Ziyech becomes first Chelsea player since Costa to score in first two Blues starts

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Ziyech becomes first Chelsea player since Costa to score in first two Blues starts image

Hakim Ziyech has become the first Chelsea player since Diego Costa in 2014 to score on his first two starts for the club in all competitions.

The Morocco international opened the scoring in the 26th minute of Saturday's Premier League match against Burnley after being played in by Tammy Abraham. 

That goal followed Ziyech's strike against Krasnodar in the Champions League on Wednesday in his first start for the Blues, as the attacker scored in the 79th minute to give Chelsea their third goal in a 4-0 win. 

The two goals meant Ziyech has matched Costa's feat after the striker joined Chelsea in 2014 from Atletico Madrid. Ziyech will now hope to match the Spain international's debut season on a club level, as the Blues went on to win the 2014-15 Premier League title in Costa's first season at Stamford Bridge. 

After joining Chelsea in a £37 million ($48m) move from Ajax, Ziyech got off to a slow start at Stamford Bridge due to a twisted knee sustained in the club's only pre-season game away at Brighton.

Ziyech made his debut for Chelsea on October 17 with an appearance off the bench against Southampton, before making further substitute appearances against Man Utd and Sevilla in the Champions League.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's match against Burnley, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said has been impressed with Ziyech's personality since he moved to west London.

"I really like him as a personality," Lampard told reporters via a Zoom video link from Cobham Training Centre. "I had conversations with him very early when we signed him and was struck by his confidence. There is an inner confidence which I love. We needed that.

"We need players with confidence and personality who believe they should be here and want to offer something. He has been an absolute dream to work with.

"Sometimes you see the best of players when they are injured because he was so excited to come here and hit the ground running and got his injury in pre-season and his work ethic in the gym, interaction with the physios, desire to get fit and to form relationships in the group, he has made himself at home and felt at home in a short space of time."

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