Golden oldie Olivier Giroud came off the bench to fire Chelsea to a 2-1 win at Rennes and into the Champions League last-16.
And boss Frank Lampard says his France striker is just getting better with age after the 34-year-old’s Group E heroics on Tuesday night.
With Giroud’s future up in air, having not started a game in the Premier League this season yet, Lampard hopes he stays on.
The boss says: “He’s so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor for him. He’s getting better with age if anything, in terms of how he looks after himself.
“He offers a lot for us and I keep saying it but the big schedule coming up and the way we play means I will rely on players.”
The Blues looked headed for a draw after Sehrou Guirassy cancelled out Callum Hudson-Odoi’s early opener with five minutes to play. But Giroud reacted first to head home Timo Werner’s parried shot in injury time to send Chelsea through, alongside Sevilla who also have nine points after beating Krasnodar by the same scoreline.