Lampard excited by Ziyech promise after first Chelsea goal
KRASNODAR, Russia: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he expects Hakim Ziyech to prove his value after the Moroccan star scored his first goal for the club in Wednesday’s 4-0 win away to Krasnodar in the Champions League.
Jorginho missed a penalty for Chelsea but Callum HudsonOdoi put the Blues in front before half-time after a mistake by Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvei Safonov.
Timo Werner smashed in a spot-kick on 76 minutes to double Chelsea’s lead, with Ziyech and Christian Pulisic adding late goals in Russia.
“Hakim Ziyech has worked really hard to be fit, and I was very excited to get his quality in the team,” said Lampard.
“I thought his performance was very, very good when you consider he hasn’t started a match since March, when the Dutch league finished.”
Ziyech joined from Ajax for a reported £37 million ( US$48 million) in the summer but missed the beginning of the season with a knee problem.
The 27-year-old had made three cameos as a substitute before earning his first start in Krasnodar -- a journey of some 3,500 kilometres from London.
“It’s been frustrating for him and for us. His injury has meant he hasn’t been able to start, but what I’ve seen in training and what I knew we were signing is a player of immense quality with personality to receive the ball and find assists and goals,” said Lampard.
“We saw a lot of glimpses of that today, and he will get better.
“We brought him in to do a job, maybe people have forgotten a bit because we signed him in January and he missed the start of the season, but tonight he showed he is here.”
Chelsea moved up to four points at the top of Group E after two matches, level with Sevilla who beat Rennes 1-0 in Spain.