Chelsea squeeze past Norwich to inch closer to Champions League

Chelsea 1-0 Norwich City: Olivier Giroud scored the only goal of the game to give Blues what could be priceless three points

Olivier Giroud proved decisive once more as Chelsea continue to stagger towards next season’s Champions League.

Failure to earn a far more decisive advantage, through the Blues’ wastefulness in front of goal and the inspired form of Norwich’s Tim Krul, will have done little to appease a prickly Frank Lampard.

This 1-0 victory was barely enough after Lampard vowed to “not forget” the humiliation dished out by Sheffield United on Saturday. Yet despite Jorginho’s flailing limbs in the shadow of David McGoldrick as Blades stormed forward for a late third, the Italy international remained at the heart of the Blues’ midfield. And with N’Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour injured, Lampard has been forced to begrudgingly persevere with Jorginho, who gleefully attempted to run the game from the outset with mixed success.

But the hosts found a spirited Norwich side, despite expected gloom following the confirmation of relegation. Their movement impressed early, even if the patterns were somewhat uncoordinated; as Todd Cantwell looked to stretch the game, furiously dashing into the space vacated by Marcos Alonso’s eagerness to join the fun going the other way. While Daniel Farke shows no sign of dejection either, with the German barking instructions while tapping his whiteboard during what has now become a tactical timeout masquerading as the drinks break.

But despite initially expertly mirroring Chris Wilder’s side by crowding the middle of the pitch, the hosts began to carve out some glorious opportunities. Two came in identical fashion from both flanks, first through Alonso pulling back to Christian Pulisic and then through Cesar Azpilicueta scurrying in behind before finding Giroud drifting away from his marker. But on both occasions the ball was wildly lashed off target.

Chelsea soon discovered danger quickly spreads throughout Farke’s side when the ball enters the final third. The electric Pulisic elegantly adjusted his body before firing powerfully at goal, forcing Tim Krul to spectacularly tip the ball onto the bar.

Then Kurt Zouma leaped high above everybody at a corner, connecting with a thumping header that missed the corner by inches.

But the restart has provided a telling reminder of the shortcut Giroud still provides, which is especially useful to Lampard during the teething issues while assembling his desired personnel. The Frenchman’s presence in the box saw Pulisic whip in a delightful ball for his teammate to glance home on the stroke of half-time.

There has always been the bigger picture with Chelsea this season, but the inconsistency of rivals, as proven by Leicester City and Manchester United this week, has heightened the pressure to grasp a somewhat unexpected place inside the top four and, perhaps, silverware in the form of the FA Cup. For all of Lampard’s progress though, beyond the exciting Pulisic, veterans Giroud and Willian remain pivotal. The latter, more subdued here, burst into life after the restart, with his vicious shot from inside the box deflected wide as the Blues continued to dominate.

Jorginho’s erratic positioning and, at times, wayward passing will have done little to sway Lampard’s evident reservations, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek spurned another opportunity to translate his undoubted ability to the pitch since his return from injury.

Control could become a theme to Lampard’s evolution as a manager, as for all their dominance the second goal proved elusive. Giroud’s scooped through ball beautifully found Pulisic, but the American’s flick was smothered well by Krul. And the Dutchman was in sensational form once more, brilliantly denying Alonso’s header soon after while scrambling back towards his far post.

So while the second never arrived and problems undoubtedly remain for Lampard, the victory and a four-point gap to fifth will provide much-needed relief ahead of the significant work to come. Though this performance did little to dispel this side’s vulnerability before Sunday’s monumental semi-final against United.