More from PST What we learned | Premier League transfer news | Latest USMNT news

Chelsea

Lampard, Abraham react to first Chelsea win, goal

By Nicholas MendolaAug 24, 2019, 10:33 AM EDT
Leave a comment

Frank Lampard was all business in being asked about his first Premier League win as Chelsea boss.

Coming on the heels of a loss and draw heading into Saturday’s 3-2 defeat of Norwich City, Lampard was ready to talk about the big picture (especially considering the Blues dealt with a pre-match injury to Pedro).

[ MORE: How did Pulisic perform? ] 

With a lot of young players and a tricky transfer ban, Lampard has to walk a fine line between the expectations of Chelsea and the reality of working with a side he hasn’t been able to improve through the transfer window. From the BBC:

“We want to compete. We know this year is difficult on different levels. We’ve had a tough start, and yep, we needed a win. It helps confidence.”

On the other end of the spectrum is Tammy Abraham, who has no qualms whatsoever with his first Chelsea goal in the Premier League.

“I didn’t even know how to celebrate so I just ran over to the management and the staff. It always gives confidence to me and the young boys when the coach believes in you.”

Sheffield United is next, a real chance for the Blues to round into form even if the Blades have been plucky early in their Premier League return.

Pulisic watch: How did USMNT star perform for Chelsea at Norwich?

Getty Images
By Joe Prince-WrightAug 24, 2019, 9:38 AM EDT
Leave a comment

Saturday was a big day for USMNT star Christian Pulisic in the Premier League, as he played a pivotal role in Frank Lampard securing his first win as Chelsea’s boss with the Blues beating Norwich City 3-2.

Pulisic, 20, grabbed an assist and a hockey assist in the first 17 minutes as the Chelsea winger caused Norwich all kinds of problems as he drifted off the right flank time and time again.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] 

The Pennsylvania native needed a big display with Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi both fit and fighting for his spot out wide on the left but with Pedro out injured in the warm up, Pulisic played really well on the right and went 84 minutes.

Here’s a look at how Pulisic performed against Norwich at Carrow Road on Saturday.

1st minute: Pulisic lines up on the right wing after Pedro is injured in the warm up and Ross Barkley replaces him in the lineup.

3rd minute: Launches himself into three tackles in quick succession, winning the final with a perfect sliding lunge.

4th minute: Controls a long pass across the pitch, runs at Norwich’s defense and plays in the overlapping Cesar Azpilicueta. His cross is volleyed home by Tammy Abraham to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead.

6th minute: Norwich attack down Pulisic’s side and get behind Azpilicueta, as Pukki crosses for Cantwell to make it 1-1.

11th minute: Pulisic pops up centrally but Norwich win the ball box just before he bursts into the box.

13th minute: Slides into a tackle and is getting through a lot of defensive works with Buendia drifting inside from Norwich’s left.

14th minute: Links up well with Mateo Kovacic on multiple occasions with clever passing and flicks. He is starting to drift inside a lot more.

17th minute: Pulisic pops up centrally, again, and slots in a perfect pass to Mount who slots home to put Chelsea 2-1 up. Pulisic grabs his first Premier League assist.

23rd minute: After making a surging run down the right, moments later he slips as he tries to wriggle free from a defender in the box.

29th minute: Pulisic gets on the ball and plays in Jorginho in the box. All the Italian midfielder has to do is slot home, but he makes a mess of it.

33rd minute: After Norwich’s Teemu Pukki made it 2-2, the home side have the momentum. Pulisic launches into a fine tackle on Lewis and is dropping deeper and deeper to help his team defend.

36th minute: Azpilicueta whips a cross into the box and Pulisic jumps high but the ball is just flicked away from him.

38th minute: His cross to the back post misses everyone and drifts out of play.

39th minute: Falls down in the box under pressure as he tries to control a looping pass.

44th minute: After a lovely darting run inside, Barkley picks him out and he twists and turns in the box. Eventually gets a shot off which is blocked.

45th minute + 2: Pulisic again wriggles free centrally and sets up Barkley who smashes way over the bar.

47th minute: Races free into the box and slams a shot into the side-netting with Abraham waiting for the pass. Should have done better with the finish. Didn’t look confident at all when taking the shot on.

55th minute: Tammy Abraham flicks the ball around the corner to Pulisic but Lewis wrestles him off the ball. Moments later Pulisic is tackled by Lewis.

61st minute: Cuts inside from the right and plays the ball to Mount who sets up Emerson who fires an effort right at Krul.

66th minute: Wins a foul just outside of his own box as his fantastic battle with Lewis continues.

71st minute: Loses a tackle on the edge of the box as Norwich push for an equalizer after Abraham put Chelsea 3-2 up. Godfrey hits the crossbar from a corner soon after.

75th minute: Tracked back as Buendia controlled a flashed in a dangerous cross. Good defensive work.

79th minute: Again, fine work down the right and a ball cut back to the edge of the box is dummied by Mount and Barkley’s shot is blocked.

80th minute: Pulisic is found by Kovacic in the box and his cross to Giroud is scrambled clear by Norwich.

84th minute: Subbed out and replaced by Willian. Gets a pat on the back from Frank Lampard and a warm ovation from the Chelsea fans.

Chelsea beat Norwich in thriller

By Joe Prince-WrightAug 24, 2019, 9:28 AM EDT
Leave a comment

“Super, Super Frank, Super Frankie Lampard!” sang the Chelsea fans at Norwich.

