Photo: Reuters

Chelsea defeated Southampton 3-2 at the St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, and January transfer signing Olivier Giroud scored a brace in that game after coming on from the bench.

In an interview with Chelsea TV, Eden Hazard who scored the second goal in that game was quick to highlight the impact that the French striker had on the tie and believes he was fully deserving of his man-of-the-match award.

“We know what Olivier is all about,” said the Belgian international.

“We know his quality and he showed that against Southampton, as he made a great impact from the bench.

“He deserved this because he gives everything on the pitch and even when he isn’t on the pitch, he supports the team. All the focus was on him [after scoring] and he deserved the man-of-the-match award. He showed great character and great personality to play and to finish the game well for us.

“My goal was important because it helped us come back and when you score one, you want to go on and get another, which thankfully Olivier did.”