GIROUD REVELS IN ROLE AS VILLA NEMESIS
RIOTOUS crowds or behind closed doors, December or June, it’s all the same to Olivier Giroud when he eyes the claret and the rampant lion.
The France striker simply adores playing against Aston Villa, almost as much as his manager Frank Lampard, who scored more against them than any other club during his own prolific playing career.
Giroud has scored in his last seven appearances against Villa and this, his ninth in those seven games, secured victory for Chelsea as they came from behind to tighten their grip on fourth place.
Kortney Hause had fired Dean Smith’s side into a lead they barely deserved two minutes before half-time, but the Londoners hit back and claimed control with two goals in two minutes on the hour.
Lampard can take his share of the credit, firstly for selecting Giroud ahead of Tammy Abraham, then with a substitution which reaped instant rewards.
Chelsea were dominating the ball but had rarely opened up the hosts when Christian Pulisic and Ross Barkley were sent on to replace Ruben Loftus-Cheek, making his first appearance in 406 days, and Mateo Kovacic.
It was Pulisic who levelled, slamming a half-volley past Orjan Nyland and into the net off the bar, having arrived late to meet a deep cross from Cesar Azpilicueta on the half-volley.
Chelsea captain Azpilicueta produced a succession of fine crosses from the right. With Villa offering so little in attack, he and Willian overloaded left back Matt Targett and were the source of so much of what the visitors did well on the day.
It was Azpilicueta’s cross which set up the winner. This time he appeared on the left, having forged forward on a diagonal run. He picked out Giroud, who gathered the ball with his back to goal, spun and finished.
With more firepower on its way next season in the shape of £54million striker Timo Werner and with Abraham’s impressive progress this season, it was a reminder of the Frenchman’s enduring quality at the age of 33 and a reason why Lampard was keen to extend his contract.
He links up play better than most centre forwards, and can conjure an important goal against packed defences. This one moved Chelsea five points clear of Manchester United.
It will be an outstanding achievement for Lampard if he can secure a place in the top four at the end of his first season as a Premier League manager, having inherited a team which had lost
Eden Hazard and was banned from making any signings.
Not only has he proved able to inspire the academy graduates but he has squeezed value from the thirty-somethings, such as Giroud. Willian, 31 and out of contract at the end of the month, sparkled at Villa Park and there was no stronger and more effective player on the pitch than 30-year-old Azpilicueta.
Chelsea dominated the first half. Mason Mount and Willian tested Nyland before they were punished for failing to convert their possession into something more tangible.
First, a couple of warning shots: an explosive effort by Anwar El Ghazi was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga, then John McGinn darted ahead of Antonio Rudiger and flashed a header wide. Douglas
Luiz delivered a teasing cross from the right, swung behind Chelsea’s back line and spinning away from the keeper, and Hause escaped his marker, slid and — at full stretch — turned a shot on target.
Kepa made the save but could only force the ball back into a dangerous area. Hause was quick to his feet and chopped his second effort into the net for his first goal of the season.
Briefly, Villa could envisage an unexpected victory, although Chelsea were soon back in the groove, dictating the rhythm, pouring forward and creating more chances.
Tyrone Mings blocked from Marcos Alonso, Kovacic fired wide and the visitors pulled level on the hour through Pulisic. Aston Villa were still reeling, two minutes later, when Azpilicueta and Giroud combined.
There was no way back for the hosts. The closest they came was with a late effort by substitute Jota, which went narrowly wide.
They had glimpsed a way out of the bottom three in a weekend when relegation rivals Bournemouth, West Ham and Norwich lost. But they could not match Chelsea and their only point in two games since the restart was courtesy of a technical glitch against Sheffield United.
Villa remain deep in trouble and now they go to Newcastle. At least they won’t face Giroud again.
ASTON VILLA (4-3-2-1): Nyland 6; Konsa 6, Hause 6.5, Mings 6, Targett 5; McGinn 5 (Jota 87min), Luiz 6.5, Hourihane 6 (Nakamba 70, 6); El Ghazi 6 (Trezeguet 70, 5), Grealish 5; Davis 5 (Samatta 57, 6). Subs not
used: Reina, Taylor, Baston, Elmohamady, Vassilev. Scorer: Hause 43. Booked: Konsa, Grealish. Manager: Dean Smith 6.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Kepa 6.5; AZPILICUETA 8, Christensen 6, Rudiger 6.5, Alonso 6; Kante 6.5, Kovacic 6 (Barkley 55, 7); Willian 7.5 (James 90), Loftus-Cheek 6 (Pulisic 55, 7), Mount 7.5; Giroud 7 (Abraham 80).
Subs not used: Caballero, Pedro, Zouma, Emerson, Gilmour. Scorers: Pulisic 60, Giroud 62. Booked: Kante.
Manager: Frank Lampard 7.5. Referee: Paul Tierney 6.