In the first of a new series analysing the individual performances of our players this season, leading goalscorer Tammy Abraham takes centre stage.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic it is now nearly two months since the Blues were last in action, so we have decided to offer you a reminder of how the campaign had panned out for each of our squad members before the halt in play. We start with a young striker who has enjoyed a fine breakout season at Stamford Bridge…
Tammy Abraham: 34 appearances (five as a sub), 15 goals, four assists
‘Tammy is a goalscorer. I saw that in the Championship last season, he’s proven that and now it’s his time to prove it at Chelsea. I love his character. He’s infectious around the place, a confident boy on the pitch and he wants to do really well for this football club.’
Frank Lampard’s words ahead of the season hinted at the faith he would show in Tammy Abraham, his new number nine, right from the start. Then 21, the Chelsea Academy graduate had enjoyed a couple of highly productive years on loan in England’s second tier, and a more difficult one in between with Swansea in the Premier League.
It was the start of what would prove a severely testing week for Abraham, on and off the pitch. In the Super Cup in Istanbul he won an extra-time penalty Jorginho equalised from, sending the contest to a shootout, when his effort was saved, decisively. He was the subject of ‘disgusting’ online racist abuse afterwards.
Abraham's first Chelsea goal
Happier times weren't far away. It took Abraham just three minutes to put us ahead against Norwich on 24 August, and in doing so score his first goal for the club. He ran straight to Lampard to celebrate. His second, another sweet strike and the first of his professional career from outside the box, came with 20 minutes to play and settled a five-goal thriller in our favour.
Abraham backed up that brace with another against Sheffield United a week later - his first Stamford Bridge goals - before becoming our youngest Premier League hat-trick hero with an exquisite treble in his very next game at Wolves. Seven goals in three games took him to the top of the league's scoring charts; just as impressive were the variety of finishes he had produced.
Abraham's first Champions League goal
Abraham's form, including a first Champions League goal in Lille, earned him an England call-up in the October international break, and his involvement as a late sub in a qualifier in Prague confirmed his international status going forward.
In November he became the second-youngest Chelsea player to reach 10 Premier League goals, after Arjen Robben, with a typically cool finish against Crystal Palace as the Blues recorded a sixth straight league success. A few days later he was celebrating his first England senior goal.
As 2019 drew to a close, Abraham found goals harder to come by, but he still signed the year off in style with arguably with his most iconic Chelsea goal yet, a smart turn-and-finish to seal an enjoyable come-from-behind victory at the Emirates.
Injury hits Abraham's season
An ankle injury sustained against the same opposition three weeks later has proven disruptive; he featured in just three of our eight games before football was stopped. However, that should not detract from what has been a superb start to life as Chelsea’s main man up front. Abraham has gone a long way to meeting Lampard’s pre-season demands of him.
Tammy Abraham Stats
Tammy Abraham Premier League Appearances 2019/20
Tammy Abraham had made 25 appearances in the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. Two have been as a substitute.
Tammy Abraham Champions League Appearances 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has played seven Champions League games this season, his first appearances in the competition.
Tammy Abraham FA Cup Appearances 2019/20
Tammy Abraham is yet to feature in the FA Cup this season.
Tammy Abraham League Cup Appearances 2019/20
Tammy Abraham made one Carabao Cup appearance this season, off the bench.
Tammy Abraham Premier League Goals 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has scored 13 Premier League goals so far this season, including a hat-trick against Wolves.
Tammy Abraham minutes per goal 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has scored a Premier League goal every 150 minutes he has been on the pitch for Chelsea this season.
Tammy Abraham Champions League Goals 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has scored two Champions League goals, in the home and away group games against Lille.
Tammy Abraham FA Cup Goals 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has not scored in the FA Cup this season.
Tammy Abraham League Cup Goals 2019/20
Tammy Abraham did not score in the League Cup this season.
Tammy Abraham injury 2019/20
Tammy Abraham has missed five games with an ankle injury, sustained when he collided with an advertising hoarding in the draw against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in January.