Giroud celebrating with Luiz on Sunday (Ptuneo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Chelsea striker, Olivier Giroud has opened up on why he dedicated the goal he scored against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday to fellow teammate, David Luiz.
Giroud headed in the only goal of the game, as Chelsea defeated Liverpool 1-0 at the Stamford Bridge.
The Blues came into the game, needing a victory to keep their slim hopes of squeezing into the top four alive.
The win takes Antonio Conte’s men to 69 points, two behind Tottenham tunespur, who lost 1-0 to West Brom on Saturday, with two fixtures left.
Giroud, however, said he dedicated the goal he scored against the Reds to Luiz because the Brazilian international is a good friend who is currently going through a tough time at Chelsea.
“I know when Victor [Moses] doesn’t cross the ball at first he’s going to go on his right, so I had to be ready at the front post and luckily I finished it,” Giroud told reporters after the match.
“David Luiz is a good friend, so I was very pleased to dedicate him this goal because he is going through a tough period and he is coming back,” he added.
Here’s how Olivier celebrated his goal. Seems like he and David Luiz have developed a nice relationship. #CFC pic.twitter.com/1cx3JCDjJ1
— Chelsea GIFs (@ChelseaGIFs) May 6, 2018
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte, who’s been accused of shunning David Luiz unreasonably, claims not to have seen this (he was facing away from the bench at the time and giving some instructions), but if it means winning, he wants nothing more than for it to happen many more times.
“I didn’t see it. I tried to use this moment to give some advice to my players.
”For sure, tonight, I want to watch this celebration on TV, and I hope to see this celebration many times over the rest of the season. I don’t know if there is a special relationship. They are team-mates,” Antonio Conte;
Chelsea have now won five in a row and Olivier Giroud has been right in the middle of it, sctuneg goals, inspiring comebacks, and fostering good team spirit.
Meanwhile, Luiz started just one Premier League fixture for the Blues in 2018 and is being linked with a number of European clubs including, Monaco and Napoli.
The defender was a key player for Conte last season, playing over 40 games as the Blues won the Premier League title.
The 31-year-old was dropped earlier in the year following Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat to Roma in the Champions League and Conte has lost faith in the centre-back.