Frank Lampard said turning around Chelsea’s fortunes will be the next manager’s problem as he prepares to bow out from his interim role after Sunday’s game against Newcastle.
The team’s wretched season slumped to a new low with a 4-1 thumping against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday, the ninth defeat of Lampard’s 11 games in charge.
If results go against them on the final day they could finish as low as 14th and equal their worst placing in the Premier League era.
They are already guaranteed to end with their lowest points tally in the competition, with the fewest number of goals the club have scored in a Premier League campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be appointed as the club’s next permanent manager in the coming days and his in-tray will include quickly slimming down a bloated first-team squad and installing cohesion in a team that has lost its way since Graham Potter was sacked in April.
Chelsea have won only once in the almost two months since Potter was removed seven months into a five-year contract, and the task of rediscovering the team’s form has seemingly grown more daunting with each defeat.
A remedy has proved beyond Lampard in his short time in charge, and he was asked whether the incoming manager will have the toughest job of any Chelsea boss in the last 20 years.
“It’s a good headline but I don’t know,” said Lampard. “It remains to be seen, I can’t jump into the future.
“I think it is a fantastic job because it is the Chelsea job and when I took it first time (in 2019) I came I probably got it it was because a lot of top managers didn’t want that, I know that for a fact.
“I enjoyed the process and I enjoyed coming in and I wish the new manager well.
“I don’t know… it’s his problem I guess – is that the headline you wanted?”
One of the hindering factors during Lampard’s reign has been the size of the squad, with 34 first-team players vying for selection following co-owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind transfer activity during his first 12 months in control.
It has meant limited playing time for younger members of the squad, even those signed for large fees and with high expectations.
Carney Chukwuemeka joined from Aston Villa for £20million last summer but has struggled for minutes, whilst Noni Madueke arrived for £29m from PSV Eindhoven and has featured just 11 times.
Both players started the loss at Old Trafford and played 82 minutes before being substituted and Lampard said he was pleased with the application of players that came in having not been regulars in the side.
“I don’t want to go into individuals,” he said. “I thought Carney did really well (against United) coming in to midfield with personality. It has been one of the harder parts of my job with the numbers in the squad.
“Going with a team to win important games and working with the younger players who we haven’t seen before because normally there is a process and a pre-season.
“We haven’t had that time. I thought Carney did well, I thought Noni did pretty well again and the flip of that was that Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta) was fantastic with his captaincy and attitude.
“It is 70 per cent of the game how you apply yourself and your attitude.”
Bruno Fernandes says this will be a positive campaign rather a successful one for Manchester United even if they win the FA Cup.
Erik ten Hag took over a side in disarray last summer after the disjointed Red Devils stumbled home sixth under interim Ralf Rangnick.
The Dutchman quickly improved the quality and mindset at United, who lifted February’s Carabao Cup and overcame some bumps in the road to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Thursday’s 4-1 win against Chelsea secured a top-four finish with a game to spare and this season could get even better if the beat Manchester City at Wembley on June 3.
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Asked if this season counts as a success already or whether it depends on winning the FA Cup, skipper Fernandes said: “No, no.
“It’s a positive season, not successful because successful is different for this club and for us players it has to be too.
“We did win a trophy. We get into the top four. Now we have another final but whatever happened in that final will not change anything about the season we have done.
“One game can’t define a season that has been long with so many games and we’ve been doing really well and we had our moments that we could have done better, obviously, because if not we would be in a better position than we are actually.
“But still we went to win the Carabao, we’re in the final of FA Cup, in Europa League could have been better, but it is what it is.
“Now, we have the chance to finish in the best way at home against Fulham and after we have time to think about City.”
Ten Hag said after beating Chelsea that this had been a “successful season” for United, but he is unlikely to be annoyed by Fernandes’ comments to the contrary.
After all, the 28-year-old is driving standards on and off the field as the 20-time champions look to launch a first sustained title bid since last winning the Premier League a decade ago.
“(Champions League qualification) is not a relief,” Fernandes said. “I think everyone was aware that it was really important for us to get the top four.
“I think at the same time everyone was really convinced that we will do it.
“We should have done it a little bit early in the season but obviously we had those two away games that we didn’t get any points and it complicated our counts.
“But we get it today and that’s the most important. We get into the top four.
