It was by no means the first time Frank Lampard found himself talking about a new milestone after scoring a goal but that did not diminish the midfielder’s pleasure in doing so again, especially having been part of such an emphatic win over Aston Villa
Sunday’s 8-0 matched the 2010 Wigan win as our best top-flight margin of victory, and Lampard by netting the fourth goal moved clear as our best top-flight goalscorer. Of his 190 goals, 130 have come in the league, one more than Bobby Tambling’s Division One total.
‘I’m very proud of that record, to beat a great man such as Bobby who is an absolute legend and a lovely bloke,’ our no. 8 acknowledged.
‘I am very pleased with the win, we showed everything we are about when we are at our best and I am pleased to be a part of that and to contribute with a goal as well.
‘We showed great appetite from the first minute with our desire to move the ball quickly and the early goal helped.’
That third-minute header was by Fernando Torres and it was followed by a David Luiz free-kick to make it 2-0. The Brazilian, in midfield for the first time at Stamford Bridge, is fast building a reputation as a set-piece striker.
‘You don’t see the hours people put in on the training pitch to work on that technique,’ said Lampard. ‘David has done it and now you are seeing the rewards because every time we get one in that area you fancy him to get it on target.
‘He has the ability to play either position and he has been a fantastic defender at this club. People say that central midfield is also a role for him and I think they are right, you still have to have discipline and be in the right position and you can’t take liberties, and against Villa he showed that he has the discipline and the ability to do that role.’
The goals kept coming following the David Luiz strike and Lampard paid tribute to the fans who gave him such an ovation when he left the pitch after an hour, replaced by Ramires who then scored twice.
‘The fans have supported me from the first minute I arrived and I appreciate them doing that. I try to play well for them.
‘We are enjoying playing again and we needed that attitude to get us out of the sticky patch we were in.
‘We have slipped down the league and that is disappointing because our standards need to be higher. We had a couple of good performances at Tottenham and Arsenal, difficult games, but in terms of home fans and giving them the football they want to see, I think this game against Aston Villa was our top performance of the season.’
Visit the Chelsea TV’s online access to see a full post-match interview with Lampard. A clip can be viewed above.