Chelsea 0-1 Valencia: 3 reasons why The Blues lost the match | UEFA Champions League 2019/2020
Fresh from their resounding 5-2 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, Chelsea hosted Spanish side Valencia in their first game of the Champions League season, and they would have been seeking to kickstart their campaign with a victory.
Their opponents had been dismantled 5-2 by Barcelona over the weekend, while there was also an element of disgruntlement in the squad following the controversial sacking of the immensely popular Marcelino as head coach.
Frank Lampard made a name for himself in this tournament during his playing days, scoring 25 goals and playing a major role in Chelsea's 2012 triumph. However, it was a less than ideal start to his managerial tenure in the competition, as Valencia ran out 1-0 winners on Chelsea's turf.
This was a fixture that Chelsea were expected to win, and their failure to do so piles even more pressure on their manager. In this piece, we shall be highlighting three reasons why Chelsea fell to defeat against Valencia.
#3 Mason Mount's early injury
Frank Lampard was forced into a early substitution not for tactical reasons, but due to an injury picked up by Mason Mount.
The 20-year-old had been innocuously tackled by former Arsenal man Francis Coquelin, but the Frenchman caught Mount with his studs and the Chelsea man landed awkwardly on his ankle.
Though seemingly not deliberate, the impact was massive, and Coquelin received a yellow card for his efforts, while Mason Mount writhed on the floor in pain.
To his credit, the former Derby County loanee tried his best to shake off the injury, but the damage was too severe and he had to be substituted for Pedro Rodriguez.
Mason Mount has been one of the most influential players for Frank Lampard this season, scoring three goals from five Premier League matches so far, while he has also acted as the creative hub through which Chelsea's play is undertaken.
In his absence, Chelsea lacked the creativity he offers, struggling to find space in a congested Valencia midfield and as such were forced to go out wide to swing ineffective crosses in.
Given his importance to the squad, Frank Lampard and Chelsea fans would be sweating on news over the fitness of Mason Mount, as they are simply not the same side without him in the team which was made glaringly obvious against Valencia.
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