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“After we couldn’t fight anymore for the league title we had to fight for our top four and we did it today.
“We are really happy to be in the Champions League next season. But obviously, it’s kind of an obligation for this club to be in these positions.”
Fernandes scored along with Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Fernandes as they saw off wasteful Chelsea 4-1 to put them third in the standings heading into the Premier League finale.
That result extended their unbeaten run at Old Trafford to 29 matches in all competitions and means victory against Fulham can see them equal the club record of 27 home wins in a season.
“I think everyone has seen that (bond with the fans) has been really important for us, not just this season,” Fernandes said about United’s home form.
“I think last season when we struggled, the fans have been always there to support us.
“So, we can’t be now saying that this season they’re there. Obviously, you feel a little bit more belief on their side, you feel more the connection, but they’ve always been there, they’ve been there.
“Since I arrived at the club I think they’ve been always supporting us and obviously when you get results, it’s always better. When you don’t, people are upset and we understand that.”
While United look to end the season on a high, Chelsea just want the campaign to end.
Already assured of finishing in the bottom half after an embarrassing season, interim boss Frank Lampard’s side were second best at Old Trafford.
Young midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka said ahead of the season finale at home to Newcastle: “We’re in a difficult period.
“There’s been a lot of transition and change but it’s clear we aren’t playing well enough at the moment. We need to give a lot more for the badge.”
Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle have “massively over-achieved” this season and will have to spend big in the summer if they are to match it next time around.
The Magpies secured a return to the Champions League after a 20-year absence when Monday night’s 0-0 draw with Leicester guaranteed a top-four finish ahead of Sunday’s final-day trip to Chelsea.
That represents a significant upgrade on the club’s target at the start of the campaign, and it will require further investment from their Saudi-backed owners this summer to ensure they can compete on all fronts.
Asked if he was looking forward to that challenge, head coach Howe said: “Ask me in a few months. I don’t know if it’s something you look forward to, but the dynamic will have changed for us.
“I think we have massively over-achieved this year for where we were at the start of the season and to keep over-achieving – and that’s what we’re going to have to do to match the expectation – is going to be our biggest challenge.”
Newcastle have already spent in excess of £250million on players in the three transfer windows since Amanda Staveley’s consortium bought out Mike Ashley in October 2021, and while they have bought astutely and been richly rewarded, Howe is conscious that task will become more challenging.
They will shop this summer in a different market to the one the 45-year-old might have anticipated. The club has long-standing interest in West Ham’s Declan Rice and Leicester’s James Maddison with both tipped to be on the move this summer, although Rice in particular will have suitors, some with even deeper pockets, queuing up.
Asked if his wish-list would include “marquee” signings, Howe said: “Yes, there would be players we’d love to bring in that would be classified in that bracket, I’m sure.
“For me, it’s more about the role they can fulfil in the team – whether that’s viewed positively or as a marquee signing, then great.
“I’m not in my mind thinking, ‘We have to have one of those players that ticks that box for the supporters’. As much as I’d love to do that, it’s about finding the right player in the right position who I think makes us better.”
For all Newcastle’s new-found wealth, Howe has been at pains throughout his reign to stress that unbridled spending is simply not an option, and that the club will have to continue to invest shrewdly.
He said: “Unfortunately players don’t come cheap, especially good players. Yes, we are going to have to spend a certain amount of money. How much that is, I don’t know.
“I still don’t know what my budget is at this moment in time, but there will have to be some expenditure. It will have to be controlled. It will have to be under FFP restrictions, which we have worked under and will continue to work under. They are definitely impacting us and what we will be able to do.”
Howe will be without keeper Nick Pope at Stamford Bridge after he underwent surgery on a hand injury, and he will join Jamaal Lascelles, Javier Manquillo, Matt Ritchie, Joelinton and Joe Willock on the sidelines.
Manchester United secured qualification for next season’s Champions League as Erik ten Hag’s men roared to a comprehensive 4-1 victory against wasteful Chelsea.
The Dutchman has led the Red Devils to Carabao Cup glory and next month’s FA Cup final during a promising first season that looked certain to end in a top-four finish until a recent wobble.
But Ten Hag has righted the ship and United secured a return to European football’s top table with a game to spare as Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored against toothless Chelsea.
