AIN TO CLIMB
Lamps: Blues issues not ‘solved’... it would help if
FRANK LAMPARD hailed Mason Mount’s vital late winner over Fulham – but then ordered the midfielder to hit the net more often.
England star Mount grabbed his third goal in as many games to finally end the stubborn resistance of Scott Parker’s brave hosts who had Antonee Robinson red-carded on 42 minutes.
This was only Chelsea’s second league win in seven outings but eased the pressure on his manager following a dreadful run in the festive period.
However, Lampard played down the significance of the victory as any sign that his Chelsea project is finally clicking into top gear.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lampard insisted: “[It’s significant] only if we back it up.
“Against 10 men it’s not easy. It feels easy, it should be easy but it’s not easy – but we kept going and kept going and got what we deserved.
“It feels good tonight. We went on a really good unbeaten run, we got ourselves three points off the lead, then we’ve taken a bit of a hit in a short period of time.
“We can’t think everything is ‘solved’ because it’s not solved – we want more.
“I keep saying we’re in a bit of a transition and a progression. We know there are new players.
“But we still need to get points because it’s Chelsea. So it’s a good start tonight after a difficult patch and we go again on Tuesday.”
But Lampard was glowing in his praise for the Blues’ inspirational playmaker Mount – before demanding that he gets on the scoresheet on a more regular basis.
The Chelsea chief, himself the club’s all-time record goalscorer, said: “I thought Mason was outstanding anyway. He deserves the accolades for how he played.
“I did have a feeling we would get the goal because it was constant, the pressure.
“It was just about staying patient, staying quick with our passing and we did.
“He needs to score more goals. Mason knows that, but his quality is brilliant, his attitude is brilliant. He’s still only 22.”
If the Blues are looking upwards again in the Premier League table, spare a thought for Fulham.
This defeat ended their superb six-game unbeaten run in all competitions and leaves them still in the drop zone, four points from safety.
Had Robinson not received a straight red just before the break, it might have been a very different outcome.
Cottagers boss Parker said: “I haven’t seen the sending off again but at the time I didn’t feel
“I have nothing but adm for my team – to play th against a quality side with was pretty remarkable.”
Parker has never lost fai recent displays had back up. Last night Fulham m Chelsea early on before the gradually began to domina
Oliver Giroud, preferred of-form German hitman
Werner, had a long-range effort saved in the ninth minute and that set the pattern.
Fulham stopper Alphonse Areola was busy, doing brilliantly also to turn Hakim Ziyech’s piledriver round the post.
And Areola was thanking his crossbar for saving him on the half-hour mark.
Mount, in rare space inside the penalty area, took a touch before smashing a rightfoot effort off the woodit work. If Chelsea deserved better, they were still left counting their own blessings at the interval after Ivan Cavaleiro failed to finish off a sweeping counter by blazing over on 42 minutes.
Robinson was integral to that blistering attack, driving into the Chelsea half – yet 60 seconds later he was heading for an early bath, dismissed for a late lunge on Cesar Azpilicueta.
Reckless and out of control, the foul was needless and left the hosts with an uphill task. Yet they stood firm and seemed to be coping until 12 minutes from time.
Areola, who had been rock-solid throughout, made his only error and Fulham paid the price. He should have done far better dealing with Ben Chilwell’s cross.
Turning it over would have made sense. But he parried straight into the path of Mount, who this time made no mistake as he rifled in to put a big smile back on his manager’s face.
Mount said: “It’s been a bit down but we’ve lifted today, we rose to the occasion, rose to the challenge and we got the three points. Now we look on to the next game.”