Gilmour’s debut has no happy ending as Chelsea get sloppy

SEVEN minutes remained when Stamford Bridge rose to applaud Tammy Abraham’s prolific start to the Premier League season and salute another success for Frank Lampard’s youth culture.

Abraham had struck twice in the first half to give Chelsea the edge against Sheffield United and was about to be replaced by 18-year-old Scot Billy Gilmour.

The home crowd roared as their exhausted goal hero made his way off and former Rangers starlet Gilmour (right), born in June 2001 — the same week Lampard signed from West Ham — made his debut.

There was no ripple of anxiety. The natives are lapping up this Lampard project with its thrills and spills and faith in academy graduates — but they cannot have enjoyed what happened next.

Within six minutes, the Blades had flattened the party mood with an equaliser and left the Bridge with a point for the first time since 1992.

This time it was Callum Robinson who did the damage. Having reduced the deficit soon after half-time, he created the second goal in the 89th minute.

Robinson twisted and turned inside Cesar Azpilicueta and delivered a teasing cross, which was turned into his own net by Kurt Zouma.

Lampard wondered how his team threw away what would have been a first home win since his return as manager. ‘It’s not defence, it’s conceding as a team,’ he said, aware of the reputation his team are forging after conceding 11 goals in five games, including the UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool.

‘Lack of concentration and mistakes, but you defend as a team. We conceded because we switched off in a game we should be comfortably seeing out at 2-0 up.’ Lampard insisted it was not a reckless move to send on Gilmour and Michy Batshuayi for Abraham and Mateo Kovacic.

‘I wasn’t trying to be clever at 2-1,’ he said. ‘I was trying to see the game out.

‘Kovacic was on his haunches and blatantly tired. Gilmour is a midfielder I had on the bench.

‘Michy came on for Tammy to try to bring some energy.’