Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
BLUES KEEP HOLD OF TOP FOUR PLACE WITH WATFORD WIN
CHELSEA KEEP UNITED THREAT AT BAY WITH WATFORD WIN
FRANK LAMPARD wants Chelsea to keep hold of their top-four place in the Premier League as his side attempt to palm away the challenge of a resurgent Manchester United.
A 3-0 win against Watford set the Blues up nicely for a visit to Crystal Palace at the time of going to press and Lampard’s men are two points clear of United with five matches to play.
Lampard was delighted with the win against Nigel Pearson’s relegation-threatened Hornets and commented on the most pleasing aspect from his point of view: “Three goals, a clean sheet and a reaction to losing in midweek [at West Ham],” he said.
“I thought it was comfortable because we made it comfortable. We played well when we moved the ball quickly.
“We looked really good. When we slowed it down I wasn’t too happy but we made it comfortable, which was needed.
“I’m pleased with the team performance. Changes [to the side] at this point are for freshness sometimes and tactical reasons other times. It gave us a bit of both. I thought the team performance was very strong.
“Defensively we knew there would be long balls and that set pieces would be an issue, but we dealt with them well.
“I think every game is going to be pressure now,” he added.
“West Ham was pressure because we knew we could go third. It’s a different kind of pressure, but it’s still the same in how you focus on the game and job at hand.
“You cannot get too caught up in what everyone does at the moment. There was no nonsense here. The mentality was right.
“We started brightly and we carried on and got the small details of the game right at both ends of the pitch, which I was happy with.”
With N’Golo Kante and Jorginho still absent, Kante with a hamstring injury, Christian Pulisic did well for the Blues and Lampard said: “I didn’t have any exact expectations for him. When he came at the start of the season, he needed a break and he had to get himself acclimatised to the league – and it is physical and it is tough for some of the greatest players we have seen in this league from the beginning.
“He got to grips with it quickly [in the game] and he was playing very well. He got injured at the start of January and he had been injured until the start of the restart, but he looks now that he is sharp and hungry. The quality is there for everyone to see at the moment.
“He is going past players, he is moving at pace and he always works very hard for the team in all senses so I am very happy for him.
“I think considering his age, what could become of him, I am very, very pleased. We have got ourselves a very good player and he can get even better.”
On United’s threat and similarity to Blues’ quest, Lampard added: “It is not a comparison to get too caught up in. They are a very good team, we know that. The individuals that they have, the squad, the coaches that they have, we can only respect that. I watched their game and when you look across their frontline you see two players on 20 goals and Mason Greenwood doing what he is doing – scoring regularly.
“They are a really strong outfit. We know that and the fact we are two points ahead we have to be happy about.
“We know it is going to be contested right until the end of the season with the form they are in. With respect to Manchester United and the teams around us, we have to focus on ourselves and try to keep picking up results. That will be the main importance to us.”
■ In the Championship, Brentford maintained their chances of automatic promotion with a 3-0 win over Wigan Athletic and Fulham beat Birmingham City 1-0. QPR played on Sunday and ended a run of three defeats since lockdown with a 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough.