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Frank Lampard insists Chelsea were the “better team” in the defeat of Real Madrid.
Frank Lampard claims Chelsea were ‘better team’ in Real Madrid loss
Despite the Blues losing 2-0 to Real Madrid on Tuesday to send them packing from the Champions League, Frank Lampard claimed that Chelsea was the better team that night.
Compared to recent weeks, Chelsea played much better. They had early opportunities to tie the game, but N’Golo Kante and Marc Cucurella both missed their chances. In the end, Rodrygo’s two second-half goals proved to be the difference, sending the Blues on their longest winless streak since February 1995.
Despite the outcome, Lampard was eager to point out the advantages and claimed that Chelsea had made genuine progress.
“We played really well for 60 minutes,” he told BT Sport. “And maybe it’s normal, after the goal, 3-0 in the tie, we made some changes to go for it… maybe it’s normal how the game pans out.
“But for 60 minutes, really good. Really good chances. At this level, you want to take them. You have to take them. You don’t want to praise the performance too much when you lose, but of course, where we’ve been this season and where we are…
“In this moment, it wasn’t out night. Some players will take that tonight and understand what it is when they come back at this level.”
Asked whether Chelsea’s struggles in the attack had once again come back to bite them, Lampard admitted: “Yeah. That’s clear, isn’t it?
“It’s not for the want of trying. We got numbers in the box, got into loads of crossing positions, so I’ll never criticise the lads for that, but it’s a fact that if you can’t take those chances – the tie goes 2-1 at any point and you’d really feel the crowd turn.
The way we were playing, we were moving the ball really well and gave them a lot of problems down the sides of the pitch, which we wanted to. It’s the first game since I’ve been back where I feel we’ve said things before the game and really implemented them. That’s a must for us for the remainder of the season.”
Midfielder Conor Gallagher added: “I feel like we played well and had a lot of chances. But football is all about taking your chances which we didn’t do today. Of course we are going to be gutted. We haven’t got that [cutting edge] at the minute but that was definitely a big improvement on recent performances.
“We pushed players forward and Real Madrid were able to catch us a couple of times. We take it one game at a time. Hopefully we can build on the performance because I feel it was positive in a way.”
Chelsea, who are on their longest winless streak since February 1995, will attempt to reverse their frightening slide when Brentford visit on April 26, with the emphasis now on ensuring jokes about a relegation struggle do not become a reality as the season comes to a close.
The Blues still have games against Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Newcastle, so victories over Brentford, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth are crucial.
“You’re playing for Chelsea,” said Lampard when asked for his goals for the players before the end of the season. “Regardless, every game you play, you have to give everything. I won’t let anyone off the hook in terms of seeing this season out. It has to be the opposite.
“In 60 minutes today we showed, playing a world-class opposition, for me we were the better team and had chances. That standard cannot drop, and that’s the one message for us once the dust settles.”