Once again Chelsea’s dodgy defence was torn to shreds.. and angry that his players show the focus and the desire to wear the blue s
McGoldrick McBurnie
FRANK LAMPARD said there was no need for “a huge inquest” into a defeat that delivered a damaging blow to Chelsea’s hopes of a top-four finish.
involved to get through this season. Then we’ll look forward.”
Limping to a bloodletting at the end of a campaign which for so long promised Champions League football is not how Lampard envisaged panning out.
But a defence which has conceded 49 goals – more than any other top-10 side and one which was bullied mercilessly by Wilder’s muscular things – is clearly not fit for the purpose which Lampard intends.
Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma will all be feeling the heat. “If you want to be a Chelsea player and fight for the Premier League, fight in Europe, and fight for trophies, you have to focus on yourself,” said Lampard. “We were 30-odd points off the top two last season. If you want that gap to close, you have to focus on
Angus Gunn (Southampton) Saves 10, Save percentage 54.55% (Chelsea) Saves 31, Save percentage 55.32% yourself. If players come in, that should be the nature of the beast playing for Chelsea. It shouldn’t be a problem for anyone.”
Lampard, who started with a back four and shifted to a back three with no noticeable improvement in the second half, will have looked on enviously at Wilder’s ferociously disciplined and well-organised defensive trio.
There was mitigation only in that they were two down at the break and stretched themselves in order to regain a footside hold in the game. But there was none in the way they failed to stop David McGoldrick, with two goals, and Oli McBurnie, with one, bully them into submission.
McGoldrick (below) opened the scoring – his first Premier League goal – after Kepa spilled a fierce shot from McBurnie. After half an hour the latter rose unchallenged six yards out to head home an
Enda Stevens cross from the left. The superb McGoldrick completed the rout with a third after a Rudiger clearance screwed into his path (left).
“We know we have made too many errors in terms of giving goals away and it is something that we have to absolutely address,” said Lampard, ominously.
With £100million already spent on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, the forward