[ad_1]
Frank Lampard singled out Timo Werner for special praise after the German starred in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Werner’s impressive second-half surge over the midline set up Chelsea’s second goal for Tammy Abraham after an early Federico Fernandez own goal put the Blues on track to a fifth straight victory.
Lampard said, “He [Werner] I had a couple of chances and sometimes it doesn’t fit in for you, but I thought it was a real threat to us at all times.
“You need players of that quality to win the game and the pace that he travels with the ball is something special. He was very selfless and you trust those players who are first class.”
The victory brought Chelsea to the top of the Premier League, at least for a few hours, for the first time with Lampard, but the Blues manager refused to be swayed by the increasingly impressive form of his team.
Instead, he pointed to their defensive display as another reason they may be in better shape to launch a title challenge.
3:00
FREE TO SEE: Highlights of Chelsea’s victory against Newcastle in the Premier League
Edouard Mendy has recorded seven clean sheets in his nine appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, and Saturday’s shutout at St James’ Park is the fourth in five Premier League games.
“It is nice to be in the position we are in and to have gained confidence from a clean sheet, which was a problem for us earlier this season and part of the last, but we have to keep working and be consistent,” he said.
“The international break was a challenge, but we came here against a team that we lost to last year, we dominated possession and scored our goals, and we could have scored more.”
Magpies boss Steve Bruce lamented his team’s inability to make the most of its opportunities and admitted that conceding early goals is becoming a worrying habit.
Bruce said: “This is the fifth time that we are one down with five or 10 minutes played and we have to address that.
“We were better in the second half and we went higher up the field and we had great moments, but unfortunately we couldn’t take one and Chelsea punished us with a bad goal that we gave away.
“I’m frustrated that we can’t get a result. I don’t make excuses, but we’ve played three of the top six in the last few weeks. It’s been tough, but there was a lot to like about that second-half performance.” . “
Federico Fernández’s own goal put Chelsea on the road to victory at St James’ Park
Bruce revealed that he had decided not to risk top scorer Callum Wilson due to recent hamstring problems, but hopes to be back in the team for the busy holiday period.
“I couldn’t risk it today because of the risk of a hamstring and missing [him] for the next six weeks, “Bruce said.” We have erred on the side of caution and hope that it will be available to us next week.
“One of the reasons we bought him was to score some goals, which he obviously did, and now we have two or three to help in that situation, and obviously Callum is one of them.”
[ad_2]