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Chelsea rose to the top of the Premier League in front of 2,000 supporters with their 3-1 win over Leeds on Saturday night, but Frank Lampard said that while fans should get excited, he and his players need to stay focused.
Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic fought back after Patrick Bamford’s opening opener for the visitors at Stamford Bridge, sparking celebrations in the stands where a limited number of fans were admitted following the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Chelsea finished the day atop the Premier League for the first time since September 2018 and when asked if he, his team and the fans can begin to believe that they can win the title, Lampard said: “There is certainly nothing wrong. that fans think about that.
“It’s great to have them back, their turnout was huge, the noise was huge. You can see how excited they are at the end that we are the best in the league.
“My job and our job is to know that it is a long season and the next question is how consistent can we be with this form, how much can we improve, because I think there is much more we can do and there will be many challenges ahead.
“Enjoy the evening,” he added. “I’ll have that little glass of wine, maybe a big one, but at the same time we have to make sure we hold our ground.
“But there were a lot of good things. Playing against Leeds the way they are and the kind of team they are and dominating in terms of opportunities was a great performance on our part.”
Lampard insists his team is firmly heading in the right direction, but he refused to get caught up in the excitement surrounding his team’s possible title challenge.
Fans cheer for Chelsea players as they warm up
“We are in early December and there is a long way to go,” he said. “But we are a progression.
“When you bring in new players, you have young players and you are trying to integrate … I don’t know if this season we reached the heights we want. But we are moving in the right direction.
“I’m very happy. It’s training ground work and the staff behind the scenes. At our level in Chelsea, people will always question us. Our job is not to get caught up in the chat. We have to stay on the ground. There is a long way to go. At the moment we are in a patch. “
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lampard was pleased with the resilience his team showed in chasing an early goal from Patrick Bamford.
“We started out brilliantly in the first few minutes, but then they scored so it’s a test straight away,” Lampard said. “We created so many opportunities, we stayed positive and defended well.
Olivier Giroud celebrates with Reece James after drawing against Leeds
“We had to accept that they would probably create chances, but I thought we dominated the game in terms of action in the two pits. I thought we deserved the win, although it was a bit nervous until the end. There were a lot of good individual performances.”
However, Lampard also confirmed that Hakim Ziyech suffered a hamstring injury in the first half, and said Chelsea will evaluate him in the coming days.
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Chelsea striker Timo Werner couldn’t believe how he missed this opportunity down the line in a 3-1 win over Leeds.
Opta stats: Chelsea’s brilliant form continues
- Chelsea have finished a day at the top of the Premier League table for the first time since September 2018.
- Chelsea have beaten Leeds in what is their first league match since May 2004, while it is their third consecutive win against them in all competitions.
- Chelsea have won four of their last five Premier League matches (D1); in fact, no current Premier League team is on a more unbeaten streak than the Blues (9 – G5 D4).
- Oliver Giroud has become the first Chelsea player to score in six consecutive Premier League starts since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in October 2001. While at 34 years and 66 days, he is the oldest player to score in six. consecutive starts in the Premier League.
- Christian Pulisic became the 13th different player to score for Chelsea in the Premier League this season – the Blues have had at least four more than any other team in the competition in 2020-21 (excluding own goals).
Whats Next?
Chelsea host Krasnodar in the Champions League on Tuesday before traveling to Everton next Saturday for the 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
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