Giroud hungry for Chelsea to build on vital win over Spurs

Chelsea 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

OLIVIER Giroud has hailed Chelsea’s derby victory over Tottenham as a “turning point” in their Champions League qualification quest.

The Frenchman notched his first Premier League goal of the campaign as the Blues saw off bitter rivals Spurs 2-1 in Saturday’s Stamford Bridge clash.

Frank Lampard’s men opened up a four-point lead on fifthplaced Tottenham to cement their status in fourth with their first win in five league matches.

Giroud toasted his first start of 2020 with a crisp finish and a goal he admitted hoping can fire both the Blues and himself.

The 33-year-old could even have joined Spurs during his January limbo, where he would have left Stamford Bridge had Chelsea recruited a replacement. But now the former Arsenal striker is keen to keep furthering the Blues’ cause.

“It was a very important game for us,” said Giroud.

“I want to talk about the team spirit. We showed great character.

“We knew it was maybe a kind of turning point because we lost a bit of confidence at home.

“It was nice to bounce back and get this hard win against a rival.

“It’s been three months in the stands, so it was a special day for me and for all of us.”

Giroud drew first blood in west London and Marcos Alonso made it 2-0 before Antonio Rudiger put through his own net late on, but Chelsea were full value for the victory.

“It was on my right foot, I couldn’t get it on my left, so I tried to finish,” Giroud said of his strike.

“Ross (Barkley) followed the action and I was lucky the ball came back after hitting the post.

“It was a good feeling for me, a good moment and I am so happy to have helped the team to win.”