This was a club record 16th defeat in a 38-match Premier League season for Frank Lampard’s Blues, who saw a bad early Mykhailo Mudryk miss punished by a sixth minute Casemiro header.
Further Chelsea chances went begging across the evening, including the miss by Conor Gallagher in first half stoppage time that was followed by Martial scoring.
Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and substitute Marcus Rashford’s goal – his 30th of the season in all competitions – wrapped up a victory that was only dampened by Antony’s exit on a stretcher and a late Joao Felix consolation.
What the papers say
Manchester United are “launching a £55 million swoop” for Chelsea forward Mason Mount, according to the Daily Mail. The 24-year-old is also being sought by Liverpool and Arsenal as he enters the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge with his future under increasing uncertainty.
The Independent reports Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Leicester winger Harvey Barnes, 25, in the summer. The Foxes could also lose attacker James Maddison, 26, after a tough season for the struggling club.
West Ham are looking increasingly like they will keep David Moyes on as manager despite constant chatter all season that he would be moved on, The Guardian says. The 60-year-old may now be given another season after reaching the Europa Conference League final and winning their fight against relegation.
And Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is considering allowing attacker Emile Smith Rowe, 22, to leave in order to make room for Maddison. According to the Daily Mirror, despite Smith Rowe being one of the most popular players among fans, he could be shown the door after failing to start a single game in all competitions this season.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Antonio Sanabria: The Mail reports via La Repubblica the Gunners are interested in adding the 26-year-old Torino and Paraguay forward in a deal worth £21.6m.
Victor Osimhen: The Mirror reports via Il Mattino that Manchester United have been told they must pay £140m if they want to sign the 24-year-old Napoli striker.
Chelsea must move beyond football’s tendency to be reactionary if the club hope to create a long-term vision for their future, according to Frank Lampard.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has sacked two managers this season in what has been the team’s poorest campaign of the Premier League era, with a record low number of points won and a first bottom-half finish since 1996 now certain.
They are one of 11 top-flight clubs to have changed manager at least once this season, with themselves, Leeds and relegated Southampton having dispensed with two, as the average tenure for a Premier League coach has shrunk to just over 18 months.
Chelsea’s previously indifferent form has plummeted since Graham Potter was removed on April 2, with one win in 10 games in all competitions. The team has failed to score in six of those matches following Potter’s sacking.
Lampard takes his team to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday looking for only his second win in his 10th game since taking charge, having lost seven of the previous nine.
With Mauricio Pochettino expected to be confirmed imminently as the manager for next season, the outgoing interim coach suggested a resistance to modern trends must prevail if Chelsea are to challenge once more.
“That stat (11 clubs having sacked their manager) says it, I presume it’s a record,” said Lampard. “There are understandable factors, the Premier League brand and what it means to teams to stay in there.
“The first person that receives the blame is the coach, if you understand that going into the job that’s probably a good thing.
“Or course there’s lots of other factors. You wonder how successful always it is to changes those things. It’s clear it’s become that kind of a job and a situation and there are many teams that are fighting with expectations that might not be exactly stable.
“We’re in a very reactionary world anyway. In years gone by the reaction to one, two, three defeats might have been different. Now we have this explosion very quickly and you just have to understand it when you’re doing this job.”
The job of finding Potter’s permanent replacement has been carried out by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who themselves arrived at the club only during the last year.
Previously Boehly held the role of temporary sporting director and was hands-on in player recruitment and in the doomed appointment of former Brighton boss Potter.
Lampard said he had enjoyed working with Winstanley and Stewart and that the pair have created a working environment around the club to help his successor succeed.
The new manager’s first job will be trimming a bloated first-team squad before setting about making up a gap to the top four that could hit 30 points this campaign.
“The dialogue has been really good from the moment this opportunity came up for me,” Lampard said. “I’ve been able to get on well with them on a personal and professional level and it’s nice to have that close communication.
“Working in this job you understand when you don’t have communication on the footballing side, you miss it. With both of them, Paul and Lawrence, I’ve had that in their own ways and that’s been a good thing and I appreciate that.
“Their big job is to bring Chelsea back to where we want to get it to. The responsibility isn’t all theirs but they play an important role in it. I’ve been impressed by how our interactions have been and I wish them well going forward.
