Harry Diamond
Tammy Abraham has praised the impact of Jorginho after the midfielder came off the bench to help change the game in Chelsea’s 2-1 comeback win at Arsenal.
Chelsea were dominated for large periods of a fiercely contested London derby at the Emirates, falling behind to Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s early header to trail at the interval before scoring twice in the final seven minutes to snatch victory.
Having seen his side struggle to contain the impressive hosts early on, Frank Lampard opted to change tactics and revert away from a back three, introducing Jorginho to his side’s midfield in place of the struggling Emerson.
The switch would pay dividends as the Blues gained greater control in the second period, Jorginho arriving to hit home the equaliser following a woeful mistake from Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno before Abraham’s late winner secured a precious three points.
Matchwinner Abraham was quick to praise the impact of the influential Italian, admitting it was a completely different game following the introduction of the midfield metronome.
“I give credit to the boys, I give credit to Jorginho,” Abraham told Sky Sports.
”The first 30 minutes they dominated the ball, they were popping us in midfield, then this man (Jorginho) comes on and it was a whole different ball game.
“Him coming on lifted the whole team and the second half was a better performance.”
Abraham’s goal was his 12th Premier League goal of the season and ended a run of four games without scoring, whilst it was also his first against ‘big six’ opposition since being handed his opportunity in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old admits he was pleased to get off the mark against one of the division’s leading sides, though says he never lost faith in his ability to influence the biggest occasions despite previously failing to score against the top six.
“It felt good. I knew it would be a matter of time before it came and thankfully it came today.”
Today’s win sees Chelsea move five points clear of fifth-place Man United, with the Blues travelling south to face Brighton on New Year’s Day.
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