Frank Lampard has revealed that his Chelsea players were ‘upset’ in the dressing room after their victory over Burnley on Saturday.
Christian Pulisic finally got off the mark in the Premier League as he scored a hat-trick at Turf Moor, while Willian was also on target to put Chelsea four goals ahead.
Burnley struck twice late on through Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil but Chelsea ran out 4-2 winners to remain in fourth place.
And Lampard admits his players were unhappy that they were unable to keep a clean sheet against Sean Dyche’s side, report the Metro.
‘I said it to the players, I will be the first to criticise sloppy goals which change the look of the game. Because it did change the look, it wasn’t 4-2,’ Lampard told Premier League Productions.
‘But not tonight, I can’t. ‘Because the way they played, the personality they had on the ball, the movement of the ball, there were so many great things there that I’m not going to allow it in the dressing room.
A few of them are upset but it’s not a day for that. ‘It’s a day to say we played really well, we came to a tough place, played really well and won comfortably.’
Burnley boss Sean Dyche has revealed that Danny Drinkwater is set to return to full training this week as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
The midfielder has yet to make a Premier League appearance for the Clarets since arriving on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day.
Drinkwater did feature in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sunderland in August but has been sidelined with an ankle injury picked up in an altercation in Manchester.
But Dyche said the 29-year-old is making progress and outlined the progress for the loanee, report LancsLive.
He said: “We are hoping that by next week he will be joining in with the first team so he needs that know because it has been a bit of time now.
“The journey we have got is that he didn’t have enough football when he got here and then we just about got him close to that and he has had a period out.
“So now we have got to give him more football time as in games and it is not so easy to get those games but we can make sure we arrange enough to get him to some kind of speed and can at least be part of the group.”
Drinkwater could feature for Steve Stone’s Under-23 side next month while the club will also set up behind closed doors games if necessary.
The former Leicester City man is unlikely to return to action in the coming weeks with the game at Watford after the November international break a potential date although no timescale has been put on the Premier League winner’s return to action.
Arsenal led comfortably early on thanks to goals from Sokratis and David Luiz, but Palace found a way back thanks to the ever-reliable Luka Milivojevic from the spot.
The hosts made the most of their early dominance by going in front, a corner from the right not cleared by Palace and when Granit Xhaka headed it on, Sokratis did well to angle a shot into the net in the 7th minute.
David Luiz doubled Arsenal lead two minutes after their first goal. Another corner from the Arsenal right was seemingly flicked on by Alexandre Lacazette and was swept in at the far post by former Chelsea defender.
Crystal Palace got some reprieve in the 32nd minute. Wilfred Zaha was brought down by Callum Chambers inside the Arsenal box. Referee Martin Atkinson initially booked Zaha for diving, but after a VAR check that decision was reversed and a penalty given.
Christian Pulisic’s perfect hat-trick guided Chelsea to their fourth successive Premier League win with a 4-2 victory at Burnley.
Pulisic, who had not scored for his new side before the match, became the first American to net a Premier League treble since Clint Dempsey in 2012.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring on 21 minutes with a surging run and left-footed shot.
He added his second on the stroke of half-time with a low finish with his right, before completing his treble with a header from Mason Mount’s cross after the break.
Willian added his name to the scoresheet on 58 minutes with a fierce strike from Tammy Abraham’s pass.
Burnley threatened a comeback with two late goals, both of which were assisted by substitute Robbie Brady.
After the match, some Chelsea stars took to twitter to register their joy.
Reece James@reecejames_24
Another top performance from the team!!🙏🏽Congrats
@cpulisic_10 on the hat-trick🎩!! #CFC
Mateo Kovačić@Mateo_Kova23
What a fantastic game! Captain America strikes again and again and again!
@ChelseaFC @cpulisic_10💙💪
César Azpilicueta@CesarAzpi
We had to work hard for this win! Well done team and congratulations
@cpulisic_10 on your hat-trick💪🏻👌🏻 #KTBFFH💙
Willian@willianborges88
Another great performance, keep pushing boys! #W10 #CFC #premierleague
Mason Mount@masonmount_10
Three points and a hat-trick for @cpulisic_10
… on 🔥 bro 💙 #CFC
Fikayo Tomori@fikayotomori_ 4-2 win🤩⚽️. Buzzing for you Captain America.. 7️⃣wins in a row💙. Away support was fantastic again👏🏾.
Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has identified hardwork and injection of young players into the team, saying: “They have brought very good energy to the team, and that mix with the experience that the older players have” help invigorate the group.
Burnley are the latest victims of their superb run of form, beating them at Turf Moor 4-2 after a midweek win over Ajax at Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam.
They have won all their away matches and have not dropped a single point in all their last seven matches in all competitions.
In his fourth season at Chelsea now, Alonso is one of the more seasoned pros in what is a young dressing room. He feels the injection of youth this campaign has helped invigorate the group.
“After a bit of a difficult start, things are going better at the moment,” the 28-year-old said.
“We don’t forget how hard we’ve been working and how much hunger we showed to turn around the situation. We have to keep going this way, enjoy this moment now and try to keep winning games.
“We sent another message with the win at Ajax: we are going to be a very difficult team to play. We are in a good moment and we need to keep working with the same humble attitude and work ethic we have been showing.
“We are all enjoying it with Frank,’ Alonso added. ‘When you work really hard and then you see the team is getting better, you enjoy training, you’re getting results, that’s even more satisfying. We are very happy with the new manager and looking forward to more.
‘There are many new players who have had their chance and are showing their value. They are doing very well. They have brought very good energy to the team, and that mix with the experience that the older players have, the balance in the team is going really well and we are all enjoying the moment.
‘For the other players who have been here for a long time, it’s also good to keep demonstrating the level of play we are. It’s obviously a hard time when you cannot make signings and you lose good players, but the players here are showing we have the quality to do great things.”
