Reality hammered home for Lampard’s Chelsea
Defeat at West Ham shows talk of title tilt next term looks premature for Blues
Chelsea’s capitulation to lose 3-2 at relegation-threatened West Ham United on Wednesday is a sign of how much work he still has to do to make the Blues title contenders once more.
Chelsea was on course to move
Willian’s penalty gave it the lead in the first half against the Hammers at London Stadium.
But the visiting side did not learn from the reprieve it received from VAR when Tomas Soucek had a goal ruled out for offside as the Czech rose highest to level from another corner.
Michail Antonio then put the Hammers in front early in the second half before Willian’s freekick brought Chelsea level once more.
Lampard’s men then looked the more likely to claim all three points in the closing stages, but were caught on the counter-attack when Andriy Yarmolenko fired home a huge winner for West Ham’s chances of avoiding the drop.
A 10th league defeat of the season leaves Chelsea just two points clear of Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race for a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League.
“I wouldn’t say it is the story of our season because it’s been a good season, but there have been so many of these moments,” said Lampard, whose side had won all three of their previous matches since returning from English soccer’s three-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The players in those moments have to show an extra mentality to see a game through like this when you have a lot of domination.”
After a 2-1 victory over Manchester City last week that sealed the title for Liverpool and the signings of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea has been touted as a title rival to City and Liverpool next term.
However, Lampard believes his side has to be far more consistent than it has shown during his first season in charge.
“I’ve seen us play great games, but I also have seen opportunities to close a gap or move into third wasted. That’s the difference at the minute and shows how much work we’ve got to do.”
Just a second win in 12 games takes David Moyes’ men up to 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone.
A much-needed victory for the former Manchester United manager was all the sweeter after feeling the injustice of a VAR call for the second time in eight days.
Moyes was unhappy when Tottenham’s opener in a 2-0 defeat last week was allowed to stand despite a handball in the build-up.
“Again the VAR stuff, I’m beginning to lose faith with it,” said the Scot.
West Ham’s victory was the first for any side in the bottom five in 30
restart.
“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking at the results (of the other sides),” added Moyes. “I didn’t think we had been as bad as our results suggested.”
The controversial VAR call came at 0-0 when Antonio was adjudged to be interfering with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s line of vision from an offside position on the floor when Soucek swept the ball home from a corner.
“I really dislike VAR,” said Antonio. “It’s gone against us so many times. Today it didn’t stop us, we keep going and we got the victory.”
Moments later it got even worse
chopped down by Issa Diop and Willian confidently dispatched the spot-kick.
West Ham was level before the break, though, as Soucek rose highest at another Jarrod Bowen corner to power home a downward header.
The Hammers were then rewarded for a positive start to the second half as Bowen’s low cross was smashed home by Antonio.
dangerous player and when the American was brought down again, Willian produced another moment of set-piece magic.
But against the run of play Chelsea was punished for some lazy defending by Marcos Alonso as the Spaniard did not track Yarmolenko’s surge from inside his own half and after being picked out by Antonio, the Ukrainian cut inside onto his favored left boot and fired past Arrizabalaga.