Chelsea boss Frank Lampard delighted with Giroud’s impact after the late Chelsea winner.
Chelsea came into their UEFA Champions League fixture, needing a win to secure qualification through to Knockouts. And secured it, with a late winner from Olivier Giroud as they beat Rennes 2-1. With 2 matches remaining Chelsea and Sevilla will battle it out for the top spot.
Chelsea took the lead as Callum-Hudson Odoi produced a lovely finish after being played through by Mason Mount in the 22nd minute. Chelsea were dominant throughout the game and were unlucky not to extend after Timo Werner had a bad day at the office.
Five minutes from the end, Serhou Guirassy seemingly snatched a share of the spoils for the hosts when he scored from a corner. However, Olivier Giroud headed in an unlikely winner in stoppage time to snatch a late win for Chelsea.
Frank Lampard, speaking after the match:
‘I’m very happy to qualify with two games to spare. We want to try and top the group, but it was a really tough match for us. Rennes are an underrated team. We played well for big spells and it was a tough, hard-fought win for us.
– Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard on Callum Hudson-Odoi:
The 20-year-old youngster just has 1 start in Premier League and faces huge competition in a star-studded Chelsea side. However, He has had 2 starts in UEFA Champions League and has scored 2 goals so far.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard insists that Hudson-Odoi’s so-far limited chances hold no bearing on his status now, or in the future, in west London.
“I am seeing constant improvements from him; I knew he’d had a couple of good performances for the England Under-21s last week,”
“There are loads of great things about Callum, and I know there are things he can improve in his game. He knows that.
“He is a big player for Chelsea, he has a big future with us. His all-round game was fantastic, and he got his goal too.”
– Lampard on Hudson-Odoi
Lampard on Olivier Giroud:
The Veteran striker has been relegated to 3rd choice striker behind Werner and Tammy Abraham. He has played just 178 minutes this season and is rumored to be looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge.
However Chelsea boss has insisted that Olivier Giroud is still in his plans after the striker scored a late winner in a 2-1 win against Stade Rennais.
In his press conference after the game, Lampard applauded Giroud’s professionalism.
“So for him to get a goal, you saw the reaction of his team-mates. He’s so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor for him. He’s getting better with age if anything in terms of how he looks after himself.
“So he offers a lot for us and I keep saying it but the big schedule coming up and the way we play means I will rely on players. So thankfully for me, he’s a player that always keeps the right attitude if he’s not playing regularly, and I know when I call upon him that he comes in as he did today.”
– Lampard on Giroud
Chelsea welcome Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday with a chance to climb up to the top of the table. Both teams are unbeaten in their last 5 matches, this would be the perfect test of title credentials for both sides.
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