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Lampard hails 'leaders' in Chelsea squad after overcoming Man Utd

Frank Lampard hailed the character and leadership qualities of his Chelsea squad after overcoming Man Utd 3-1 to advance to the FA Cup final.

By Daniel Lewis
Chelsea players

London, July 20: Frank Lampard hailed the character and leadership qualities of his Chelsea squad after overcoming Manchester United 3-1 to advance through to the FA Cup final.

Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount scored either side of half-time in Sunday's clash at Wembley – helped by a couple of David de Gea errors – and Harry Maguire put into his own net.

The victory comes less than a week on from Lampard criticising his side for not being vocal enough on the pitch in their 3-0 Premier League loss at Sheffield United.

But the Chelsea boss felt his players more than stepped up against Man Utd as they took control of the match from the start to set up a final with city rivals Arsenal on August 1.

"I can't ask for any more from my players than that - the work ethic and the level of performance," he told BBC Sport.

"We were on top and when they changed their system we were even better. I am very proud of that performance.

"Where we are at it is going to happen that we have some bad displays like against Sheffield United.

"We have done a lot of work in the last few days and the players deserve a huge amount of credit. They should take confidence from that display.

"We have leaders. You can't compare across eras but we have leaders in the team. It was a performance full of character and personality."

Chelsea are also battling with United for a top-four finish in the Premier League, something they can guarantee by winning their remaining games against Liverpool and Wolves.

"We have some finals ahead - two in the league and then Arsenal," Lampard added. "We want to win things.

"Three games won't define the progress we have made but we are at the business end."

Giroud was the first to profit from De Gea's questionable goalkeeping by flicking in the opener during first-half stoppage time, which was prolonged due to Eric Bailly suffering a head injury.

The World Cup-winning striker has lifted the FA Cup three times with Arsenal and once already with Chelsea and is now aiming to go all the way again by seeing off his former club.

"I said to my boys in the dressing room, 'I would love to win another one'. It would be my fifth one," he said.

"Another final now - it's going to be another big game against Arsenal. It's going to be so special for me, personally.

"We are very happy with the team’s performance today. We now need to focus on the Premier League."

Giroud was strongly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in January but recently signed a 12-month extension and is no longer seeking an exit.

"It's all behind me and now I'm looking ahead," he said. "I'm very happy at Chelsea. I just want to win more trophies and we now have the opportunity to do that in the FA Cup."

Story first published: Monday, July 20, 2020, 9:39 [IST]
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