Norwich City 2-3 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20  

Tammy Abraham (2) and Mason Mount handed Frank Lampard his first win as Chelsea boss
Tammy Abraham (2) and Mason Mount handed Frank Lampard his first win as Chelsea boss

A brace from Tammy Abraham and yet another superb effort from Mason Mount gave Frank Lampard his first win as Blues boss, as Chelsea pipped Norwich City at Carrow Road by 3-2.

For the hosts, Todd Cantwell and of course, Teemu Pukki scored to keep the hosts in the game.

Both sides started the game positively, with four out of the five goals coming inside the first 30 minutes. The flow of the game was smoot, as both Norwich and Chelsea played with tons of urgency and purpose.

However, the Blues came out as deserved winners, owing to their patience and solidity in the second 45 minutes. They defended high up the pitch, got that winning goal and most importantly, were far more disciplined at the back.

Quite clearly, the likes of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen put their recent defensive worries aside and played with discipline when the opposition came charging down.

On that note, we look at five major talking points from Chelsea's enthralling victory over Norwich City in the Premier League.


#1 Abraham repays Lampard's faith by opening the scoring

Abraham got Chelsea off to a flier
Abraham got Chelsea off to a flier

As envisaged by the larger set of observers, Norwich and Chelsea committed bodies in the center of the park, moved the ball about quickly and set the tempo. Both sides continued to share the ball in their quest to play with freedom and intensity.

But just as we've seen from Chelsea so far this season, they started strong right from the outset. The ball was swiftly played around by the Blues whenever they advanced into the Canaries' half. However, as their boss suggested after the 1-1 draw against Leicester, they had to be clinical.

And boy they were, as Tammy Abraham pounced on an accurate cross from an advancing Cesar Azpilicueta, controlled it with perfection and kept his half volley on the ground, past Tim Krul.

After a couple of fine exchanges, Pulisic played in the Chelsea skipper, who made no mistake in finding the number 9.

#2 'Pukki Party' stings Chelsea as Norwich scored twice

Pukki scored once again
Pukki scored once again

He was meant to be there! Teemu Pukki was the talk of the town after his hat-trick against Newcastle, but he had to do it in front of his home fans against a top quality opposition.

Expectations always rise when one has shown immaculate potential and guile, as in the case of Pukki. He's sharp in the box, a clever striker when in possession and a physical presence.

And just when it looked like Chelsea established a strong foothold on the game, the Canaries produced one of pure quality to restore parity. Academy graduate Todd Cantwell did brilliantly to shrug off Jorginho, before laying it for Pukki, who then squared it back for the youngster to make it 1-1.

The unorganized Blues back line completely switched off at that moment, while Jorginho in the middle alongside Mateo Kovacic, just had to do better.

Pukki was not done yet, as he scored his side's second, and his fifth of the season in the 30th minute to further exemplify the problems within Chelsea's defense. The Finnish sharpshooter was through down the right when Kurt Zouma was caught ball-watching, but Pukki made the most out of an above average ball and netted for his side.

As seen in Norwich's fixture against Liverpool, the Canaries do not consistently run at teams, but when they do win the ball, they make it count.

#3 Mount punishes Norwich's pressing system with a touch of brilliance

Not too many playing like him at the moment
Not too many playing like him at the moment

Not for the first time this season, Mason Mount took the responsibility upon himself to steer Chelsea ahead for the second time in the game. As Tim Sherwood pointed out at half time, Mount is a Lampard in the making.

Here's why so - he's good with his feet, he can pick passes, he offers everything both offensively and defensively and lastly, Mount can top off fantastic passages of play with sublime finishes.

He did just that when Norwich were caught out while over-committing bodies in one channel. While the same may work out when a side is slow in shifting the ball from one side to another, Chelsea were smart to pickpocket the hosts and win it in a free zone.

The ball was played out to Mount, who showed immense control, shifted it to his right and delayed his trigger. Ever so convincingly, the midfielder took just another step to free himself and then launch an unstoppable strike to power Chelsea ahead.

Throughout the course of the game, the 20-year-old worked his socks off, illustrated his sparkling footballing brain and helped his side in all thirds of the pitch.

#4 Chelsea show larger promise in the second half as Abraham scores his second

Tammy Abraham put his haters to bed with another scintillating finish
Tammy Abraham put his haters to bed with another scintillating finish

Regardless of whether one's a Blue, a Canary or a neutral, the first half got everyone on their toes - such was the atmosphere, pace and the intensity at which both sides plied their trade.

However, Chelsea started out as the brighter team in the second half, racking up five attempts in just as many minutes. Kovacic helped himself with a strike, as did Jorginho. Mason Mount struck it twice along with Christian Pulisic, who quite selfishly went for it himself after being played through down the right. Unfortunately, his shot went to the side netting.

We saw it coming, and although Norwich sporadically caused a few hiccups among the Chelsea back line, it was mostly the visitors who threatened. After a few missed opportunities, the prolific Tammy Abraham finally found the back of the net.

On one end, Kepa handled a Teemu Pukki effort and immediately set Mount free, who then passed it to Kovacic. The midfielder picked a mobile Abraham, who skipped past both Norwich center-halves and fired a shot beyond Krul's reach.

With that, he also scored his first goal in English football from outside the box.

#5 Chelsea need to learn how to earn bigger advantages

The Chelsea midfielders had to be more unsympathetic in front of goal
The Chelsea midfielders had to be more unsympathetic in front of goal

Not once but twice now we've seen, Chelsea have shown spectacular promise, both with and without the ball. Yes, there are a lot of positional alterations that Frank Lampard has to instil in his team while defending off the ball, but he surely knows his side are in to play exuberant, fast-paced football.

However, one problem that may have gone unnoticed, due to a larger issue in the form of defending crosses, was how Chelsea struggled to increase the deficit during a one-goal lead.

We saw it against Leicester City as well, as the Blues could have hammered three or four in and sealed the result of the game. But, they allowed the opposition to get back and eventually punish them.

Here again, Norwich equalised not once but twice. When they lead 2-1, Andreas Christensen had a free header. Credit Tim Krul for a jaw-dropping save, but the center back could have and should have given his side a two-goal cushion.

The same goes with Pulisic, who while trying to make himself a hero, shot from an extremely acute angle when Abraham was in a pocket of space inside the penalty area.

This is the difference between Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The former two sides convert promising stages of play into embarrassing moments for their opponents.

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Edited by Jong Ching Yee
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