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Chelsea traveled to Carrow Road to face newcomers Norwich City, who were coming off a brilliant 3-1 win over Newcastle United. For Frank Lampard though, things had not been so kind so far.
The Blues started the new season with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United away at Old Trafford. Last week, they took the lead against Leicester City early on but ended up drawing the game. Here, Lampard was desperate for his first win of the season, but it was never going to be easy.
Chelsea's defense was already missing Antonio Rudiger, who is still not fully fit, but to make matters worse, Lampard was also without N'Golo Kante and Pedro. The Chelsea manager, wary of the threat posed by the home side, made three changes to the team that drew at home to Leicester City.
Lampard continued with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Emerson making up the back four. In midfield, Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley were brought back to the XI, alongside Jorginho. The front three consisted of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham.
Chelsea started the game brilliantly, scoring in the third minute through Abraham. However, Norwich equalized seconds later. Mason Mount then gave his team the lead in the 17th minute, before the hosts restored parity again in the 30th minute. The first half ended 2-2.
In the second half, Chelsea picked up pace and were rewarded with a goal from Abraham in the 68th minute. It was enough to win the game and secure three valuable points.
Frank Lampard won his first Premier League game as Chelsea boss, and he has these five men to thank, who were brilliant on the afternoon.
#5 Cesar Azpilicueta
The Chelsea skipper had a decent game, and even though he was caught out at the back on a couple of occasions, Cesar Azpilicueta was quite effective whenever Chelsea ventured forward.
The Spaniard was tireless down the wings, and on an afternoon where Christian Pulisic failed to have much of an impact, he ensured that his side exploited the width down the right.
Azpilicueta was always available for the ball on the right-wing, marauding forward without invitation and giving the game its first decisive moment quite early.
When Pulisic received the ball from Mount, the Spaniard immediately advanced forward. He took the ball and then whipped in a beautiful cross into the box, which was eventually tucked home by Abraham.
#4 Andreas Christensen
The Chelsea defense had failed to impress prior to this fixture, having already conceded five goals in two Premier League games. Kurt Zouma was guilty of a few errors across the backline, but Andreas Christensen had shown maturity that would suit well alongside Antonio Rudiger. Against Norwich too, the Danish defender was the pick of the lot in defense.
Christensen started the game as the right center back and had to regularly stretch out to cover for the marauding Azpilicueta. The Dane failed to stop the cross that led to the equalizer in the sixth minute, and could not do much to prevent Pukki from scoring Norwich’s second either. However, after Chelsea scored their third, Christensen came into his own.
The Dane was massive for Chelsea in the dying stages as they defended deep and regularly stepped up to cut out the opposition's moves. His devotion to the Chelsea cause ensured that Frank Lampard finally got the win he had been craving for.
#3 Mateo Kovacic
Without N’Golo Kante in the team, Frank Lampard was already on the back foot before the game. The Chelsea manager thus opted for Mateo Kovacic against Norwich and the Croatian was quite proactive in the midfield. He might not be the most defensively sound midfielder in the world, but Kovacic does make up for it with his positioning and passing in the middle.
The Croatian was perhaps culpable for the first goal conceded by Chelsea. Both he and Jorginho failed to provide cover as Norwich bypassed the Chelsea midfield to score the equalizer in the sixth minute. However, Kovacic picked up the pace soon after, regularly running into the final third, creating chances and bringing the front three into play.
He worked extremely hard on the pitch, but his top contribution of the game came in the 68th minute, when he picked up a ball from the back, and initiated a counter. Kovacic fed the ball to Abraham at the edge of the opposition box and the Englishman scored the decisive third goal.
#2 Mason Mount
The Englishman had impressed in the No. 10 role so far for Chelsea and he had another impressive outing against Norwich City.
Mount Mount showed great awareness on the field, identifying the runs of his teammates and feeding them with good balls. He was proactive in the final third, while his movement and passing kept the home defense busy right from kick off.
The Englishman was heavily involved in the first goal, switching play to bring Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta into the Chelsea attack. This ultimately led to Tammy Abraham scoring the opening goal of the day.
After Norwich drew level, the Englishman got busy, closing down opponents and trying to inspire his team. His efforts bore fruit in the 17th minute, when he combined beautifully with Pulisic near the box.
Mount left the Norwich City defense stranded with his movement, bought himself some valuable space in the box and scored to put his team ahead again. He improved his performance in the second half and combined very well with Abraham as well
#1 Tammy Abraham
The youngster had experienced a rocky start to the new season, but was still selected for the game ahead of Olivier Giroud. Tammy Abraham hit the post against Manchester United in the opening weekend, and then failed to convert the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.
However, Lampard selected him for the Norwich game, hoping to make good use of his speed and movement in the final third.
The Englishman started the game with a bang, after some good work down the right by Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard’s cross found its way to Abraham, who had pulled away from the defenders in the box. The Englishman scored with a perfect low hit that gave his team the lead.
Abraham continued to be active and did have a few more half chances in the box. He combined well with Mason Mount to cause the opposition defense a lot of problems.
In the second half, his decisive running bore fruit, as he recieved a pass from Kovacic on the edge of the box, moved inside and unleashed another venomous volley to score his second of the game.
On the day where Frank Lampard required a response from his team, Abraham stepped up and delivered a miracle for his boss.
