Frank Lampard warned his Chelsea flops that he “won’t forget” the lessons learned from their humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United. Lampard’s side were punished for some dismal defending at Bramall Lane as David McGoldrick struck twice, either side of Oli McBurnie’s goal. The Blues remain third after a second defeat in their last four games. They will be down to fifth by Monday evening if Leicester beat Bournemouth and Manchester United defeat Southampton. It was another alarmingly sloppy display from Chelsea, whose other loss since the restart was a defensively shambolic 3-2 loss at lowly West Ham.
Lampard blasted his team, claiming that Sheffield was better than them in 3 respects. In the mind, with the ball, and physically.
“They were stronger than us. You feel and hear every noise and all I could hear was Sheffield United voices. They are a good team. If you come here and perform below par this is what will happen.
“We were too slow and weren’t getting our wingers into the game. We tried to get control, which we did but weren’t threatening. At 2-0 down you make it difficult for yourselves.
“You analyse all season and review and move forward. I learned a lot and I won’t forget that.”
With games against Norwich, Liverpool and Wolves left in the league, Chelsea will hope second-placed Manchester City’s two year Europe ban is upheld on Monday.
In that case, finishing fifth would guarantee Champions League qualification.
With Manchester United looking like a completely different team ever since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, the end of the season is getting us prepared for an enticing climax. With Chelsea’s latest loss, United’s hopes of Champions League football are firmly in their hands. With the form they have been portraying ever since ‘Project Restart’ was kickstarted, is indicative of their clear intentions. Led by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United look on track to end the season with a bang, with trophies still left to play in the FA Cup and the Europa League. With Paul Pogba coming back into form, and a frightening front three of Rashford, Martial and Greenwood, this is surely an opportunity United will not be willing to pass up on.
