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Eden Hazard is leading Chelseas Premier League title charge with five goals in his last five appearances. But whats behind his prolific form? We examine the statistics ahead of their Nissan Super Sunday clash with Middlesbrough. This time last year, Eden Hazard was in the middle of the toughest period of his career. The Belgium international had been named PFA Player of the Year after inspiring Chelseas title triumph a few months earlier, but he hadnt scored a single goal in 2015/16 and his performances had dipped dramatically. Mboro vs Chelsea November 20, 2016, 3:30pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Chelseas title defence was in tatters, and Jose Mourinho was unimpressed by the contribution of a player he had compared to Cristiano Ronaldo that summer. The Chelsea boss wasnt alone in his frustration. You have to question Hazards mentality, said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. I think hes a good boy but is he a killer? Is he really selfish like Messi and Ronaldo? Hazard eventually went 355 days without scoring a Premier League goal. Mourinho was long gone by the time he ended the drought in a 4-1 win over Bournemouth in April, but it is only this season that the 25-year-old has finally discovered the selfish streak he needed to take him to the next level. Chelseas Eden Hazard celebrates after scoring against Everton So far, Hazard has scored seven goals in 11 Premier League games, with five of them coming in his last five appearances. It is his best scoring run since joining Chelsea. Only Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa have netted more, and Hazard is already halfway to matching his highest total for a single Premier League campaign. Eden Hazard season-by-season shooting stats Stat 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Mins played 2640 2898 3379 2192 918 Goals scored 9 14 14 4 7 Shots per 90 mins 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.0 2.6 Shots on target per 90 mins 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.6 1.7 Shot accuracy 60.5% 59.3% 58.9% 56.0% 63.0% Shot conversion 20.9% 25.9% 25.0% 16.0% 25.9% Mins per goal 292.9 206.8 240.9 547.5 131.1 Mins per shot 61.3 53.6 60.2 87.6 34.0 Hazard has found that killer touch in front of goal, and the statistics show how he has changed his approach to focus on scoring. Hazard has already taken more shots than in the whole of last season. He is shooting once every 34 minutes on average - far more regularly than in previous years - and his shooting accuracy of 63 per cent is also at its highest.Antonio Conte has changed the emphasis. Hazard no longer has the same creative responsibilities, and rather than seeking out a team-mate, he is encouraged to go for goal himself at every opportunity. His shooting stats have risen from 1.5 to 3.3 per 90 minutes, while his key passes have dropped from 2.7 to 2.0 per 90 minutes. Eden Hazards change of focus Stat 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Shots per 90 mins 2.1 2.3 2.1 1.5 3.3 Key passes per 90 mins 2.1 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.0 Hazard has been one of the main beneficiaries of Contes switch to a 3-4-3 formation in October. Marcos Alonsos overlapping runs on the left flank have freed him up to move into goalscoring positions, and his defensive responsibilities have also been reduced. In fact, Hazards average position has been even more advanced than Costas in four of the last five games. Chelseas average positions in their 3-0 win over Leicester show Hazard (10) stationed ahead of Diego Costa (19) Hazard is unshackled, and the freedom to play higher up the pitch is helping him flourish. In this moment, he is putting his talent and himself in the team, said Conte recently. This is fantastic and the right way to become one of the best in the world.But while Hazard is spending less time defending, thats not to say his work-rate has dropped. Premier League tracking data shows he is covering an average of 9.5km per game compared to 8.4km last year, and his sprints per game have risen from 48.8 to 62.5. Hazard is more dynamic with and without the ball in Contes pressing system. Eden Hazards running stats Stat 2015/16 2016/17 Distance covered per game 8.4km 9.5km Sprints per game 48.8 62.5 Its a satisfying transformation. I know the great talent of Eden and he must continue to work and to improve all the time, added Conte. It is important in this type of modern football that you have the talent and technique. You must run with intensity and the strength. Here in England, we play with an intensity that is supersonic.Hazard seemed to lose his way last season, but hes thriving in a changed environment. His new focus on finding the net is helping him hit new heights, and his past struggles are fast becoming a distant memory. So is Hazard a killer like Messi and Ronaldo? The stats suggest hes heading in the right direction. Also See: Fabregas the Chelsea misfit? Your clubs Premier League omens Roger Clemens Astros Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Framber Valdez Astros Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. https://www.cheapastros.com/2283o-dean-deetz-jersey-astros.html . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Robinson Chirinos Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Lance Mccullers Jr. Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. CINCINNATI -- The defending AFC North champions had a bye week to regain their confidence, fix their problems and go after another title thats tantalizing close.Instead, the Bengals opened the second half of their season with all of the same issues and now one less chance to save their season.Its begun to slip away.The Bengals 21-20 loss to the Giants on Monday night left them with a 3-5-1 record thats their worst in six years -- before Andy Dalton and A.J. Green came aboard -- and a sense that theyre making no progress in the areas where they keep coming up short.In its past five games, Cincinnati is 1-3-1 with a victory over winless Cleveland and a tie with Washington.The frustration for me is very high right now, said cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who intercepted Eli Manning. For us not to win this game that we needed, its heartbreaking.And puzzling, too.The Bengals are one of the healthiest teams in the NFL, so injuries cant explain their dramatic drop-off from a year ago when they tied the franchise record with 12 wins. Theyre running the same plays that worked a year ago, with most of the same players.When they have a chance to take control of a game the way they did last season, they simply cant do it.The Bengals went up 20-14 on New York midway through the third quarter and had chances to pull away.They got the ball five more times and managed a total of only 47 yards and three first downs, one of them by penalty. Dalton was 3 of 11 for 29 yards with an interception and two sacks on those final five possessions.Its like we just needed that one play to get us going, and we never got it, said Dalton, who was 16 of 29 overall for 204 yards with a touchdown , an interception and three sacks.The defense has been one of the biggest problems all season, and it had a game-ending letdown.ddddddddddddThe Giants got the ball back at their 41-yard line with 3:01 left, plenty of time for Cincinnati to get another shot at a winning field goal if the defense could hold. The Bengals knew the Giants would run the ball, so they stacked the line. New York ran five consecutive times for 38 yards and two first downs, draining the clock.The loss represented a missed chance to close in on first place. Baltimore leads with a 5-4 mark, followed by Pittsburgh at 4-5 and then the Bengals, who are a game and a half out with two teams to overtake.They still have both games left with Baltimore as well as a home game against the Steelers, but the loss to New York leaves them with no margin for error in the last seven weeks.The Bengals host Buffalo on Sunday, then go to Baltimore for what could be the pivotal game of their season.Yes, were running out of time, Kirkpatrick said. At the end of the day, with some of the teams losing, that puts us in a decent situation. But we have to get our wins.Game notes DE Margus Hunt was inactive for the first time this season, an indication the coaching staff isnt pleased with his play. Hunt got a bigger role in the line rotation this season after Wallace Gilberry left for Detroit as a free agent. The Bengals re-signed Gilberry during their bye week, and he moved into Hunts role. ... Gilberry suffered an abdominal injury after four games with Detroit and was released with a settlement. He was on the field for 30 of the defenses 75 plays against the Giants and had one tackle.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '