applied equally to Fernando Torres, who belied 87 remarkably anonymous minutes to contribute the second goal that finished the home side off. It also crystallised the fact, that while Chelsea might not be so beguiling on the eye as title rivals Manchester City, they remain a model of economical excellence.
Although they could be reduced to second by City on Sunday and to third by Arsenal on Monday, Chelsea’s defensive impregnability - the same hallmark of Mourinho’s first period in charge - was a telling sign. Cech proved he was reliable as ever at 31, just as the 21-year-old Hazard, conservatively valued at £40 million, offered a tantalising window into the future.
Mourinho, careful not to establish impossibly high standards so soon in his second spell, rated his side’s mid-season progress a cautious “seven or eight” out of 10. “We could have done better, because we have lost some points that we shouldn’t have, but things come naturally, step by step,” he said. “The boys here know what we are trying to achieve.”
In its way, this was another quietly brilliant masterclass in grinding opponents in submission. At the heart of all referee Mark Clattenburg maintained his unfortunate habit of drawing attention to himself, inadvertently bringing down Hazard just as the striker was ready to scamper into open space. Hazard did not appear to appreciate it, either, when the official performed an imaginary back-heel in response. But he had more reason to be aggrieved after being floored by an accidental forearm to the chest from Tom Huddlestone, clearly suffering no Samson complex in the wake of his recent haircut. The challenge surprisingly went unpunished, much to the chagrin of Mourinho, who aimed a sarcastic goggle-eyes signal in Clattenburg’s direction.
The longer Hull City held out, the more Chelsea’s concentration was prone to waver. John Terry was especially careless as he dithered over a clearance, succeeding only in hitting the ball against Ahmed Elmohamady and watching, horrified, as it fell straight into the path of Yannick Sagbo, who ought to have displayed more composure than to slew his half-volley wide with only Cech to beat.
Cech’s opposite number, Allan McGregor, was enjoying one of his more inspired afternoons, fashioning arguably the save of the season to thwart Chelsea. With quicksilver reflexes, the Scot needed just a fraction of a second to dive to his right and deflect a strike unleashed with maximum ferocity by Oscar, from all of eight yards. It was the mazy running of Hazard, though, which finally unpicked Hull’s defences. Cutting in from the left, he was allowed far too much time to pick his spot, rifling a low drive below Cech and into the bottom corner. Steve Bruce, the Hull manager, acknowledged: “We didn’t The restless bank of blue behind the goal breathed a little more freely.
Chelsea’s midfield luminous talents had at last come good, and as Hull tired Mourinho’s side raised the tariff of their play. First a deft cut-back by Willian was almost buried by Oscar, but for Curtis Davies’ desperate interception, before Torres provided the flourish that removed the last vestiges of doubt.
Having lost possession twice in the space of a minute, the Spaniard transformed himself from liability to match-winner as he drove forward, outstripping Alex Bruce for pace before angling his finish comfortably past McGregor. Chelsea had scaled the peak again.

Hull City (5-3-2): McGregor 7; Al-Muhamad 6, Bruce 6, Davies 6, Chester 5 (Fryatt 77), Figueroa 5; Meyler 5 (Koren 67), Huddlestone 6, Livermore 6; Boyd (Quinn 83) 6, Sagbo 5. Subs Harper (g), Diagne-Faye, Graham, Rosenior. Booked Livermore, Figueroa.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Terry 5, Cole 6; Ramires 6 (Essien 90), Luiz 6; Willian 6 (Schürrle 88),Oscar 6 (Mikel 79), Hazard 8; Torres 6. Subs Schwarzer (g), Eto’o, Bertrand, Mata. Booked Cahill.
Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

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Mail:

Hull 0 Chelsea 2: Mourinho says Hazard can be a world beater, as Blues go top
By Bob Cass