“There’s a real alignment of thinking through (successful clubs). Where we are at the minute, that would be the work process of trying to see where are we aligned and where do we want to get to and what does it look like? There’s a lot of work in that and in Paul and Laurence we have good people to do that.
“It’s hard in the modern world because everything’s very reactionary. If you want to go in a certain direction and you don’t get any joy for a while, people react to that. For Chelsea it has to be a longer picture than that to get us a bit more of a process. People have to stick with that along the way.”
A woman bombarded Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount with messages in a four-month stalking campaign after he broke off their relationship, a court has heard.
TikToker Orla Melissa Sloan, 21, pleaded guilty to stalking the 24-year-old and his former team-mate Billy Gilmour, 21, as well as harassing fellow Blues star Ben Chilwell, 26, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard she slept with Mount, who had surgery on a pelvic injury last month, after they met at a party at his England team-mate Chilwell’s home in November 2020.
Prosecutor Jason Seetal said they stayed in contact for around six months before Mount “decided that the relationship was not going to progress”.
“Upon informing Miss Sloan of this, he has been subjected to a bombardment of messages,” he said.
“He began asking her to stop messaging him before blocking the number.
“He then began to receive messages from new numbers and each time he would block those numbers there would be messages from a different number.”
Mr Seetal said a total of 21 different numbers were used to contact Mount with some messages including collages of photos of the player with other women.
The court heard that in one message from an Instagram account using the name ‘Devil Baby’, she said: “I can morph at any time so let me apologise and set things right.”
Another showed an Apple account buying a new number for £12.99 with the words: “I’m not buying food anymore so I can get more numbers. I will be faster than you.”
Mr Seetal said Mount was “concerned she had an obsession or fixation with him and he didn’t know what she was capable of”.
In a statement, Mount said: “Miss Sloan knows roughly where I live and where I train.
“I’m worried as if she is unable to contact me she might turn up at my training centre.”
The court heard other messages were aimed at professional footballers, friends and family members, including left-back Chilwell.
He told how he found Sloan’s behaviour “erratic”, while Scotland midfielder Gilmour said her messages had a “huge impact” on his life, after he joined Brighton from Chelsea last September.
“I have not been able to sleep and have had to take sleeping tablets,” he said.
“It’s had a negative effect on my performance and professional life.”
“Being in a new town where I don’t have my friends or family, it’s really upsetting.”
The court heard Gilmour had initially exchanged messages with Sloan before telling her he did not want their contact to continue and did not have a relationship with her.
But she claimed to have fallen pregnant in allegations described in court as “completely fictitious”.
“I don’t know who I can trust anymore,” Gilmour said.
“Some of the information would only have been known by people close to me.”
Sloan, from Exeter, pleaded guilty to causing “serious alarm or distress” by stalking Gilmour between September 10 and October 28 last year.
She also admitted stalking Mount between June 19 and October 28 last year, as well as causing harassment to Chilwell between October 20 and October 29, 2022.
District Judge Neeta Minhas adjourned sentencing to June 20 for reports to be prepared, telling her the most serious offence, against Gilmour, crossed the custody threshold.
She was granted unconditional bail.
Erik ten Hag expects Marcus Rashford to be ready to face Chelsea on Thursday night but admitted he is not sure whether Manchester United’s top scorer is fully fit.
Rashford has missed United’s last two fixtures, first with a leg injury and then through illness, but has returned to training this week.
Asked if the 29-goal forward was ready to play, Ten Hag said: “It looks like (it). Yesterday, he returned to training, he looks quite fit but we have to see today what is the outcome of the training, how did we recover and then we will make our choices.”
Rashford’s absence against Wolves and Bournemouth – both games United won without him – once again brought into focus United’s lack of depth in the forward positions.
Anthony Martial was handed a rare start on the south coast on Sunday, but headed straight down the tunnel when he was withdrawn after an hour before later returning to the bench.
Martial’s reaction led to fresh speculation over his United future. The 27-year-old, who finished last season on loan at Sevilla, has scored eight times in 27 appearances for United this season, but has struggled at times with injuries.
“If you are not available, you can’t score,” Ten Hag said. “When he was available we played better, the team is winning games, he’s also scoring goals but he has to be available.”
And Ten Hag also batted away a question about speculation linking United with Paris St Germain’s Brazil forward Neymar by offering his stock answer on transfer rumours, saying: “When we have news, we will tell you.”
