The striker’s clever, angled finish got us up and running against a Watford side that were clearly content to pack men behind the ball and rely on set-pieces and counter-attacks to hurt us. Thankfully two first-half goals gave us welcome breathing space, and in the end there was no doubt the three points were deservedly ours.

It was Ross Barkley who added extra gloss to the victory with an injury-time third, and it was he who assisted Giroud’s goal earlier in the piece. The French striker made sure to praise his team-mate in his summation of his opener.

‘It’s a great feeling when you score,’ said Giroud.

‘I like to do that run. Ross had great vision, he gave me a good ball, and I managed to put it in. I’m happy for him, and for him to score at the end. I have a good relationship with him on the pitch, we’re mates also, and I love playing here with Ross.

‘It’s a big result,’ added Giroud.

‘We needed a win to bounce back straightaway after the defeat at West Ham. We started the game well, we created a few chances, and we were efficient. We could have scored more goals, but there were some nice combinations around the box and we scored good goals.

‘Every single goal will count until the end in the final sprint. We have it in our hands to play the Champions League next season, and we want to take it, starting with this game.’

Victory was the perfect anniversary present for Frank Lampard, who took over exactly a year earlier. Giroud explained why he thinks the boss has been a success so far.

‘He just wants to win again and again, he’s a competitor. He has tried to give us passion and his great mentality, to always improve.

‘It’s nice for me also because he told me he would give me a chance, and he did. I have a good relationship with him and I think we can do great things all together.’