"I won't let anyone off the hook"- Frank Lampard explains how he will deal with Chelsea players after Real Madrid loss
Chelsea barely have anything meaningful to play for after their UEFA Champions League elimination against Real Madrid.
Los Blancos won the second leg of the quarterfinal 2-0 (4-0 aggregate) on Tuesday (April 18), effectively ending the Blues' season. Chelsea still have seven games left in the Premier League season.
However, they're set to miss out on UEFA Champions League football next season, having garnered just 39 points from 31 league games. They trail fourth-placed Newcastle United by 17 points, who also have a game in hand.
Caretaker manager Frank Lampard has, nevertheless, said that he will not let the standards drop for the remainder of the season. Speaking after the full-time whistle at Stamford Bridge, the former Everton boss told BT Sport, via BBC:
"You're playing for Chelsea. So regardless, every game you play you have to give everything. I won't let anyone off the hook, and we have to show. That standard cannot drop."
Lampard has seen his team lose all four games he has managed since replacing Bruno Saltor as the interim manager. The Blues' next game is on April 26 at home against ninth-placed Brentford.
Real Madrid boss lauds Chelsea's efforts in second leg
Carlo Ancelotti has praised Chelsea for their first-half performance in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Chelsea and Real Madrid managed two and four shots on target in the first and second half, respectively. The Blues kept 52% of the ball in the first 45 minutes, and that number increased to 56 in the second half.
After the game, the Real Madrid boss said, via the aforementioned source:
"They (Chelsea) played really well; they were prepared. We suffered a lot and helped us stay at 0-0 at the end of the first half. Second half, we were much better and scored the two goals. We are happy to have qualified."
Real Madrid and Chelsea seemed neck-and-neck in both halves. The only difference was that the visitors took their opportunities in the second 45 minutes.
Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 58th minute before doubling his team's lead ten minutes from time. Real Madrid now face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the semifinals next month. The Cityzens hold a 3-0 first-leg lead over Bayern.