Chelsea's top 5 EPL performances under Frank Lampard
When Frank Lampard took over at Chelsea in 2019, there was optimism as well as doubts about whether the Englishman was the right man to lead the London club.
It was, after all, Frank Lampard's second year in senior football management, having managed Championship side Derby County in 2018-19.
Chelsea were on a transfer ban and their best player Eden Hazard was off to Real Madrid. Graeme Souness described Frank Lampard's job as the toughest one since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Jamie Redknapp expressed doubts over Lampard taking Chelsea to a top-four finish or a cup trophy this season.
However, Frank Lampard had arrived at Chelsea after making his name at Derby County where he took the Rams to the playoff finals. Against all odds, Lampard managed to prove everyone wrong during his managerial stint at Chelsea.
Chelsea scored 66 points to secure fourth spot and a place in the Champions League next season while the club has also reached the FA Cup final.
Moreover, Lampard has also managed to produce some excellent football despite integrating several young players into the Chelsea first team. In his first season at the club, Lampard has displayed tactically maturity.
On that note, here are Chelsea's top five performances in the EPL this season under Frank Lampard.
Chelsea's top five EPL performances under Frank Lampard:
#1: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
With N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic out, Frank Lampard employed three men at the back instead of a more conventional back-four in Chelsea's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur who were without Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. It was also the first time Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge as a Tottenham manager.
Chelsea were'nt in good form as they had lost against both Newcastle United and Manchester United while they also dropped points against both Leicester City and Arsenal. A defeat to Tottenham would have dealt Chelsea's top-four prospects a huge blow.
However, Frank Lampard's side responded well. Chelsea's 3-4-3 formation worked efficiently, with Giroud as a target man and Ross Barkley and Mason Mount running in behind.
The Frenchman scored Chelsea's first goal while Marcos Alonso added the second one. Tottenham were able to get a consolation goal courtesy an own goal from Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea often drifted to the right-hand side to create an overload and then switch the ball to Alonso, a tactic which yielded their second goal. Both Jorginho and Matteo Kovacic were marked tightly, but Mount or Barkley would drop deep to create an extra man in midfield.
Mourinho's Tottenham man-marked Chelsea but the Blues forced the visitors to change formation without possession, and they worked well to beat the man-to-man press and create spaces.
#4: Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea faced Tottenham away from home, having won one Premier League game and losing three.
But the Blues once again belied their indifferent form and produced a brilliant performance to win 2-0. The victory made Chelsea the first team in the Premier League to defeat a team at three different home grounds.
A double from Willian sealed the win for the Blues. Once again, Chelsea's three-man defence did its job. Tottenham only managed to have just one shot on target, while Chelsea showed their calmness and composure in that game.
The Blues effectively pressed Tottenham's backline, often forcing them to go long where Harry Kane faced three centre backs.
Even without the ball, Chelsea often held a compact shape and were very difficult to break down. When Tottenham pressed, Mount would drop deep or run in behind. Chelsea were of course handed a numerical advantage when Son Heung Min was sent off for a challenge on Antonio Rudiger.