GIROUD: I can be Chelsea’s lucky charm in our chase for the Champions League places

OLIVIER GIROUD hopes he can be Chelsea’s “lucky charm” in the sprint for the Champions League.

And he admits seeing Tottenham wobble, as they did during his Arsenal days, is raising the Blues’ hopes in the top-four race. Giroud’s winner against Liverpool ensured the three-team battle for the final two places will go down to the wire. A month ago Chelsea were 10 points behind Spurs and their prospects of getting back into Europe’s top competition looked over. But four straight league wins for Chelsea coupled with Spurs’ stumble has revived their hopes. Giroud became used to Arsenal always finding a way to end the season in the top four regardless of how their season went. He said: “I hope I can be the lucky charm for the Champions League race in the final sprint! We don’t have this situation in our hands, but I have experience about these kind of end-of-season situations. “We need to give everything and wait for the other results. I’m confident because if we play with that kind of mentality we can have nice things.” Striker Giroud joined Arsenal in 2012, the season after Spurs blew a 10-point lead to finish fourth behind the Gunners and then miss out on the Champions League after Chelsea won the competition. In his debut year Giroud got a first-hand taste of Spurs’s familiar frailties when they went seven points clear of Arsenal with 10 games left after a north London derby win.

But a Spurs collapse allowed Arsenal to overhaul their big rivals and clinch fourth by just a point.

Two years ago Spurs were eventual champions Leicester’s closest challengers but another end-of-season slump meant they finished third with Arsenal pipping them to second, again by a point.

Tottenham appear to have put their ‘Spursy’ days and those familiar frailties behind them but Giroud added: “They lost this weekend at West Brom, so it gives us a bit more energy and hope, so that’s why we want to fight to the end.”

Giroud’s goal against Liverpool (above) was his fifth since his £18million January move to Chelsea from Arsenal and he has quickly endeared himself to his new supporters.

He said: “I have received a really warm welcome from when I arrived and I felt like I was at home since I came here, like I’ve been here a few years, so for me it was very important.

“When you give everything on the pitch people see that and even more when you can be efficient and bring a plus to the team. It’s a nice comeback from the fans.”