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Eden Hazard has completed the transition from talented kid to consistent Premier League match-winner, while team-mate Petr Cech reckons he can be the best player in the world.
The accolades followed a man-of-the-match performance from the Belgian, who scored the opening goal to help send Chelsea into top spot.
‘If Eden keeps working then he has the ability to become one of the greatest players,’ said goalkeeper Cech, who kept another clean sheet to set a club record. ‘But you have to do that year after year.’
Hazard came in for criticism  earlier in the season for what  Mourinho described as a lack of concentration.
But yesterday Hazard said: ‘I just try to give my best for the team. I am 23 and I think I am good [to stay] in this club.’
He certainly proved his worth against Hull, prompting Mourinho to stress that the club did not want the attacking midfielder to leave and scotching rumours of a possible transfer to PSG.
‘The club do not want to sell him,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘He cost  £32million when he came and he has trebled in value since. He’s not going anywhere.
‘I cannot put pressure on him to be man of the match every week or to open the scoring every week.
But last season you saw a talented Eden Hazard and this season you are  seeing a mature player who is  getting man of the match regularly and he actually deserves more than that — player of the month — because those who are winning that are not doing half of what he is doing.’
Fernando Torres has also had  his detractors since a £50million transfer from Liverpool three  years ago. But the Spain striker underlined the value of what a little managerial faith can do.
He celebrated his 200th Premier League appearance with a late goal which ensured three points and put Chelsea, overnight at least, at the summit of the league for the first time since August. But, if his 87th-minute effort provided a fitting finale to a professional performance from Chelsea, the architect of their triumph was undoubtedly Hazard.
He engineered move after move with bewitching passing and style which he garnished with a wonderful opening goal.
Mourinho added: ‘Now he’s not a talented kid any more —  he is more than that. He is a player that feels and accepts the responsibility, feels and accepts that the team player is more than a talented player; and without losing his fantastic ability and fantastic talent he is giving us other things.
‘To be man of the match three times on the trot is something nice. Let’s see if the Barclays Premier League decide to give him a player of the month award. The kid is waiting and the trophy is not arriving.’
There was praise, too, for the indomitable Cech, who created a new Chelsea record of 209 clean sheets in all competitions. Having passed  Peter Bonetti’s previous best, Mourinho forecast the Czech international would accomplish the 20 more needed to move ahead of David James, whose 170 Premier League clean sheets is a record.
Cech was troubled only once, going down to keep out Jake Livermore’s 22nd-minute 25-yarder with some difficulty.
After a goalless first-half, Hazard converted Chelsea’s superiority into a goal when he collected Ashley Cole’s back-heel, ghosted past two defenders across the edge of the area and fired a low right-footer wide of Allan McGregor’s dive.
And that was that. Mourinho’s  candid observation that his team were never in danger afterwards was spot on — and Hull boss Steve Bruce agreed. ‘We matched them in the first half but never really got near them in the second,’ he said.
Torres made absolutely sure,  surging past Alex Bruce before rifling the ball left-footed low to McGregor’s right. The Scotland goalkeeper had been a stubborn last line of resistance as Chelsea, with typical passing fluency, chipped away at what had been one of the best home defences in the Premier League... before kick-off.
McGregor produced a wonder save in the 33rd minute to deny Oscar after a great passing move involving Cole and Hazard left the Brazilian with what looked like an easy scoring opportunity. He blasted in a right-footer which McGregor pushed over.
David Luiz was also denied twice but the result was never in doubt.

Hull (4-5-1): McGregor 7; Chester 6 (Fryatt 77), Bruce 5, Davies 6, Figueroa 5; Elmohamady 5, Livermore 6, Huddlestone 6, Meyler 6 (Koren 67, 6), Boyd 6 (Quinn 83); Sagbo 5
Subs not used: Harper, Rosenior, Graham, Faye.
Booked: Livermore, Figueroa.

Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech 6; Azpiliucueta 5, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Cole 6; Willian 7 (Schurrle 87), Ramires 6 (Essien 89), Luiz 7, Oscar 6 (Mikel 79), Hazard 8; Torres 6
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Mata, Eto’o, Bertrand
Booked: Cahill.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg 6.
Man of the match: Hazard.
Att: 24,924

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Mirror:

Hull 0-2 Chelsea: Goals from Hazard and Torres put Chelsea at the top of the table

By Dave Kidd
Despite a dull first-half, Chelsea got the job done courtesy of foals from Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard

