As Eden Hazard so instinctively but intricately rolled the ball past Hugo Lloris for Chelsea’s game-breaking goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Cesc Fabregas was even more satisfied than most, and not because both had come on as substitutes with Diego Costa to change that FA Cup semi-final.

It was that this strike marked an ongoing change in Hazard’s game, as he showed a ruthlessness and “pure instinct” that Fabregas had been encouraging him to take his game to the next level. Having played at Barcelona, the Spanish midfielder feels Leo Messi is the only player in the world who can surpass Hazard for technical ability, but has long felt the Belgian needs to “be more selfish” to reach the “unstoppable” level that he should.

The goal to make it 3-2 in the 4-2 win over Spurs was exactly the kind of moment that truly separates such players, and that he needs to provide more of.

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 6 out of 10 Aside from the two Tottenham goals, the Belgian keeper made a handful of vital saves to keep his side in it. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 out of 10 Was getting dragged out of position at times, but overall it was a satisfying display. He tackled well and supported the midfielders in possession. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings David Luiz – 9 out of 10 His defensive display today was faultless. He tackled hard, led the line at the back and was creating moves from the back. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Nathan Ake – 7 out of 10 Today was a huge chance for Ake and he certainly performed under pressure. The only issue was that he was diving into challenges – resulting in a number of needless Tottenham free kicks. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Victor Moses – 8 out of 10 Was certainly one of Chelsea’s top players today. He was energetic, oozing with confidence and he won the penalty for Willian’s second goal. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings N’Golo Kante – 8 out of 10 A textbook Kante display. Energetic, powerful, clever and quite simply ran the midfield. He is the engine within the Chelsea side. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Nemanja Matic – 7 out of 10 His somewhat mediocre display was redeemed his sublime strike from distance in the late stages of the game. Getty Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10 He looked dangerous pressing forward, but defensively he was clumsy and gave away a handful of unnecessary fouls. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Willian – 9 out of 10 He appeared to thrive on the pressure of his late introduction to the starting 11, with two goals. His free kick was an example of his endless talent. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Pedro – 6 out of 10 His pace proved problematic for Spurs, but he did not see enough of the ball in my opinion. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Michy Batshuayi – 6 out of 10 Hunted possession relentlessly and when he tracked back to defend a corner, he always the one to clear the danger. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Hugo Lloris – 4 out of 10 Should have arguably saved Willian’s free kick. Aside from that, it was hard for him to look impressive against such a clinical Chelsea side. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Kieran Trippier – 7 out of 10 He was particularly impressive today when he was pumping long balls over the top to Kane and Son from a defensive position. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Eric Dier – 6 out of 10 His work rate was faultless, he created moves going forward and he continued to pump balls into the danger zone. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Toby Alderweireld – 6 out of 10 Aside from giving away the free kick for Willian’s first goal, he performed well and tackled courageously for the full 90 minutes today. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Jan Vertonghen – 6 out of 10 He stood up well when Chelsea were attacking and he made a countless amount of blocks and interceptions. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Victor Wanyama – 6 out o f10 He passed the ball well and was using the width of the pitch well. Defensively there is certainly room for improvement. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Mousa Dembele – 7 out of 10 He patrolled the game from the middle of the pitch, used possession well and won a number of the aerial challenges. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Son Heung-min – 4 out of 10 His decision to slide tackle Moses inside of the area was simply imprudent. Was also very wasteful in possession. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Christian Eriksen – 8 out of 10 He created Kane’s opener and his assist for Alli’s goal will be one of the best that we can expect to see all season. Incredible. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Dele Alli – 8 out of 10 His equaliser for Spurs was an impressive strike, which he thoroughly deserved following a top display. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Harry Kane – 8 out of 10 His headed goal to level the scoring showed top technique from a tricky angle. Today he was energetic, alert and caused the Chelsea defence problems throughout. Getty Images,

Asked whether Hazard is pushing to the level of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabregas said: "He is and we have to help him as well to achieve that. Eden can be whatever he wants to be. I've played with many, many players and sometimes when we have a counter attack and it's two against two and he passes the ball, I tell him: 'You have the capability to score by yourself. Do it'.

“He has to do it more often. He has to, for me, be more selfish sometimes, as all the top, top players are. I hope - and I'm sure - he will improve in the future. And then he will be unstoppable.

“Ability wise, there is only one player above him and we all know who he is: Messi. Ability-wise he's up there with the best. Just in my opinion, and I've told him many, many times, he needs to be selfish sometimes and have that pure instinct to score more goals and then he will be whatever he wants to be.”

Spurs had been on top as the game reached the hour mark and, having just equalised for a second time, Mauricio Pochettino’s side looked the more likely winners. It was at that point Antonio Conte introduced Hazard and Costa, before eventually bringing on Fabregas as well, as if to almost emphasise they had a level of experience and quality above Tottenham.

“Yes, but I don’t want to say that Spurs do not have experience,” the midfielder said. “They have been playing together for a while, yes they are a young side, but they competed for the title last year, they are four points behind us, they are in the FA Cup semi-final, they are a team that are where they are because they are playing very well and they are competitors.

“After that maybe, in the second half when we were able to bring on three players very, very fresh with experience, with a lot of talent, probably there it made a big change during the game because they were controlling it, and then all of a sudden we started controlling the game. But I think it was a very 50-50 game that could have gone either way.

Hazard was superb when he entered the fray (Getty)

“You never want to accept it [being on the bench] as a player. Whoever you are. It can happen, as it happened today. But for us also very, very important is Tuesday’s game [against Southampton], and maybe that had something to do with it.

“And it worked really well. At 2-2 you them on with half an hour to go, they change the game and you win. It’s fantastic to be able to do that, and that means that the whole squad is ready to go, whoever plays is ready to step up, like [Nathan] Ake, [Michy] Batshuayi and Willian today, they hadn’t played for a while, and it’s good to see that.”