‘Giroud the best target-man in football’

Eden Hazard heaped praise on fellow forward Olivier Giroud after Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over Cardiff City at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Drafted into the starting XI as the number 9, Giroud impressed by setting up two goals for Hazard, who absolutely set the stage on fire with a hat-trick

Maurizio Sarri and his Chelsea side continued their remarkable start to the Premier League campaign as they picked up their fifth win on the spin to maintain their perfect start. They responded in emphatic fashion after Sol Bamba had put Cardiff in front.

Hazard and Giroud spearheaded and orchestrated the Blues’ triumph with quick one-twos, one-touch football and a sense of inventive genius.

Speaking to BBC Sport about Giroud’s daunting presence in the box and physical abilities, Hazard commented, 'He's a target man, maybe the best in the world. I think so.'

Despite claiming that Morata is a quality forward, the Belgian accepted that playing alongside the former Arsenal striker is a pleasure. 'He can hold up the ball, it's a pleasure to play with him. When Alvaro is playing it's completely different, he's a different player to Olivier. They both have quality, so we are happy to have good strikers in the team.'

Despite having started just three games this season, the 27-year-old already has five goals and two assists. He credits Sarri’s high-intensity, possession-based system for the cause.

'We have a lot of freedom on the pitch and, at the moment, when we try and do something it's coming off. I'm always happy when I'm playing football,” he added. 'I just want to do my best for this club, which has done a lot for me. I'm always trying to do more – create more chances, score more goals, and today [I scored] a hat-trick so I will try to do this more.'

The Blues travel to the London Stadium next weekend to face-off against West Ham United. Prior to that fixture, they kickstart their Europa League campaign against PAOK.