Chelsea vs Man United: Frank Lampard must ignore VAR gripe and learn from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho
A gloomy Frank Lampard looked on in dismay each time Michy Batshuayi squandered one of his many glorious chances as Manchester United pulled off a third win against Chelsea this season. The Belgian striker has never boasted a complete game but is now without ice in his veins when the chances arrives, emphasising the glaring lack of depth to this squad to underline the predicament Lampard is now facing.
There is a simple question the Blues boss must consider ahead of Saturday’s pivotal match with Spurs as their top four hopes teeter on the edge. A reinvigorated United and a stubbornly resurgent Tottenham – both of whom have endured injuries to their own star forwards – have closed in on their now slim one-point advantage in fourth. So will Lampard continue to bemoan the fate of VAR or embrace a test of his craft that his rivals have so relished in recent weeks? Yes, this was an especially bitter pill to swallow as United snatched a 2-0 win on a crisp night at Stamford Bridge between admittedly two poor sides. VAR sided with the visitors on three occasions and only once, for Olivier Giroud’s disallowed goal, was Lampard convinced he was not wronged.
But injuries to Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford have seen Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scramble for Plans B and C, despite the daunting prospect of sitting on the outside as they chase the lifeline of Champions League qualification. Lampard, who was ‘livid’ after not securing his own Steven Bergwijn or Bruno Fernandes, must now respond like his rivals.
“They (the decisions) are crucial, Maguire should get a red, then he gets a goal, the game changes off that,” Lampard claimed. “The second viewing, different angles, if you’re not going to look at the monitor then you’re not going to get it right. That was wrong.
“And the Zouma goal? Azpilicueta gets shoved in the first place, it’s certainly not clear and obvious. And Giroud was offside. It’s just a wrong decision (to not send off Maguire), it’s harder to take with the presence of VAR. Everybody I’ve spoke to has said the same.”
His initial gripe on the night was with Harry Maguire escaping punishment after kicking out at Batshuayi while tumbling to the turf. The incident resembled Son Heung-min’s red card against the Blues from earlier in the season, yet despite VAR checking (through Christopher Kavanagh), the England defender survived in what would have surely swung the game towards the hosts.
There was a dearth of quality on display and that pool was drained yet further when N’Golo Kante hobbled off after 12 minutes, though one remaining gem in Mateo Kovacic did his best to seize the initiative, controlling the game for spells, swivelling in deep areas to spark attacks and bring an element of control for the hosts. But both sides’ attacks looked blunt until the stroke of half-time when a moment of brilliance from Anthony Martial saw him adjust mid-flight to beautifully head Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross into the corner.
A lifeline appeared to come after the restart through substitute Kurt Zouma, who clumsily bundled home from a corner – yet VAR intervened for a second decisive time.
Fred appeared to shove Azpilicueta into Brandon Williams before Zouma converted, butthe big screen signalled the decision to rile the home crowd further and spar delirium in the away end.
A ruthless United soon grasped their good fortune again, with Maguire profiting from his earlier reprieve. The England defender would not be denied by Antonio Rudiger’s shoddy marking and drove home a header to double the lead.
There was to be one last punch in the gut for Lampard from VAR, as Giroud, desperately drafted in from the cold for just his fifth Premier League appearance of the season, saw his strike chalked off: his foot caught centimetres offside to dash any lingering hopes of a comeback.
Deprived of Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek entering this game, Lampard now faces the daunting task of conjuring up another plan to defeat his old master Mourinho before he can even think about Bayern Munich. “The gap is down to one point, the season starts here, the fight starts now,” Lampard defiantly concluded.
This is clearly a jaded side that lacks quality, but they are evidently now turning to their manager for inspiration to snap their poor run. There will be time afforded with Roman Abramovich almost certain to resist a hasty decision, but the moment has come for Lampard to embrace this test of ingenuity and prove his managerial credentials.
