The Brazilian, so out of sorts under the axed Portuguese coach, bagged his first hat trick in England to become the latest player to re-find his old sparkle, says Richard Jolly.
Expect headlines pronouncing it “Oscar season." It isn’t, of course. Not in football, anyway. Not when Oscar was mediocre for much of the season.
But this particular Oscar campaign has a real significance. Because the Brazilian has returned to form since Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho. So has Diego Costa. So, a little more belatedly, did Cesc Fabregas. When Eden Hazard ended his 274-day club goal drought, it completed a quartet of Mourinho’s failures who are performing for Guus Hiddink.