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Torres taking extra finishing sessions at Chelsea

Frank Lampard was the beneficiary of Fernando Torres' volley against Sunderland on Saturday © Getty Images

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Fernando Torres is undertaking extra training sessions in order to break his goal drought at Chelsea.

The former Liverpool man has scored just three Premier League goals since he joined the Blues in a record £50 million move a year ago. Seemingly shorn of confidence at times, Torres has even struggled to earn a first-team place, a situation that has only changed due to Didier Drogba's involvement in the African Cup of Nations.

There were signs of a rebirth for El Nino against Sunderland, when he produced a superb volley which crashed back off the bar to create the game's only goal for Frank Lampard. Torres also saw two penalty appeals turned down, one of which harshly earned him a yellow card for simulation.

Nevertheless it was the type of performance that has provided encouragement at Stamford Bridge that their most expensive acquisition might finally repay his hefty transfer fee. Chelsea assistant coach Steve Holland says Torres is going beyond the call of duty in training, hoping to end his wait for a goal when the Blues visit Norwich.

"Fernando is working very hard at his finishing," Holland said in the Guardian. "He is doing extra at the end of every training session during the week. I have spent some time with him on making sure he's in the right position.

"Sometimes when you're trying hard to score, you end up in areas where you're less likely to score. It's not a bad crime, it's only because he's so determined."

Team-mate Oriol Romeu said of Torres on the club's official website: ''People used to say that if he doesn't score then he is not playing good, but that is not true.

''He is playing good and he helped us to get the goals. He was playing very good in the game at Wolves and now he played another big game for us. Every ball, he fights and he is big player for us.

''If he is happy, if he is enjoying it on the pitch then he is going to play better and he helps us much more than if he is not enjoying it on the pitch.

''He is playing very good in the two last games and that is good news for us.''

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