During the weekend, the current top 2 sides produced the best attacking football we have seen thus far, as Chelsea put 5 goals past Everton, while Liverpool followed suit by even bettering them with a 6-1 thrashing of Watford.
The Blues had 2 of their front 3 – Hazard and Costa – play a part in Everton’s trouncing, with the Belgian bagging a brace while his Spanish counterpart scored 1 and assisted another. Costa now has 9 league goals and 3 assists in 11 games, and Hazard has 7 goals and 1 assist.
Both have had a hand in 20 out of all 26 Chelsea goals, and their forms will no doubt play major roles as the Blues attempt to come out tops at the end of the season. With their explosive form in front of goals, should they be considered as the deadliest attacking duo in the EPL at the moment?
Or are Liverpool duo Mane, and Coutinho more deserving of that accolade?
The freescoring Reds have bagged 30 league goals this term, and the 2 attackers have been responsible for 18 of the goals thus far. Senegal international, Mane, has 6 goals and 2 assists to his name, while Coutinho has grabbed 5 assists and 5 goals.
Between them alone, the duo have created 14 chances this season, more than any other duo in the top flight, and their partnership has become the vital cog of Liverpool’s attack.
On Sunday evening, they proved they could do what Chelsea’s duo of Hazard and Costa are capable of, with Mane grabbing a brace while Coutinho settled for an assist and a goal.
Individually, the 4 players have been in blistering form this season.
Mane has created 14 other key passes in 10 appearances, with his shot accuracy at 67% while his average pass accuracy is 79%. His speed and dribbles have caused a lot of problems for the opposition, and he has combined perfectly well with the Brazilian forward to tear opposition attack apart on his day.
To say Coutinho too has been brilliant since the first ball was kicked this season would be an understatement, with his 25 key passes made a testament to how valuable he has been to Liverpool in the final third.
The former Inter Milan player has completed up to 470 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 84% and 57% shot accuracy. The 2-time Liverpool player of the season remains one of the EPL’s brightest talents in recent seasons, and if his fine partnership with his fellow 24-year-old attacker continues, the sky will be the limit for the Reds this term.
Same can be said of the Hazard-Costa combo, considering how influential both have been to the club.
Hazard has completed 455 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 85% and shot accuracy of 63%. The 25-year-old has created 19 key passes, and enjoyed his free role to a tee this season. He has become so much of a threat since playing further than Costa, and defenders don’t know just how to contain him.
Costa too is playing his best football in Chelsea’s colours, and his goal return has been extraordinary. Apart from his 3 assists, the Spain international has made 13 other key passes, and recorded 68% shot accuracy.
Collectively, the Chelsea duo only better their Liverpool rivals on goal difference. In terms of chances created and assists registered, Coutinho and Mane edge Costa and Hazard out. And that has played a larger part in Liverpool’s goal tally of 30.
They are the more deadlier of the 2, even if it’s just by an inch. But how their contributions to their respective team’s title ambitions at the end of the season will eventually decide which is actually the better duo