The Spaniard has scored more Premier League goals (17) than any other defender since he joined the Blues in the summer of 2016.
“It’s not my main focus but of course it’s good to help the team with goals and assists. I feel good when it happens, but I know my main focus is to defend and I love that.
“To win games sometimes I need to get more in attack, and sometimes I need to defend more, but the main thing is to focus on getting the three points every game, and I will manage when to go forward more and when to help the team in defence.’
There are fresh reports that Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte may re-unite with his former hatchet man Arturo Vidal in January as the Chilean is keen for a move away from Barcelona.
The midfielder has started just one match this season for the Blaugrana and played little over 200 minutes across the entirety of the campaign to date.
According to the reports, Vidal is unhappy at his playing time at the Catalan giants and could be open to a January move to the Nerazzurri.
Calciomercato cites Gazzetta dello Sport, in addition, stating that Conte is eyeing the possibility of bringing the Barcelona star along with Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic in January
In August, a report in FcInterNewsclaimed that the Nerazzurri had received positive signals from the Catalan giants over the summer months over a possible move and that Vidal himself is open to the move.
The Chilean looked set for Inter last summer until the Blaugrana swooped in late to sign him from Bayern Munich.
Vidal, has previously consistently reiterated his desire to stay at the Camp Nou – where he played an important role in winning the title last season.
However, the arrival of Dutch international Frenkie De Jong at the club has pushed him further down the pecking order in Ernesto Valverde’s side, and Inter boss Antonio Conte is waiting to make an offer should he look to move on from Catalonia.
With two years still to run on his contract, Vidal will not be a cheap option, and the Blaugrana are likely to demand in the region of €25m for the 32-year old, if Conte wants to be reunited with the player he won three league titles with at Juventus.
“I would follow him everywhere, even in war,” he was once quoted as saying about the Coach.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche admits Chelsea “were too strong for us in the clinical moments” after losing to the West London club 4-2 at Turf Moor on Saturday evening.
Burnley were punished for mistakes as they slipped to a home defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League as Christian Pulisic struck twice in the first half, both goals coming after the Clarets’ errors.
Matt Lowton was caught in possession by the American midway through the half and he advanced, fashioned himself some space and fired into the far corner.
And Pulisic profited again in the second half when James Tarkowski’s sloppy pass out from the back was intercepted by Willian and fell to Pulisic who drove forward and fired home via a Ben Mee deflection.
The 21-year-old completed a perfect hat-trick when he glanced home Mason Mount’s cross and Willian added a quickfire fourth for the visitors
At that point Burnley looked well beaten but to their credit they fought until the end with a Jay Rodriguez screamer and a deflected Dwight McNeil effort adding some respectability to the scoreline.
Burnley boss rued missing chances, saying: “When you make a chance at this level you have to take it.”
He, however, admitted his side made too many errors. His words: “Unfortunately we made too many mistakes and you can’t do that. We’ve done it twice now against the top sides, but credit to my lads because we kept going.”
Speaking to Match of the Day, Dyche: “Chelsea are a good side and they are in top form, credit to them but the second goal was our own doing.
“It was similar to the game we played against Liverpool and the second goal was a killer.
“Our mentality continues to grow and we are creating better standard of chances against these top sides and there’s a growing belief in what we can do, but we can’t commit those mistakes.”
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has chosen Christian Pulisic first goal as his favourite out of the four the Blues scored to claim all the three points at Burnley.
The West London club defeated the Turf Moor side 4-2 after Pulisic recorded his first goal and hat-trick to hand the Blues win over Burnley.
The 21-year-old robbed Matthew Lowton in midfield after dawdling on the ball and the Chelsea forward ran with the ball at a frenetic pace. He kept his nerve, beating one defender, and then shimmying to his left to gain space on another.
He gave Nick Pope no chance with his finish, tucking the ball neatly into the far corner for his first Chelsea goal in the Premier League.
Pulisic takes advantage of a Burnley player's slip and runs onto the ball and at the defense before doing a stepover to create space and finishes well with his left foot. you can tell how much scoring his first goal means to him. #CFCpic.twitter.com/rlRkd8Zxny
After the match, Lampard said: “When you talk about the Premier League, the one thing there is is physicality, particularly at places like Burnley. If he moves the ball so quickly like he can do, he can cause teams a lot of problems. It’s a great thing to watch when people have a balance like that.
“The first goal where he waits, then the stopover then moves away from the player, that sort of stuff is brilliant. I hope it gives him the confidence it should do. That’ll do him great going forward.”
Pulisic’s stunning cameo in midweek win against Ajax at Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam encouraged Lampard to start the United States international in the starting lineup in the Premier League clash at Turf Moor.
“I have a good squad and you need to keep people happy. The first thing is results, and the momentum we have gained recently means there’s not that many changes,” Lampard stated.
“At the same time, when the moments come players need to stay fit and ready to support the team. It’s a hard part of my job to tell people they’re not playing. I know the quality I have in the squad and for sure there will be moments where I will be relying on someone else than I did today.
“That’s why it’s so important to have real spirit as a group, whether you’re a starter or someone coming on and making an impact.
“It was really pleasing because it’s a worry. You travel back, you’re aware the other team doesn’t have that situation. That was a really taxing game, it was our toughest physical game of the year, so credit to the medical staff and everyone that works around the players.
“They put a lot of hours in, and in the last two or three days, the players themselves have been professional about how they have recovered and picked themselves up to come to Burnley.
“We knew it would be a tough match. It’s easy to take the small gloss off it with two goals late on, but it doesn’t take any gloss off for me. For the 95 per cent of the game we played some outstanding football in at a really tough place to play, was what made me very happy.”