United will secure a top-four place and a return to the Champions League for next season if they take at least a point against Frank Lampard’s side.
“It’s clear, we want to win every game,” the Dutchman said. “That is what we do all season so tomorrow we want to do the same, we want to win the game, play dominant football and get the job done…
“First, we have to win the game tomorrow and get the job done. Then, it’s about judgement from others if it’s a good, bad or normal performance.
“We are in a project, we want to go back and win trophies, we win one trophy but we want more trophies, compete with the best, we are still in a journey but we think we are in the right direction but it can always be better. Because good is not good enough.”
With the League Cup trophy already in the cabinet, booking a return to Europe’s premier competition would be another significant marker for Ten Hag in his first season at Old Trafford.
“If we want to compete with the best, then you have to be in the Champions League,” he said.
“We want to compete with the best and be in the Champions League. In the Premier League, you have to be one of the first four, that’s not easy, many are competing for it, many think they should be in and we are one of them.”
Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City’s latest Premier League title success should not be demeaned by suggestions Arsenal ‘bottled it’ in the run-in.
Yet the City boss conceded his side would need to go on to win the Champions League to be regarded among the greats.
City were confirmed as English champions for a fifth time in six years and a third season in succession after Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Gunners had led City by eight points as recently as last month but their form deserted them at a crucial stage.
Guardiola, however, paid tribute to his former assistant Mikel Arteta’s team after City celebrated their triumph with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
Guardiola said: “There’s a tendency to underestimate. They are winners.
“We pushed Arsenal but they are exceptional. They should be proud of where they have come from. They have to sustain it, that is the reality, but for me they are winners.
“They made me think a lot what I had to do to beat them, and they did it to us. Our relentlessness and not giving up, and having the feeling that we had to win otherwise it would not be possible, helped us a lot.
“With the relationship I have with Mikel – congratulations for what they’ve done. He’s brought them back to what Arsenal was in the past.
“Similar to Liverpool in previous seasons, they took us to our limits.”
City hope the Premier League will prove the first leg of a glorious treble, with the FA Cup and Champions League finals to follow next month.
Guardiola, who won the European competition twice as Barcelona manager, said: “We have the feeling we have done something exceptional in terms of the Premier League, but of course to be considered one of the greatest in Europe we have to win the Champions League.
“Otherwise people will say our time here is not complete.”
City have now won 12 Premier League games in succession in their charge to the title but Guardiola denied that would make their latest title win more special than the others.
He said: “I’d not say it is more important. The Premier Leagues have been so tight, so this is not more special than the others. Every one is.”
Chelsea’s interim manager Frank Lampard, whose side were beaten by an early Julian Alvarez strike, believes his side can learn a lot from the champions.
The Stamford Bridge side’s season has been a huge disappointment, with a top-10 finish beyond them, but Lampard admits a huge amount has to change for them to even get close to their rivals.
“Man City have not won three in a row through trotting out at half-intensity. To get to this level where you are lifting trophies there is a lot of work,” he said.
“Everyone’s personal responsibility is ‘if I want to get to be like (Erling) Haaland and (Kevin) De Bruyne I need to put in the work those boys have put in’.
“It is in their hands. I can’t say that how long it will take, it is down to the players, the direction of the club. To get where Manchester City are a lot of things have to align.
“There is clearly talent in the squad, young talent, maybe a lack of stability and imbalance and they are maybe club issues.”
Manchester City celebrated their latest Premier League title triumph with a straightforward 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing side had already been confirmed as champions for a fifth time in six seasons after Arsenal’s loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
That meant the Etihad Stadium was in celebratory mood for the visit of the Blues and a much-changed side gave the fans another success to cheer courtesy of an early Julian Alvarez goal.
Chelsea had a few bright moments but City, without getting anywhere near the intensity with which they crushed Real Madrid in midweek, always seemed in control.
Fans had arrived to party in the sunshine and the ‘Poznan’ was seen on more than one occasion.
City were given a guard of honour by their opponents as they entered the field and they went on to knock the ball around with a such a swagger that – perhaps embarrassingly for a Chelsea side that aspires to the heights City have reached – it appeared the Londoners faced a long afternoon.