[ MORE: How did Pulisic perform? ] 

Frank Lampard is off and running as Chelsea boss, as he grabbed his first win as a Premier League manager in a wild encounter at Carrow Road.

Chelsea beat Norwich City 3-2 after a wild first half gave way to a measured second half display for the Blues, with Tammy Abraham scoring his first two PL goals for Chelsea and playing the hero.

[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ] 

Norwich battled back to equalize twice in the first half through Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki after Abraham and Mason Mount had twice given Chelsea the lead. But Abraham’s strike in the second half capped off a fine Chelsea display, as their youngest PL starting lineup since 1994 did Lampard proud.

Chelsea are off and running for the season.

Three things we learned

1. Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic take their chance: This was a big moment for two of Chelsea’s young stars. Abraham was favored ahead of Giroud up top and scored his first Premier League goals for his boyhood club. Pulisic grabbed an assist on Mount’s goal and had a hand in Abraham’s first and was a constant menace on the right. With Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi returning to fitness, this was a big day for Pulisic. His displays have been up and down but this was a solid outing on the right, and he was only playing there because Pedro was injured in the warm up. The American will have earned another start based on this display.

2. Defensive issues continue for young Chelsea: This team was the youngest Chelsea XI in the PL since Feb. 1994, and it is clear they are still learning under first-year coach Lampard. Norwich scored twice very easily in the first half and the manner of their equalizers will upset Lampard. Quick passing and movement took Zouma and Christensen out of the game and that lack of pace and positioning is a reoccurring theme at the center back position. Lampard’s young side did manage the game well late on and didn’t fade as they’ve done in the second half of games recently. The young bucks are learning, but there are still going to be plenty of speed bumps along the way.

3. Cavalier Norwich growing in confidence: Yes, they lost the game, but the way Norwich kept pouring forward, especially in the first half, sums up their style under Daniel Farke. They are comfortable playing in an attacking manner and won’t change that against the big boys this season. They couldn’t drag themselves back into the game a third time but Farke can be proud of the way his team approached this game. They gave the ball away an awful lot, but they did so trying to set the tone and launch attacks.

Man of the match: Tammy Abraham – The English youngster scored his first two PL goals for Chelsea and led the line superbly with plenty of runs behind the defense which created space for Pulisic, Kovacic and Barkley. This is just the start for Abraham.

It took Chelsea just four minutes to open the scoring as Christian Pulisic played in Cesar Azpilicueta and his cross was rifled home by Abraham for his first Blues goal.

Seconds later Norwich were level. Cantwell picked up the ball in the box, played it to Pukki and got on the end of the cross to tap home and send Carrow Road wild with less than six minutes on the clock.

The fast start continued as Mount was played in by Pulisic and slotted home after 17 minutes to score his second goal in as many PL games. Tim Krul then brilliantly denied Andreas Christensen‘s header as Chelsea pinned the Canaries back in the first half.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] 

But just when it looked like Chelsea would runaway with things, Norwich equalizer. Pukki was played in down the right and he finished calmly across goal for his fifth goal of the season to make it 2-2.

Chelsea dominated the second half as Pulisic fired wide in the box, Emerson was denied by Krul and Mount flashed an effort wide.

Abraham then latched onto a nice pass from Kovacic and beat two Norwich defenders before firing home his second and Chelsea’s third of the game. The Canaries finished strongly as Ben Godfrey hit the crossbar with a header but Chelsea eased to their first victory of the season.

WATCH: Pulisic influential in wild Norwich-Chelsea clash

By Joe Prince-WrightAug 24, 2019, 8:26 AM EDT
Leave a comment

Christian Pulisic had an assist and a hockey assist in the first 17 minutes of Chelsea’s trip to Norwich on Saturday, as four goals were scored in a crazy first half.

[ STREAM: Every PL match live ] 

Pulisic, 20, was playing on the right of midfield and the assist was his first in the Premier League.

The USMNT star set up Cesar Azpilicueta to cross and Tammy Abraham rifled home.

We’d call this a hockey assist, right?

After Norwich equalized he then slotted in Mason Mount to make it 2-1 with a perfectly weighted pass (see the video above).

It was a lovely assist for Pulisic, who was causing all kinds of problems drifting inside from the right flank, but Norwich were causing Chelsea just as many problems as Teemu Pukki mad it 2-2 before the break in a breathtaking, end-to-end encounter.

Click on the link above to watch the game.

Watch Live: Norwich City v. Chelsea

Getty Images
By Joe Prince-WrightAug 24, 2019, 7:15 AM EDT
Leave a comment

Norwich City host Chelsea on Saturday at Carrow Road (Watch live, 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) as the new boys aim to spring a huge upset.

WATCH LIVE ONLINE HERE

The Canaries beat Newcastle last time out and Daniel Farke has a natural goal scorer in Teemu Pukki. If he can keep scoring (Pukki has scored four in his first two PL games) Norwich will surely be out of the relegation battle.

Frank Lampard is yet to win as Chelsea manager and although the pressure is hardly on the Blues legend, a win here would be welcome.

In team news Norwich are unchanged from their win against Newcastle last week, with Timo Klose returning to the bench after injury.

Chelsea start with Tammy Abraham up top instead of Olivier Giroud, while Kovacic comes in for the injured N’Golo Kante In midfield. Willian is on the bench as USMNT star Christian Pulisic starts his third game in a row for Chelsea, and Ross Barkley came in just before kick off as Pedro was injured in the warm up.

LINEUPS