Lamps lights a way into top four
Chelsea manager can see methods bear fruit after Alonso’s clincher
FRANK LAMPARD’S i mperial phase as a player came when Chelsea were famed for their ruthless ability to squeeze points from teams who rolled into the Bridge with massed defensive units and limited ambition.
He knows it requires patience, determination and f l ashes of individual brilliance which might explain his euphoric reaction when Marcos Alonso found the net with a fizzing drive to nick this one.
It was Alonso’s first goal of a season which started with him out of favour, punctured the resistance of Newcastle and silenced the taunts of the away fans who were keen to remind the match-winner of his time in Sunderland colours.
It also lifted Chelsea into the top four for the first time under Lampard, who sprang up and punched the air and prowled the pi t ch af t er t he f i nal whistl e conducting the celebrations.
‘It sounds good,’ he said. ‘We want to be challenging in the top four and from a slightly difficult start it is a good sign that we are moving in the right direction, in all senses: performance, results.
‘That must be an incentive for us. Football can change in an instant. nstant. Our arrival into the top four must only give us the hunger to stay there and move on.’
Chelsea have five wins in a row in all competitions and the progress is clear as his young players rise to the challenges before them.
Earlier in the season it was Ta mmy A b r a h a m and Mason Mount grabbing the a t t e n t i o n . Then Fi k a y o Tomori forced his way into t h e h e a r t o f Che l s e a ’s defence. Against Newcastle, it was 18- year- old Callum Hudson-Odoi who sparkled on the ball, proving the most influential attacking player on the pitch and the man who set up Alonso for the goal. His return from serious injury has added another dimension to Lampard’s array of attacking options and he deserved to see some of his creative work pay divi - dends.
‘I thought he was good, really good,’ said Lampard. ‘In terms of taking people on he looked sharp, getting at people, a big threat and I’m really pleased with that. He was giving them a big problem. It was great to see and great for the fans to see. The end product will come.
‘There is the other side of the game, off the ball. He knows that he can get better at that and he will. There are glimpses today of some of the special stuff he’s got.’
The only setback was an injury for Ross Barkley, who twisted an ankle early on and was forced off before half-time. Mateo Kovacic came on and helped Chelsea lift t heir t empo. They dominated possession and their best moments revolved around Hudson- Odoi. There was a cross for Willian who missed the target with a header when he ought to have done better and a firm, incisive pass into the feet of Mount, who spun and forced the first of several fine saves by Martin Dubravka. Newcastle defended for their lives. For almost an hour, Abraham was subdued and his only glimpse of goal came when he charged down a clearance by Dubravka who was fortunate to see the rebound swerve away.
After t he i nterval, Abraham climbed above Ciaran Clark to head a corner taken by Willian against the bar and then headed another corner over from six yards having again evaded the attention of Clark.
Newcastle were forced back and Dubravka saved from Christian Pulisic and Willian before he was finally beaten.
Puli s i c cut i nsi de f r om t he Chelsea right and found HudsonOdoi, who brought the ball under control with a splendid first touch and eased it towards Alonso who applied a crisp finish reminiscent of his prolific form under Antonio Conte.
Steve Bruce complained about ‘a blatant foul’ on Joelinton deep in the build-up to the goal. ‘We never retained the ball after that,’ said Bruce. ‘When you come here you need those sort of decisions to go your way, not against you.’
There had been f l i ckers of promise when Newcastle threatened on the break through Allan Saint-Maximin but they rarely tested Kepa Arrizabalaga and were eventually overwhelmed.
‘We struggled and tired a bit,’ said Bruce. ‘But I couldn’t fault the way they went about their job and their commitment.’
Abraham thought he had his goal to make it 2-0 only to be frustrated by a fabulous sliding clearance by DeAndre Yedlin. Clark came closest to grabbing an equaliser, heading on to the roof of the net.
‘You take nothing for granted,’ said Lampard. ‘ This is a tough league and this was tough. We had a bit of a problem and we solved it. You saw the spirit and energy in the team.’
Vintage Chelsea.