Frank Lampard hails 'big character' Olivier Giroud after Frenchman bags winner against Norwich

Frank Lampard hailed “big character” Olivier Giroud for his professionalism and goalscoring quality after the Frenchman scored the game’s only goal in Chelsea’s vital win over Norwich City.

Giroud’s strike meant that Chelsea tightened their grip on third place, taking a four-point lead over Leicester City and Manchester United in the battle for the Champions League places.

Giroud could have left the club in January but has now scored four goals since the restart.

“He is always going to give you that desire to keep getting in there for the team,” said Lampard. “When Oli is in the team you use his attributes: you try to cross the ball and stick it in the box.

“He is a big character for us and he is scoring important goals. Just before lockdown, he came in and was part of a couple of big results so that is credit he was due anyway.

“He has always trained brilliantly. His professionalism was always good. I told him in January I wanted him to stay and he was fantastic in how he handled that. The way he plays is important for us.”

On the team’s performance, Lampard said he wanted more quality in attack from his side but added that he is happy to focus on the three points during this crucial run-in.

"At this stage of the season results are critical,” said Lampard. “I want more but that can wait. Where we are as a team and where we are in the table, it is all about the result.”

Daniel Farke, the Norwich manager, said he was pleased with his side’s reaction following the confirmation of their relegation this weekend.

“The commitment was really good,” he said. “On a good day we are competitive against the best teams in the world. But once we are not spot on, we are not.”