Sevilla 0-4 Chelsea: Olivier Giroud scores four to impress Blues fringe players | Football news

Olivier Giroud gave Frank Lampard a reminder of his qualities with four goals, including a perfect hat-trick, which helped Chelsea confirm first place in Group E with a 4-0 win over Sevilla.

Sevilla, who had only lost once to an English team at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, fell behind in eight minutes to a much-changed Chelsea when Kai Havertz was able to run 40 meters from his own half before placing Giroud, who The debutant goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor won with a curved shot in the upper corner.

Giroud made it two to nine minutes into the second half, feinting to shoot with his first touch and deftly dispatching his second goal with the next.

The hosts had made eight changes and rarely threatened Edouard Mendy’s goal, instead falling further behind with 16 minutes to go, when Giroud made a pass from N’Golo Kante into the far corner for a perfect hat-trick.

The Frenchman, who became the first Chelsea player to score four in a game since his coach in 2010, then scored a penalty with his finishing touch of the game, and Chelsea secured first place in their League group. Champions in style.

Giroud’s show gives Lampard food for thought

It would have been easy for two teams that made a combined 17 changes from their weekend league games to look disjointed, but the game served at an empty Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuan stadium showed none of that, with Chelsea rushing to an early lead in a halt. start of tempo.

Havertz, who made his first start in more than a month, collected the ball in his own half before drifting away from Sevilla’s midfield and feeding Giroud on the edge of the area. The Frenchman, who has played just 47 minutes of Premier League football this season, turned to his left and beat Pastor.

Sevilla felt they could have tied in 20 minutes when Karim Rekik got up to receive Oscar Rodriguez’s free kick before Rudiger made a major block.

Rudiger also shone at the other end of the field before the break, with his bullet header from Emerson’s corner cleared off the line by Vazquez.

Giroud further bet his claim for a starting spot in Chelsea’s league game with Leeds this weekend on Sky sports when he doubled his count nine minutes in the second period. He finished a fluid play taking Mateo Kovacic’s pass calmly, leaving Sergi Gómez on his back with his first touch and overtaking Pastor with the second.

Sevilla threatened a bit more after making a triple change to reintroduce some of their great hitters, but still never threatened Mendy, while Giroud sealed his hat-trick with the help of one of Chelsea’s additions from the bench. .

Kante, to the right of midfield, looked up before watching the striker dash to the near post and take him out with a perfect cross that headed for the far corner.

Giroud again edged out Gomez, who would ask for the forward’s jersey after the game, six minutes from time, as he was dragged into the box by another center, before steadying to beat Pastor from 12 yards.

That was his finishing touch when Lampard brought out his veteran forward with a near-perfect Champions League night for the Chelsea manager, further enhanced by Billy Gilmour’s belated presentation from the bench, nearly five months since his last appearance at the first team due to a long term knee injury.

Man of the match – Olivier Giroud

If Giroud doesn’t start against Leeds on Saturday, I’d forgive him for breaking down Frank Lampard’s door by asking him what else he can do to impress.

Because his performance against Sevilla was as perfect as it could have been. Chelsea’s first four-goal loot in a decade, and all with just five shots on the night.

He took part in more aerial duels than anyone on the field and while he may have only won half of them, it was the Frenchman’s feet, often underrated, that spoke for the most part to completely overcome a baseline. of Seville that never came to dominate. with the.

What the manager said …

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard saying BT sport: “Four goals at this level, and the quality of the goals, individual aspects of him, aspects of the team – from the first, in particular, going back and forth – incredible solo performance from him. He deserves all the praise.

“The team’s performance from start to finish was excellent. There were moments in the first half where it was difficult for us, we faced those moments, then our game was just brilliant.

“If it does [put himself in the frame to play against Leeds]. I have to see, it’s a tight change of course, but it’s four goals in a game. Not just his own performance, but when you play with Oli and use his strengths, and still keep threats from the sides, the speed of being behind or the quality of the game in the middle, you see a really good balance in our game of attack “.

Opt for facts

• Chelsea have won four consecutive UEFA Champions League games for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, when they won the competition.
• Sevilla were unbeaten in 14 home games in all European competitions that came to this game (W12 D2), this being their first such loss since April 2018 against Bayern Munich.
• Chelsea have won two UEFA Champions League games by at least four goals with Frank Lampard; only with José Mourinho does he have more victories of this type (six).
• In what was Sevilla’s 100th home game in European competition, they lost by a four-goal margin at home for the first time.
• Olivier Giroud of Chelsea (34 years 63 days) became the oldest player to ever hit a UEFA Champions League / European Cup hat-trick since Ferenc Puskás for Real Madrid vs Feyenoord in September 1965 (38 years and 173 days).

Whats Next?

Chelsea is live Sky Sports Premier League from 7.45pm on Saturday night when they host Leeds at Stamford Bridge; start at 8:00 p.m.