Slowly, they are beginning to look like a vintage Jose ­Mourinho team.
Four Brazilian internationals, yet precious little of the beautiful game. Five straight wins, with just one goal conceded.
Chelsea may not have blended in here in Britain’s new city of culture, but they are top of the Premier League for the first time since August.
Petr Cech chalked up a club-record 209th clean sheet, so many of them achieved under the Special One the last time around.
Ashley Cole, back after almost two months on the naughty step, was restored to former glories.
John Terry, save for one first-half slip, is looking as commanding as he was when he led Mourinho’s men to back-to-back titles almost a decade ago.
These old stagers are the Blues’ bedrock once more, but Eden Hazard is their match-winner. The little man who reaches for the stars. This was the Belgian’s 11th goal of the season and Mourinho is peeved that he is yet to win a player of the month award.
Yet, there are far more important honours to be seized.
Manchester City may have the ability to obliterate opponents, Arsenal the ability to bewitch, but with Hazard in this form, Chelsea are in with a serious shout.
Mourinho is talking of the long term, insisting his side will improve next season and that Chelsea must scrap their culture of sacking managers.
But he believes his side will thrive on the challenge of leading the pack, even if they are knocked off by City or Arsenal during the next 48 hours.
Mourinho said: “Being top helps the players to be better and stronger and to grow up quicker. It is easy to play when you are 20 points behind the leaders and there is no pressure – then there is only pressure on the manager.
“The club can get into a soft routine of winning, then losing, then winning, then losing, then sacking the manager. But it’s another thing to know when you need to win to be top of the league.
“The team is getting better. We like to be leaders, maybe by Monday we will be third, but we know we are going in the right direction.”
Hull is no easy place to visit. Steve Bruce’s men had been beaten only twice at The KC since their return to the Premier League.
Bruce is hoping to agree personal terms with Nikica Jelavic after a £5.25million fee was accepted by Everton and he admitted he is in talks with West Brom over the signing of Shane Long.
Those two strikers might have snapped up the chance ­squandered by Yannick Sagbo early on.
Terry was caught dawdling and was robbed by Jake Livermore, only for Sagbo to fire wide with the goal at his mercy.
It took more than half an hour for Chelsea to wake up, but when an artful lofted pass from Ashley Cole freed Hazard, he cut back for Oscar’s low drive to be pushed over by Allan McGregor.
A 30-yard ­free-kick from David Luiz almost knocked McGregor into the back of his own net, but the fuzzy-haired Brazilian was wildly out of sorts on the whole, his passing woeful.
Yet, on 56 minutes, Luiz fed Cole and the full-back’s cute back-heel set up Hazard, who jinked past two defenders and thumped home a low shot.
Before the visiting fans erupted, it was one of those ­pin-drop moments - a drab match transformed by a moment of pure sorcery.
Three minutes from time, Fernando Torres produced a finish which was almost as good – his second goal in successive league outings, a true rarity since his £50million move from Liverpool three years ago.
Willian slipped through a pass and Torres ran bullishly at Alex Bruce before slotting home to beat McGregor at his near post.
Maybe Mourinho is the Chelsea manager finally unwrapping the Torres enigma, after so many paid the ultimate price by failing to do so.
Maybe he truly is something special.

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Express:

Hull City 0 - Chelsea 2: Eden Hazard's brilliance lights up the Tigers

HE stood hands in pockets in the technical area clearly becoming frustrated on his first ever trip to Humberside.
By: John Richardson

There wasn’t enough passion, movement and ingenuity from his highly-paid Chelsea stars for Jose Mourinho – except from his buccaneering Belgian, Eden Hazard.
As a once-again discarded Juan Mata was ordered to warm up along with some of the other substitutes, Hazard came to the rescue with a clinical finish.
David Luiz, handed the defensive midfield role but taking every advantage to move forward, found Ashley Cole on the edge of the Hull box and a neat backheel into Hazard’s path was followed up by a quick shimmy and stunning low strike into the corner of the net.
No wonder Chelsea will reject any bank-busting offers from Paris Saint-Germain while allowing his compatriot Kevin de Bruyne to leave for Wolfsburg for a £10million profit.
While his team-mates struggled to discover their composure, Hazard displayed speed of thought allied to rapid movement in his legs.
The calm and composed 56th-minute strike virtually ended any ambitions Steve Bruce’s Hull had of creating shockwaves against one of the title favourites.
A goal from Fernando Torres on his 200th Premier League appearance increased the agony for the Tigers, who have won only one of their last eight league games, the £50m Spaniard seemingly beginning to win over Mourinho when it comes to who his top striker is.
Add the fact that Petr Cech overhauled Stamford Bridge legend Peter Bonetti’s club record of 208 clean sheets, once skipper John Terry had helped him remove an eyelash before the kick-off, and it wasn’t a bad early afternoon’s work for Chelsea.
While they weren’t exactly footballing eye candy, once again a pragmatic Mourinho side did the business to leap to the top of the Premier League table in what could prove to be a weekend affair of musical chairs at the summit.
It’s the first time since August that Chelsea have hit the top – a familiar position in his first Chelsea reign for the Portuguese.
But first Manchester City today and Arsenal tomorrow night, will have opportunities to make it a short-lived stay for Mourinho’s men. Even though they spluttered at times, Chelsea still could have added further goals, Oscar being the main offender.
The Brazilian had the goal at his mercy from an astute Hazard pass only for Allan McGregor to stick out a flailing arm to deflect the ball over the bar, while a desperate block from Curtis Davies rescued Hull on another occasion.
Bruce’s side matched Chelsea in the first half and should have taken the lead when an attempted Terry clearance smashed into Ahmed Elmohamady and fell into Yannick Sagbo’s path, the Frenchman firing wildly across the face of the goal.
No wonder Bruce was last night attempting to persuade Everton’s Nikica Jelavic to come on board after the two clubs had agreed a £5m fee. He has also been back in contact with West Brom for long-standing target Shane Long.
Bruce said: “Yes, I’m hoping Nikica will want to come here and we have contacted West Brom about Shane Long’s availability, but they have a new manager so there will have to be a discussion there.”
Bruce added: “Eden Hazard was the best player on the pitch and scored a wonder goal.
“After that it became a difficult afternoon.

