LONDON // Ashley Cole believes the new-look Chelsea are off to the perfect start after a 2-0 home win over Newcastle Unitedmoved them back to the top of the Premier League yesterday.
Eden Hazard got his first goal for the club from the penalty spot after Fernando Torres tumbled in the area, and the revitalised Spain striker added the second in first-half stoppage time.
Chelsea have changed their style this summer, but Cole is delighted with how quickly they have gelled.
"We've lost Didier [Drogba], a big powerful presence up front and sometimes we just used to knock it up to him," the England left-back told ESPN. "But now we've signed some smaller players so we've got to get the ball down a play a little bit more now.
"The second goal today was a great goal for the whole team."
It was Torres's third goal of the season, counting his strike in the Community Shield, and Cole reckons the frontman's new-found confidence is as much a result of Spain's triumph at Euro 2012 as his new role in a Drogba-less Chelsea team.
"Of course it was really hard for him to [only] get that many games [last season]," Cole said. "But when he did play he worked really hard for the team.
"Now he's the main man, like you say. But he's full of confidence after the European Championships and he scored a great goal today."
Hazard turned in another fine performance to add to his growing reputation since his big-money move from Lille this summer.
"I think he deserves a lot of credit for the start to the season we've had," Cole said. "He's won two penalties, got two assists and now a goal - it's phenomenal.
"We're proud to have this guy in the team and hopefully he can keep doing it."
Hazard added: "I'm very happy to get my first goal at Stamford Bridge."
The Belgium international opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute before brilliantly laying on the second goal for Torres in first-half stoppage time.
With regular penalty-taker Frank Lampard on the bench, Hazard - who earned spot-kicks for his side in each of their first two games this season - stepped up and directed a low penalty past Tim Krul.
The £32 million (Dh185.8m) winger then back-heeled the ball perfectly into the path of Torres in first-half injury time, who finished coolly into the top corner.
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World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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