Manchester City’s Frank Lampard admitted he was ‘stuck in the middle’ and left feeling Blue after scoring a late equaliser against former club Chelsea.
Having made 648 appearances for the Stamford Bridge club, the 36-year-old reacted solemnly after scoring late on to make it 1-1 and rescue a point for ten-man City at The Etihad.
And Lampard, who has now scored against a record 39 different Premier League clubs, was overcome with contrasting emotions after the game.
“It’s a really difficult one. I’d be unprofessional if I came on and didn’t do my job so I’m mixed with it,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m obviously pleased that the side I came on for got a draw. It’s come up, I’m a professional and I didn’t expect to come on and score. I’m stuck in the middle.
“The Chelsea fans were singing my name and it was an emotional day. It’s not how I expected to say goodbye to the Chelsea fans.”
In a hard-fought game which saw both teams struggle to find a breakthrough, it took until the 71st minute for the ball to find the back of the net after substitute Andre Schurrle slotted home.
This was after City were reduced to ten men when Pablo Zaballeta received a second-booking and it looked like Chelsea would maintain their 100% winning record but Lampard was brought on with 13 minutes to go.
And switching focus to City, Lampard claimed he was keen to rack up game time and help the current champions climb up the table.
“There’ll be games coming up for Man City and if I can score and help the team then there will obviously be a bit more excitement on my face,” he told CityTV.
“We have had a tough start on paper and we’ve got through that. Once we start to get a bit of flow we can get up there because we have a squad that deserves to be right up there.”
After the game, Jose Mourinho disregarded any sentimental feelings towards the midfielder, who is unlikely to face Chelsea again as he returns to New York City in January.
“When he decided to go to a direct competitor to Chelsea then love stories are over. He did his job as a professional,” he told Sky Sports.
“He got a good reception and this is England and this is Chelsea. Chelsea people never forget what Chelsea people do at the club.”
City now lie sixth in the league, five points behind Chelsea, but manager Manuel Pellegrini believes they displayed all the right attributes against the league leaders.
“It is so important to play like a big team, and not like a small team. I would not be happy to play that way. We continue with the same ambition, teams will find it hard to beat us,” he told Sky Sports.
The Chilean was referring to Chelsea’s ‘small team’ tactics, who have long been criticised for ‘parking the bus’ when facing other big teams under Mourinho.
“Ten players defended their own half, they scored a counter attack and they continued to defend until the end. The result is not what both teams did during 90 minutes,” Pellegrini added.
“I am happy because our team played in one way, we continued playing with 11 players, trying to score, and with one player less trying not to have another counter attack and concede a goal.”
The City manager also hailed the ‘very professional’ Lampard, of whom he says ‘has been involved 100% in every day’ since joining the club.
Image courtesy of Sky Sports, via YouTube, with thanks
