Frank
Lampard paid tribute to Tammy Abraham after the striker followed up his
England call-up by scoring his eighth Premier League goal of the season in
Chelsea's 4-1 win over Southampton on Super Sunday.
Abraham, who also netted in the Champions League win over Lille on
Wednesday, opened the scoring at St Mary's Stadium when he latched onto
Callum Hudson-Odoi's pass and poked a looping finish over Angus Gunn which
dropped over the line before Maya Yoshida could make a clearance.
The goal helped Chelsea on their way to a comfortable victory which moved
them up to fifth in the Premier League table. It was also a sign of
Abraham's growing confidence, which Lampard puts down to his hard work and
determination behind the scenes.
"You talk about when people are in good form, things happen for them or they
generally have moments," said Lampard in his post-match press conference.
"For me, that comes from how Tammy has handled himself all season from the
early moments of pre-season and the start of the season when people were
questioning him in different ways.
"It's the work ethic behind the scenes that gets him in such good nick. He's
not just an incredible handful for defenders - he's running them, he's
holding the ball up, he's controlling it, he's got good feet - he's also
getting his goals, which is brilliant for him.
"I trusted in Tammy at the start of the season. I felt it was his time to
come back to Chelsea. I know people will talk about the circumstances [of
the transfer ban], but he also has Olivier Giroud, who's a World Cup winner,
and also [Michy] Batshuayi who's a top-class Premier League striker in my
opinion as well.
"He's made the position his own in the short-term now. He has to keep that
going because competition is key and over the course of the season we'll
need everybody.
"But he has deserved the great week he has had. He has deserved the great
start to the season he has had and I will keep on him, because I want more."
Abraham was substituted for Batshuayi having taken a knock in the closing
stages, but Lampard allayed any injury fears ahead of England's upcoming
European Qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria, instead joking that
the academy graduate was merely seeking recognition from the travelling
fans.
"He's fine," said Lampard. "He took a bang on the back of the knee, but I
think he wanted a round of applause."
Lampard's praise for Willian
It was another fine day for Chelsea's young players, with Mason Mount and
Hudson-Odoi also involved in the goals, but Lampard's most effusive praise
was reserved for the more experienced Willian, who led by example with and
without the ball.
"He was a standout for me," Lampard told Sky Sports. "His work ethic off the
ball. If we talk to the wingers about what we want from them, we'll show
them that video of what Willian did today. His quality and burst of pace on
the ball. The last four or five games he's been our best player."
'We're in a nice position'
The result moves Chelsea level on points with fourth-placed Leicester
heading into the international break and Lampard believes his side can be
"challenging right up there."
"The expectations were hard to say, because we knew there were challenges
and you can't always assess where everyone else is going to be," he said.
"I feel we're a few points short of where we should have been on our
performances. I'm not saying that as bad luck, just being self-critical:
there are games we should've won more points in, and that's on us.
"But I'm pretty happy, happy we;'re in and around that group - obviously
Liverpool are out on their own, but at this early stage we're in a nice
position. It should give us determination to go away and come back in the
same vein because the minute you relax in this league it can all change very
quickly.
"The reason we're playing this well is because of how hard we're working and
how together we are. If we keep doing that, we'll be challenging right up
there, I hope."
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