Frank Lampard has reacted after they were defeated 4-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday said “We are missing internationals and big players, but I don’t want to make excuses. The team we put out today was clearly competing in the game for long periods, but we made four mistakes and they were clinical in the way they put them away.
He also warned there will be more harsh lessons for his youthful Chelsea side after Manchester United punished “fatal” errors on his managerial Premier League debut.
Lampard’s Chelsea dominated for periods at Old Trafford, creating more chances and enjoying more possession than their hosts, but were punished for a series of defensive mistakes.
Kurt Zouma clumsy foul on Marcus Rashford handed the United striker a first-half penalty, while Anthony Martial and Daniel James benefitted for Chelsea errors to condemn Lampard to a 4-0 defeat in his first competitive game in charge of his former club.
“Let’s be clear, with the injuries we have and the fact we couldn’t bring in players, this is going to be a work in progress to a degree and we will have to learn harsh lessons and correct them quickly,” the Chelsea boss said.
“There were lots of elements to the game that I liked and parts I didn’t like that were fatal for us. I’m not going to complain too much about not being able to bring in players, I want to work, and I saw lots of positives today.
“The fans saw a team that were trying to do the right thing and then the game went against us really quickly. That was the harsh lesson for my team today.”
Lampard opted for youth over experience at Old Trafford as Chelsea academy products Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount started ahead of the likes of Marcos Alonso, N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud.
He explained his team selection after the match. “I can’t drag people out of the medical room to play, whether they are experienced or not,” he said.
“These are the players that would play today, and we were clearly the better team for 45 to maybe 60 minutes.
