Chelsea vs Norwich: Setbacks spur me on, says Tammy Abraham after opening Chelsea account in style

Tammy Abraham admits a tough start to life as a Premier League striker with Chelsea spurred him on as his brace at Norwich secured Frank Lampard his first win as Blues boss.

After starting the season with defeat at Manchester United, a Super Cup penalty shoot-out loss to Liverpool and a draw at home to Leicester, Lampard finally tasted victory with a 3-2 success at Carrow Road.

It was a special afternoon, too, for Abraham as he hit his first goals for Chelsea, having joined the academy in 2004.

Loan spells away from Stamford Bridge helped Abraham hone his craft, but he had yet to find the net for Chelsea, missing his penalty in the shoot-out against Liverpool, leading to the 21-year-old being racially abused on social media.

But now the England international is among the goals for the Europa League holders and wants to kick on after a successful day in East Anglia.

“I have always believed in myself,” Abraham told Chelsea’s official website.

“I know I have had a bit of a sticky time at the start of the season, but I’m someone who doesn’t let that affect me. It drives me on.

“Now I have scored two good goals and hopefully I can keep scoring for Chelsea.

“This is football at the end of the day. You just have to enjoy it as much as you can. It’s not a long career, so while you’re out there you just have to give your best and just enjoy it.”

Abraham opened the scoring with a fine finish on three minutes, with fellow youngster Mason Mount also hitting the back of the net in an entertaining first half which saw Norwich draw level twice through Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki.

After scoring his first goal Abraham, who settled the contest with a well-taken second-half strike, celebrated by embracing Lampard and paid tribute to his new boss.

“It’s always nice to have that support behind you, especially how he supports the young lads,” he added.

“He gives us confidence. When a coach believes in you, you just want to do your best and give 100 per cent.”

While Norwich were equal to their visitors in the opening 45 minutes, they were on the back foot for the majority of the second half but nearly grabbed a point when Ben Godfrey headed against the crossbar.

It was a game full of firsts as Cantwell’s leveller was his maiden top-flight goal and the Canaries midfielder believes newly-promoted Norwich are sticking to the blueprint which saw them win the Sky Bet Championship last year.

“I’ve waited a long time for that,” he said.

“It felt special to get that goal, but it’s really disappointing it doesn’t mean anything because they always mean more when you get points.

“I think we had good spells in the game against a world-class team. We’re showing our identity and what we want to do.

“The tempo was high and at times we were matching them and outplaying them, so it’s bitterly disappointing not to take anything from the game.”