Mount admits hat-trick in 7-0 win over Norwich lifts pressure off his shoulders

Mason Mount could not stop smiling as he held the match-ball after his first Chelsea hat-trick, admitting he had put himself under pressure to score following a barren streak.

Mount had gone 25 games without a goal for club and country but he finally found the net three times as Thomas Tuchel’s men trounced woeful Norwich.

His hat-trick included a twice-taken penalty after Tim Krul moved prematurely while saving Mount’s first spot-kick.

Mount admitted: ‘Before the game I put pressure on myself to get on the scoresheet, then three goals come in the same game. It’s a massive moment and one I will remember.

‘I’ve been waiting a long time. I was getting in the positions to score but I just wasn’t putting it into the net and today it came off.

‘I always want to play every game but sometimes you have to take a backwards step. I feel buzzing to play.

‘For me, personally, it was a big moment — to score three at Stamford Bridge is special.”

Tuchel echoed the 22-year-old’s thoughts. ‘The hat-trick for Mason was huge, a massive moment for him. I’m very proud.

'He put pressure on himself. Now he feels lighter, plays with more freedom. He’s played a lot of games for a young player, he’s very competitive and serious about the goals he wants to reach.’

Tuchel added: ‘We play most games with three strikers and Mason is one of them — maybe between an eight and a ten — so not an out-and-out real striker. We depend heavily on him, playing a key role in a complex game.

‘We depend on Mason and we want to because we like his style, where he comes from, we like his personality. He’s a top player and a top guy, so we’re happy for him.’

Tuchel was also pleased to see Callum Hudson-Odoi on the scoresheet, but says the young winger has to show more consistency. ‘He had a good game against Malmo, he had another good game today,’ said Tuchel.

‘There are still things to improve and work on, now it’s on him to do that.

'As I said before the game, Hudson-Odoi needs to show that he’s able to produce performances like this consistently, and now’s the time to show that. The next opportunity to produce is on Tuesday.’