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Star:

Hull 0 - Chelsea 2: Eden Hazard leads the way for the Blues

FERNANDO TORRES marked his 200th Premier League display with a goal that secured top spot.
By Clive Hetherington

But Chelsea, leaders for the first time since August, had already issued a Hazard warning to their title rivals, courtesy of a flash of Belgian brilliance.
Man-of-the-match Eden Hazard produced a superb 56th-minute finish to grab his 11th goal of the season.
And boss Jose Mourinho insisted it was about time the £32million capture from Lille won the Player of the Month award.
He said: “He’s been playing very well for a long time. He’s no longer just a talented kid – he’s more than that. Eden is a player who accepts responsibility and accepts a team player is more than a talented player. He’s giving us other things.
“Three consecutive times as man-of-the-match is something nice. Let us see if the Premier League decide to give him the player of the month award.
“Maybe they don’t like to go to Cobham.They keep us waiting and the trophy is not arriving."
Torres’ goal in Chelsea’s previous league outing – a 3-0 win at Southampton on New Year’s Day – was the first by a Blues striker away in the league since Torres himself netted in December 2012.
And he struck again yesterday four minutes from time.
But now it is over to Manchester City, who visit Newcastle today, and deposed leaders Arsenal, ahead of their trip to Aston Villa tomorrow night.
Chelsea have won their last five games and four on the spin in the league.
Mourinho said: “We’re getting better and that’s a consequence of the work everyone is doing. Tomorrow we may be second and on Monday we may be third.’’
Goalkeeper Petr Cech claimed Chelsea’s clean-sheet record with his 209th, eclipsing the great Peter Bonetti.
And Mourinho added: “He’s had clean sheet after clean sheet – and he’s beaten Mr Bonetti’s record.’’
Things looked good for Hull early on and they threatened in the seventh minute, Ahmed Elmohamady’s dipping 25-yarder testing the Czech stopper.
The visitors were slack in possession and Hull gave them another fright in the 22nd minute as Cech was stretched to push away Jake Livermore’s well-struck drive.
On-loan Livermore then embarrassed Terry when he charged down his attempted clearance.
The ball broke to Yannick Sagbo but the striker sliced his shot wide.
That would have been costly in the 33rd minute but for a brilliant save from Hull keeper Allan McGregor.
Hazard’s left-wing centre presented the unmarked Oscar with a seemingly simple chance from ten yards but somehow the keeper turned the Brazilian’s shot over.
Livermore was lucky to escape a booking after his challenge caught David Luiz, who almost punished the hosts from the resulting free-kick.
McGregor could not do anything to stop Hazard breaking the deadlock.
Luiz found Oscar, whose flick fed Hazard and he cut across the 18-yard box, threw a dummy and buried his right-foot finish into the far corner.
Oscar was denied in the 74th minute by skipper Curtis Davies’ tremendous block after Willian’s hard work down the right.
But Torres beat defender Alex Bruce on the visitors’ left to fire inside McGregor’s near upright.
Despite the score, Mourinho is backing Steve Bruce’s side to stay in the top flight.
And Bruce is looking to land West Brom striker Shane Long and Everton’s Nikica Jelavic this month to boost his firepower.
The Tigers boss confirmed a fee – believed to be in excess of £5m – had been agreed for Jelavic.
Bruce said: “We hope we can persuade him to come here this weekend and we’ve also had a chat about Long but that’s as far as it goes.
“We didn’t keep possession well today. Hazard has scored a wonder strike and there was no way back for us after their second goal.’’