Mbappe deserves Ballon d'Or: Eden Hazard

Starting line-ups for the World Cup third place playoff between Belgium and England in Saint Petersburg on Saturday (1400 GMT kick-off):

Belgium (3-4-3)

Thibaut Courtois; Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen; Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Nacer Chadli; Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard (capt)

Coach: Roberto Martinez (ESP)

England (3-5-2)

Jordan Pickford; Phil Jones, John Stones, Harry Maguire; Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier, Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Danny Rose; Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane (capt)

Coach: Gareth Southgate (ENG)

Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRI)

-Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 to move 10 points clear

-Eden Hazard put Chelsea ahead after 25 minutes

-Diego Costa doubled the lead with a tap-in

-Manuel Lanzini scored late consolation for hosts

-West Ham at Bournemouth next, Chelsea at Stoke City

Chelsea brushed aside London rivals West Ham United with a 2-1 away win that restored their 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Monday.

Eden Hazard gave them the lead following a swift 25th-minute counter-attack before Diego Costa bundled the ball home shortly after the break to put the Blues in control at London Stadium.

West Ham's Manuel Lanzini grabbed a consolation in added time, but the result was never in doubt.

Mid-table West Ham, who knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup this season when crowd trouble marred the night, offered little threat for most of the game as the west London side continued their surge towards the title.

Antonio Conte's team, who have won 21 of their 27 league matches this season, have 66 points, 10 ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester City can reduce the gap to eight if they beat Stoke City on Wednesday.

"I think we played a good game. We controlled the game. It's a pity for the goal we conceded at the end," Conte, who saluted Chelsea's fans at the end, said.

"But I'm pleased. We showed great concentration and commitment and will to win."

Chelsea were content to sit deep and draw West Ham's sting for the opening 20 minutes in which the home side enjoyed plenty of the ball without troubling goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Striker Andy Carroll got a bloody nose for his efforts as he made his presence felt in the box under a series of high crosses but Chelsea were unruffled.

When the opportunity presented itself, though, Chelsea were primed and launched a lethal counter-attack to take the lead.

Midfielder N'Golo Kante intercepted a stray Robert Snodgrass pass deep inside his own half and immediately released Hazard who exchanged passes with Pedro before rounding keeper Darren Randolph to slot home his 11th league goal of the season.

More Clinical

Chelsea took control after that and might have secured the points before halftime had they been a little more clinical.

Another breakaway ended with Victor Moses, who was on loan at West Ham last season when the Hammers finished 12 points above Chelsea, having a shot blocked by Aaron Cresswell before Randolph saved well from Pedro's close-range follow-up effort.

Lanzini wasted West Ham's best chance when he fired well over the bar from a central position.

Chelsea then went further ahead five minutes into the second half when Hazard's corner skimmed off the head of West Ham's Pedro Obiang and straight to Costa who could not miss.

West Ham roused themselves and Sofiane Feghouli had a shot cleared off the line before, seconds later, home defender Jose Fonte headed over with the goal at his mercy.

Costa looked certain to double his tally with a brilliant turn after an equally impressive pass by the electric Hazard but his shot was clawed away by Randolph.

The closing stages were played out before many empty seats as West Ham's fans drifted home while Chelsea's sang "We're going to win the league".

It was hard to disagree, although Lanzini did provide something for the hosts to cheer with a stoppage-time strike.

Chelsea are well aware of what must be done to clinch the Premier League title but will also be looking cautiously over their shoulders as Tottenham Hotspur continue their relentless pursuit of the leaders, midfielder Eden Hazard has said.

Chelsea, who are seven points clear at the top of the table, beat 15th-placed Bournemouth 3-1 on Saturday to maintain their lead over second-placed Tottenham, who are on a six-game winning run in the league.

"They are waiting for us to lose points but if we do the job we will be champions in the end," Hazard told the club website.

"We have to be ready because in England you never know, you can lose points against every team," he added.

"But we are professional, we know what to do if we want to be champion. When we see Tottenham, everything is not done. It is one step closer but we have seven games left to play and we have to be ready for everything."

Tottenham cut the lead at the top following Chelsea's loss to Crystal Palace earlier this month but Antonio Conte's men have responded strongly with back-to-back victories over Manchester City and Bournemouth.

Chelsea travel to fifth-placed Manchester United on Sunday and will be hoping to get their first win at Old Trafford since 2013.

