Chelsea manager Lampard applauds the defensive improvement; VAR questions



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Publication Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020 9:09 AM

Frank Lampard says the defensive improvement shown by his Chelsea team in recent games is “a great thing” after they kept a clean sheet at Manchester United.

The Blues played a 0-0 draw with the Red Devils but he had to show some resistance at the rear as his opponents pushed forward to find a winner.

The summer transfers of Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva made crucial contributions, denying players like Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani.

It was Chelsea’s second shutout of the week, as they were also involved in a goalless draw with Sevilla on Tuesday.

And despite admitting to being a bit frustrated with what his team showed in attack, Lampard he was clearly pleased with the progress his bottom line is making.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “That speaks for itself with results like that. The big man [Mendy] made saves in goal, Thiago [Silva] He was overbearing or whatever you mean by his experience and quality. Azpi [Cesar Azpilicueta] next to him is the captain.

“I think the staff who are playing, defending, doing the right things and making the right decisions is a great thing for us.

“It is a base, [but] We want more. It’s not a pretty feeling in the locker room, it’s not because we know we can play better in the future.

“But again, we can certainly be happy with some of the things that we’re seeing right now on defense.”

Chelsea denied “a really clear penalty”

Lampard also believes that Chelsea should have received a penalty in the first half. Azpilicueta was held back in the area by Harry Maguire, denying him the possibility of attacking a corner.

The Chelsea players requested a penalty, however the field referee missed it. Meanwhile, VAR officials reviewed the incident and decided it was not a foul.

When asked after the game if he thought otherwise, Lampard said: “Definitely. I am interested in seeing what others say because I talked to the boys about how many penalties [Manchester United] getting here in recent seasons, they are miles ahead in Europe.

“It is a very clear pity. The VAR is here to make those decisions, they are not always easy to see for the referee on the field, I fully understand that.

“But, I don’t understand why it didn’t happen. When you see the picture and when you see the kind of headlock it’s in, then [it’s] surprising.

“They had time to look at that, as long as they wanted, sometimes they take three minutes, but this one was doing it very fast and kept going.



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