FRANK’S FOURCE
Mason has Blues riding high for Europe
CHELSEA 4 EVERTON 0
FRANK LAMPARD played down Chelsea’s hopes in the race for fourth place – despite thrashing Everton yesterday.
The rampant Blues boosted their Champions League bid but Lampard (above) said: “When I
PLAY like this and there is no doubt that Chelsea are heading into the Champions League next season.
For all Frank Lampard may insist there is still a long way to go in that pursuit, a very different battle is beginning to capture the imagination of the Chelsea fans.
The club’s young player of the year award is undoubtedly one that will go down to the wire. Billy Gilmour (right) versus Mason Mount – what a contest.
Scot Gilmour, 18, was named man of the match but for my money Mount’s irrepressible energy and opener meant he deserved to be picked ahead of an impressive supporting cast.
Mount may have limped off as a precaution on the hour mark but he had already done enough to take Chelsea a giant step nearer to qualifying for the Champions League.
His first goal since his birthday in January was no less than he deserved – a touch, a turn, a low rifled shot inside the near post.
It capped a performance that made him a constant thorn in the side of an Everton team who could not work out where he would pop up next. He had shown brilliant technique with a volley saved equally brilliantly by Jordan Pickford in the seventh minute and a series of stops from the England No.1 kept the scoreline sensible.
But once Mount had beaten Pickford, the result was never in doubt.
The only thing quicker than Chelsea’s running was the speed of their passing – Gilmour to Olivier Giroud, neat touch to Ross Barkley and instantly the former Everton star played the perfect assist for Pedro to break and make it 2-0. Everton fans had booed Barkley’s every touch to start with – pretty soon they stopped bothering. Dominic Calvert-lewin squandered a chance to reduce the gap but the game was put to bed in the 51st minute.
Barkley can claim a second assist for his pass to Willian but the Brazilian did the hard work, finding a line through the Toffees defence to fire his unerring shot. Moments later, it was Willian who provided the ammunition, a deep corner finding Giroud to toe-poke in from close range. Soon after that the Blues fans graciously name-checked their former boss – now at Everton. Carlo Ancelotti was popular at Stamford Bridge for finding a way for Chelsea to win with entertaining football.
But the fact that a team that had only been beaten once in the Premier League since New Year’s Day was suddenly being made to look ordinary was hard to avoid. Chelsea in this form would have made any defence wobble. After a wobble in the darker days of winter, Lampard’s team of young lambs certainly has a spring in its step right now.