Despite being a man up and leading on two different occasions, Chelsea somehow still managed to drop points in their clash with Arsenal. The Blues hosted the Gunners on Tuesday but that thrilling London derby ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw for the home side.
Everything was going in Chelsea’s favor. David Luiz was sent off for the Gunners in the 26th minutes after bringing down Tammy Abraham in the box. Lampard’s men were awarded a penalty as a result, which Jorginho converted with ease.
The Blues conceded an equalizer in the 63rd minute after an unfortunate slip from N’Golo Kante allowed Gabriel Martinelli to run through on goal. In the 84th minute, Azpillicueta restored the home side’s lead and were well on their way to a win until the 87th minute, with Hector Bellerin scoring a late equalizer.
That’s how the game remained until the final whistle and Lampard was understandably unhappy with the result. The coach criticized one player in particular after the game and that man was none other than Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Super Frank admitted that he wasn’t pleased with the Spaniard’s performance, pointing out to instances where he looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet. With Kepa coming under fire from the fans recently, especially after his mistake at Newcastle, the coach admitted that the club is looking at his situation, hinting that his position is under threat.
“I know there’s a focus on him at the minute. I think that’s top-line football,” Lampard said, as per the Metro.
“With his feet a couple of times today he took too long and nearly gave it away. And sometimes that can change the momentum of a game.
“So that’s something obviously that he’ll know and has to look at – and we have to look at.
“And yeah, it’s normal. Any player in a position, particularly goalkeepers, people will look at you and that’s when you stand up and show the mettle that you’ve got.
“So I think he’s not the only one. We’re in fourth position, which is seen as being pretty good, but I know and we know that there should be another 10 points on the board at least on performance. So all of us need to look at this finer details.”
Kepa received stick for Bellerin’s goal, with even pundits suggesting the Spaniard should have saved that shot from the right-back. However, as mentioned by Lampard, the goalkeeper is not the only man to blame for Chelsea’s inconsistency this season, as they slowly loosen their grip on the fourth spot.
