Watch: Olivier Giroud scores all four goals including perfect hat-trick
Olivier Giroud completed a perfect hat-trick and then fired a penalty to boot as Chelsea thrashed Sevilla 4-0 to win Champions League Group E with a game to spare.
Giroud delivered left-foot, right-foot and headed finishes for the perfect treble – and then whipped a spot-kick into the top corner for good measure.
Chelsea will host Krasnodar at Stamford Bridge next week, but sealed top spot with their win in Spain, and a potentially easier tie in the last-16.
Giroud put the squeeze on Blues boss Frank Lampard to hand the France striker a Premier League start against Leeds on Saturday, once again proving his clinical credentials.
The 34-year-old’s added-time header dug Chelsea out of a hole in Rennes last week, with the Blues snatching a 2-1 win at the death in France.
And the former Arsenal player thrived again in midweek European action at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
World Cup-winner Giroud could consider a move away from Chelsea in January in a bid to cement his place leading France’s attack at next summer’s European Championship.
Lampard is desperate to keep Giroud at Stamford Bridge, admitting last week in the wake of that late winner at Rennes that he remains central to his plans.
But Giroud has slipped behind Tammy Abraham and £53million summer arrival Timo Werner in the pecking order of Chelsea’s strikers.
Lampard made nine changes to take on Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla following Sunday’s Premier League stalemate against Spurs.
And the west Londoners fully vindicated that rotation – most of all Giroud – as Chelsea extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions.
New goalkeeping recruit Edouard Mendy also claimed his ninth clean sheet in his short Chelsea tenure, in further evidence of the growing assuredness permeating this entire Blues squad.
Giroud provided the perfect start by scooping home a lovely finish, capping a quick counter-attack with just two touches to find the net.
Kai Havertz swept through Sevilla’s soft centre before angling a reverse pass perfectly into Giroud’s path.
Giroud checked the defence with a smart first touch, before calmly slotting home with his left foot.
The fit-again Christian Pulisic consistently agitated to drag the Blues further into the ascendancy, but the USA forward’s slight rustiness stymied a number of promising openings.
Pulisic’s frustrations were writ large across his face as the half wore on and the chances were wasted.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger saw a low shot saved when Chelsea had a posse of men lurking in the centre of the box.
From the corner though, Nemanja Gudelj was forced to clear off the line after a powerful header from Toni Rudiger.
Chelsea carried that early lead into the break without ever coming under extended pressure.
Lampard’s men slipped off their early clinical pace, but were still in the ascendancy at the interval.
Gudelj forced a good save from the ever-impressive Mendy to open the second half.
But just as with the first period, it was to be the visitors who forced a breakthrough.
And once again the imperious Giroud delivered the telling blow, this time dinking home with his right foot for a finish that even bettered his opener.
Still not sated by his first two goals, Giroud then ensured he would head home with the match ball – nodding in from replacement N’Golo Kante’s accurate cross.
Giroud then found time to win and convert a late penalty, to add even further gloss to his night.
Watch all four of Olivier Giroud's goals
Elsewhere...
Manchester United were unable to seal their passage to the knockout phase of the Champions League as Fred was given his marching orders in a home defeat to last season’s finalists Paris St Germain.
United needed to simply avoid defeat to make sure of a spot in the round of 16 and looked well placed after Marcus Rashford cancelled out Neymar’s early stunner.
But Marquinhos and Neymar goals either side of Fred’s sending off saw PSG run out 3-1 victors at Old Trafford, which means the top three in Group H are all level on nine points heading into the final fixtures.
Leipzig had earlier joined United on nine points as Alexander Sorloth’s goal in the second minute of added time helped the Bundesliga side claim a dramatic 4-3 victory at Istanbul Basaksehir, who had twice fought back from two goals down.
Irfan Kahveci’s hat-trick cancelled out goals from Yussuf Poulsen, Nordi Mukiele and Dani Olmo but Sorloth had the final say, meaning Leipzig can guarantee their progress by beating United at the Red Bull Arena next week.
Sevilla go through to the knockout stage alongside the Blues while Russian side Krasnodar booked their Europa League spot with a 1-0 win over Rennes thanks to Marcus Berg’s 71st-minute effort.
The battle for top spot in Group G will go to the wire after Barcelona and Juventus both recorded 3-0 victories – although the Catalan club have a three-point cushion as they prepare to welcome the Italian giants next week.
Barcelona, without Lionel Messi in their ranks, were home and hosed inside 28 minutes at Ferencvaros as goals from Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite plus Ousmane Dembele secured a routine win.
Federico Chiesa, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata struck to help Juventus cruise past Dynamo Kiev in Turin, where Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men’s Champions League match.
Borussia Dortmund guaranteed their progression to the last-16 from Group F despite a 1-1 draw against Lazio at Signal Iduna Park, where Raphael Guerreiro’s opener was cancelled out by Ciro Immobile’s spot-kick.
Club Brugge will vie with Lazio for the second qualification spot after brushing aside Zenit St Petersburg 3-0, courtesy of Charles De Ketelaere’s opener, Hans Vanaken’s penalty and a further goal from Noa Lang.