Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said on Saturday he was “delighted” with Christian Pulisic’s performance off the bench for the Blues in their 1-0 Premier League win over Newcastle United.
Pulisic was again left out of the starting XI for the match at Stamford Bridge but came on for Mason Mount after 64 minutes with the scores still level at 0-0.
Pulisic forced a wonderful save from Martin Dubravka, played a key role in the only goal – scored by Marcos Alonso – and put another on a plate for Tammy Abraham who was thwarted by an incredible DeAndre Yedlin block.
There has been plenty of talk in the media highly-acclaimed American striker who signed for £58million from Borussia Dortmund but has found opportunities hard to come by since his transfer and there were reports that Pulisic might leave on loan in January to get more game time.
But manager Frank Lampard insisted that Pulisic is still very much in his first-team plans
‘I’m really pleased for him,‘ said Chelsea manager Lampard. ‘He’s a hot topic because of the price tag and his status in his national team, and his world status through that.
‘Everyone has got a little bit carried away with the short term. The long term is that he’s come here and he’s just turned 21 and he’s played like he did today. You can see his balance and awareness and you can see how he can play.
‘And there’s a lot more to come. It’s not the end of the story. There’s an improvement to come as with all the young players, but I’m delighted for him because he will feel good about that.
‘And he should do because he was a big part of us winning that game.’
Pulisic will hope to feature in the starting eleven when Chelsea take on Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.
