Blues manager Frank Lampard explained that he was delighted with the way Chelsea rallied from an “awful” first-half display to beat local London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday.
The West London outfits’ inconsistent run of form continued following a 2-1 victory against the Gunners after late goals from Jorginho and Tammy Abraham, but Chelsea looked set to lose for the second match in a row following Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opening goal in the first half.
As in a Boxing Day defeat against south coast club Southampton at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea was unrecognizable from the team that dominated Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a win a week ago.
However, Lampard saw his side’s “lethargy” give way to a spirited second-half display at North London, as the 41-year-old coach refused to take credit for the triumph despite a tactical tweak, ditching the 3-4-3 system that earned them a win against Tottenham.
While speaking to reporters after the game the Englishman Lampard explained that his Chelsea team were awful in the first half an hour and gave the opposition everything they wanted, “We were so awful for 30 minutes; slow, lethargic, nervous, the opposite of against Tottenham, We gave Arsenal everything they wanted.
But despite making a tactical tweak, Lampard added that his team’s victory was due to spirit and desire, “We made the change early; felt it had to be done. In the second half, we dominated. After 10 minutes or so, it was clear that Arsenal had seen us play against Tottenham and made us into a back five instead of a back three. From my point of view, you can accept a missed pass but you can’t accept lethargy in a London derby. The players were told that [at half-time] and they delivered. The second half was nothing to do with tactics; it was all to do with spirit and desire”
