Tammy Abraham scored a delicious double to hand Chelsea their first win of the season and Frank Lampard his first triumph as a Premier League manager after Norwich succumbed to a 2-3 loss at the Carrow Road on Saturday.
Youngsters Tammy and Mason Mount were the heroes as the Blues edged a five-goal thriller to claim for the Londoners their first maximum points of the season.
21 – This is the first time two English players aged 21 or under have scored in a Premier League match for @ChelseaFC since 22nd August 1992, when Eddie Newton and Graham Stuart scored against Sheffield Wednesday. Throwback. #NORCHE pic.twitter.com/fUQ9T5ksUs
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 24, 2019
Both teams traded four goals between themselves in the opening 45 minutes but Tammy Abraham's second half brilliance finally made the difference in a man-of-the-match performance that should delight the youngster and his manager.
Frank Lampard made two changes to his Chelsea side that could only manage a lame draw against Leicester City last time out with Tammy Abraham and Mateo Kovacic coming in for Olivier Giroud – who drops to the bench – and the injured N'Golo Kante.
For the home team, Norwich manager Daniel Farke kept faith with the same line-up that defeated Newcastle last weekend.
With Barkley replacing Pedro in Chelsea's XI, Chelsea's average age for the match was set at 24 years and 208 days, their youngest in the Premier League since February 1994 against Oldham (24y 190d).
The game had barely kicked off when Frank Lampard's faith in his young striker was repaid. Tammy Abraham, in the third minute, swept in – first time – Cesar Azpilicueta's ball from the right.
It was a beautiful finish. But so was the leveller when it arrived three minutes later.
Emiliano Buendía was at the heart of a fine team move as he drove into the area where he found Todd Cantwell who fed it to man-of-the-moment Teemu Pukki.
The Finn squared the ball to his partner-in-crime who slotted in at the near post.
It was a great move and it merited such a great goal.
That Todd Cantwell's goal came after five minutes and 32 seconds, the quickest both teams have scored in a Premier League game since November 2017 – Crystal Palace v Everton (5:25).
It was an exciting start to an unpredictable game.
Ten minutes later, Chelsea were back in front. Mason Mount, who scored at Carrow Road last season while at Derby, cut inside Norwich's defenders in the area and fired an unstoppable shot high past Tim Krul. Lampard's young guns were showing good stuffs.
Defensively Norwich were not reacting to Chelsea's attack, appearing to let it happen and then react to it too late.
Upfront, however, they were still a real threat and after letting a few chances fall through their hands, the Canaries were back in it with high-flying Finn Teemu Pukki grabbing his fifth (FIFTH) league goal of the season.
https://www.twitter.com/Jay27886283/status/1165230052188930056
The Premier League's top marksman was played in by Emiliano Buendia, and then had enough time and quality to fire an angled shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga, who got a hand to it but not a strong one.
The half ended all square but Kept in Chelsea goal would not have been happy with himself for not doing more to stop the Norwich second goal.
With the second half seeing Norwich growing in confidence, Chelsea were in dire need of another goal and it was all Tammy when it arrived.
https://www.twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1165246952394633216
Norwich's centre half's Grant Hanley and Jamal Lewis were not aware what day it was as Tammy Abraham, received a Kovacic pass, twisted and turned in front of both before firing a low drive past Tim Krul.
Chelsea showed more composure and experience to see out the win and at last cut some of the worries of their rookie manager.
