Frankly, this array of talent must do better for Lampard
AS Frank Lampard looked around the Craven Cottage pitch, he must have wondered if there was anyone he could really count on.
An array of talent, including substitutes who would be automatic starters at most clubs, was painfully struggling to dismantle the tiring 10 men of lowly Fulham.
The disjointed, uninspired efforts were symptomatic of a squad that lacks direction and joined-up thinking.
Chelsea’s expensive assembly of individuals waited for someone to produce a lone piece of game-winning excellence.
And if that mindset continues, Lampard will have a lot of hard labour ahead.
But for now, he needed this.
It is not going to be goal of the month, it was not goal of the day, nowhere near.
But the technique shown by Mason Mount to secure this Chelsea win was a rare instance of high quality in this unconvincing triumph.
No wonder Mount is probably Lampard’s most trusted player.
His goal – in a game that became Chelsea’s for the taking once Fulham’s Antonee Robinson was sent off just before half-time – was a just reward for Mount’s continuing improvement.
Common consensus suggests the Chelsea boss does not know his best starting line-up.
When you have such a talented, extended roster to choose from, it is difficult to select a regular 11.
And it is even harder when you are not winning. There is also the inevitable problem of keeping those who flit in and out happy.
With Timo Werner and Kai Havertz the headline acts on the bench, this was some collection of Chelsea replacements.
Quite frankly, with this amount of talent, Lampard and Chelsea should be making short work of Fulham.
Not that they are pushovers.
Neat, tidy, with pace from back to front, their threat on the counterattack is considerable, producing the best chance of a thoroughly turgid first half.
Unfortunately Ivan Cavaleiro’s attempt was as scruffy as the 40 minutes before it.
The opportunity was fashioned by Robinson, arguably the most impressive player on the field in the first half.
That is why his lunge at Cesar Azpilicueta, and resulting red card, just before the interval was such a blow.
It was clear from moment one that Azpilicueta, maybe through sheer good fortune, was unscathed.
The bottom line was that it was pure recklessness from Robinson and interrupted the momentum Fulham had been building.
The second half was always going to be a rearguard action.
That it was not desperate for Fulham was a reflection of Chelsea’s lack of ingenuity.
Even the late winner owed something to Alphonse Areola’s ill-advised push-out of a Ben Chilwell cross.
Thankfully for Lampard, it fell to one Chelsea player he can actually count on.