France’s Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player since legendary Pele to score two goals in a World Cup. While Pele did it at the age of just 17, Mbappe has managed the feat at the age of 19.

He showed terrifying pace as neither the Argentina back line nor the ineffective and perhaps aging midfield of Enzo Perez and Javier Mascherano were able to contend with the skill and guile of the French forward.

Argentina played a high defensive line and it allowed Mbappe to exploit the space behind the defence. Marcos Rojo was the first to suffer as Mbappe picked up the ball after a loose ball control from Argentina midfield. He unleashed fury, bursting through a couple of tackles before taking on Rojo.

Rojo fouled the young Frenchman in the penalty area and Antoine Griezmann struck from the penalty spot to hand France the lead. Rojo, who picked up a yellow card for the tackle, was duly substituted at half time -- another way Mbappe made his mark in the game.

Argentina got lucky when Nicolas Tagliafico was shrewd enough to commit his foul just a few metres outside the penalty area after Paul Pogba had set Mbappe off with a long through ball to chase.

The trick to having a high line is to have a compact defense and midfield line. Argentina coach floundered in that department when he played Mascherano and Perez in midfield. Mbappe can make quick players look slow. Against Enzo Perez and Mascherano, who was one or two step behind the play on many occasions, Mbappe became a nightmare.

For his next two goals, Mbappe showed his pace over short distances. Argentina’s poor defensive discipline, let France run at them again and again, with Mbappe moving the ball quicker than anyone in the area for the third.

His second was a back-to-front team move finished by the razor-sharp teenager as Argentina midfield showed no awareness of defensive responsibility and the French striker finished off with ease.

Argentina had the chance to play with a midfield that atleast could close down spaces faster. Giovani Lo Celso, who plies his trade with French outfit Paris Saint-Germain is teammates with the teenage Mbappe. Surely he knew more about keeping track of Mbappe than an aging Mascherano. Lo Celso did not feature for a single minute at this World Cup. France exploited the space they were given and that is why they went through to the quarterfinal after a seven-goal thriller at Kazan.

France captain Hugo Llrois said before the game that Mbappe would have more space than in the first three games.

“Kylian has huge quality and potential, he's fast, explosive and needs space. I think [against Argentina] he'll have more space than the first three matches and as we go on in the competition the level will step up and will have less room for mistakes.

"Mbappe has the potential to make the difference in difficult moments,” he said.

French captain was proven right as Mbappe ran riot to seal victory for France as Argentina were given a reality check.

Croatia captain Luka Modric says determination and self-belief were always more important than physical stature in football and that will be as true in Sunday's World Cup final as in any other match.

At 1.72 metres (5ft 8in) and 66kg (146 lbs), the Croatia playmaker can cut a diminutive figure on the pitch but he has few rivals when it comes to skill, game-management and stamina.

On Sunday, the winner of four Champions League titles with Real Madrid will play the biggest match of his life against France and size will be the last thing on his mind.

"I've always ignored such talk," he told reporters on the eve of his nation's first World Cup final.

"I have never doubted myself even if others did, I always believed I could get to where I am today and thank God this came true.

"You don't have to be a giant to play football, I'm happy with where I am. I am happy with where I am and I never cared what anyone else said, it only further motivated me."

France will be clear favourites to win a second World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium and Croatia will be relying on the resilience that got them through three lots of extra time and two penalty shootouts in their knockout matches.

Many of this generation of Croatian players grew up during the war following the break-up of Yugoslavia, however, and that have given them a mental toughness.

"I’ve seen a great deal of hardship in my life," added Modric, who lived in refugee hostels for several years as a child.

"The most important thing is to never give up, never give in to circumstances, believe yourself and to soldier on no matter what's in your way.

"There are ups and downs but whatever happens, you have to trust and believe in yourself.

"Fight for your dreams and success. This is what has always guided me."

Despite all the talent in their ranks, Croatia's place at the World Cup was in jeopardy as late as last October when Zlatko Dalic took over and Modric paid tribute to the impact the coach has had on the team.

"We are in the World Cup final, that was the influence of the coach," the 32-year-old said.

"He came into the picture at a very difficult moment ... In the first game, he talked us up to give us self-belief and told us we were still good players despite this crisis.

"He brought us calmness, he perked us up and what we most like is his sincerity and his attitude towards each and every player. We like having him around, he's shown his influence, not just as a coach but more importantly as a human being."