With Olivier Giroud in the form he has been in this month, some may have raised eyebrows when they saw Frank Lampard choose Tammy Abraham to lead the line against West Ham, and not the Frenchman.

The boss explained after our 3-0 win it was Abraham’s ‘natural ability to move in behind’ that earned him a starting berth, and he rewarded Lampard with a pair of second-half goals that showcased his busyness and instinctive finishing ability inside the box.

‘It was the perfect night to repay the faith of the gaffer,’ said Abraham, reflecting on his first brace since the big win at Wolves in September 2019.

‘My job is to help the team score goals by getting in the right areas, and that’s what I did for my two goals.

‘They were poacher’s goals, something you do in the park. It’s just about getting in the box, getting in the right areas and being ready for when the ball lands at your feet.

‘Whether it was a cross or shot from Timo, it was about me anticipating, getting ready for rebounds, deflections, and luckily I was in the right place.

‘As a striker, scoring goals gives you confidence,’ added Abraham. ‘I have to give credit to my team-mates, we created a lot of chances, and we defended well as a team. To beat West Ham 3-0 is a massive result.’

Abraham emphasised the impressive form the Hammers have displayed this season, and indeed they dominated for a good chunk of last night’s game. When allied with our own recent travails away from home, the outcome was particularly impressive.

‘That was much more like it,’ noted Abraham.

‘The boys said before we needed a performance and that was what we did. They were in the game until my first goal. They are a great side and have been great this year, so we had to stay patient for the second goal.

‘I don’t think the losses knocked our confidence that much. We know we’re a good side, we just lost concentration for two games, but we’ve brought it back and hopefully we can kick on.

‘Some days you have bad days, but if you get the win that is what makes a top side. We had to grind this win, and find a way to beat them.’

The Blues will be fifth at Christmas with the majority of sides having played 14 games in this truncated campaign. Abraham concluded with his verdict on the current state of play as well as a final festive message to Blues supporters everywhere.

‘It’s still early doors. If you see the table, you win and you go up, you lose and you go down a lot, so it’s tight. It’s a tough league, we’ve seen that all season.

‘We just hope the three points made you Chelsea fans happy, we hope you enjoy Christmas and stay safe.’