It seemed only a matter of time before the opening goal came and it arrived after 12 minutes as City seized possession in midfield and Cole Palmer picked out Alvarez in front of goal.
The Argentina World Cup winner took a touch and then emphatically drilled a shot across Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was City’s 100th home goal in all competitions this season.
Chelsea looked well off the pace, much as they have done throughout what has been a dispiriting end to the season under temporary boss Frank Lampard.
Former City forward Raheem Sterling attempted to rouse them. The England international twice got behind the City defence but was unable to pick out a team-mate the first time and then had a shot saved by Stefan Ortega.
Conor Gallagher then went closer when he headed against the post from a Lewis Hall cross.
Yet City always seemed in command and Phil Foden was only narrowly off-target with an attempted chip and Kalvin Phillips, finally making his first league start for the champions, blasted wide.
Phillips was inches away from getting on the scoresheet after the break when he met a Riyad Mahrez free-kick with a firm header but it rebounded off the foot of the post.
At the other end, Hall and Sterling both shot at Ortega. Sterling had another effort cleared off the line by City substitute John Stones, although an offside flag was raised anyway.
Alvarez thought he had claimed a second with just under 20 minutes remaining but Mahrez controlled the ball with his arm before teeing up the Argentinian.
With it being City’s last home match of the season, star pair Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were given a run-out in the latter stages. Rodri also came off the bench as City closed out their 12th successive Premier League win.
Thousands of fans invaded the pitch after the final whistle, delaying the trophy presentation.
After the celebrations subside, City have further league games at Brighton and Brentford before they play the FA Cup and Champions League finals next month.
Manchester City celebrated their latest Premier League title triumph with a straightforward 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing side had already been confirmed as champions for a fifth time in six seasons after Arsenal’s loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
That meant the Etihad Stadium was in celebratory mood for the visit of the Blues and a much-changed side gave the fans another success to cheer courtesy of an early Julian Alvarez goal.
Chelsea had a few bright moments but City, without getting anywhere near the intensity with which they crushed Real Madrid in midweek, always seemed in control.
Fans had arrived to party in the sunshine and the ‘Poznan’ was seen on more than one occasion.
City were given a guard of honour by their opponents as they entered the field and they went on to knock the ball around with a such a swagger that – perhaps embarrassingly for a Chelsea side that aspires to the heights City have reached – it appeared the Londoners faced a long afternoon.
It seemed only a matter of time before the opening goal came and it arrived after 12 minutes as City seized possession in midfield and Cole Palmer picked out Alvarez in front of goal.
The Argentina World Cup winner took a touch and then emphatically drilled a shot across Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was City’s 100th home goal in all competitions this season.
Chelsea looked well off the pace, much as they have done throughout what has been a dispiriting end to the season under temporary boss Frank Lampard.
Former City forward Raheem Sterling attempted to rouse them. The England international twice got behind the City defence but was unable to pick out a team-mate the first time and then had a shot saved by Stefan Ortega.
Conor Gallagher then went closer when he headed against the post from a Lewis Hall cross.
Yet City always seemed in command and Phil Foden was only narrowly off-target with an attempted chip and Kalvin Phillips, finally making his first league start for the champions, blasted wide.
Phillips was inches away from getting on the scoresheet after the break when he met a Riyad Mahrez free-kick with a firm header but it rebounded off the foot of the post.
At the other end, Hall and Sterling both shot at Ortega. Sterling had another effort cleared off the line by City substitute John Stones, although an offside flag was raised anyway.
Alvarez thought he had claimed a second with just under 20 minutes remaining but Mahrez controlled the ball with his arm before teeing up the Argentinian.
With it being City’s last home match of the season, star pair Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were given a run-out in the latter stages. Rodri also came off the bench as City closed out their 12th successive Premier League win.
Thousands of fans invaded the pitch after the final whistle, delaying the trophy presentation.
After the celebrations subside, City have further league games at Brighton and Brentford before they play the FA Cup and Champions League finals next month.
Frank Lampard has defended Chelsea’s decision not to allow Carney Chukwuemeka to join the England Under-20 squad for the World Cup in Argentina.
The 19-year-old is one of two players from the club to have been withheld from manager Ian Foster’s selection, with midfielder Lewis Hall also told he must stay for the remainder of the season.
Hall started as Chelsea drew with Nottingham Forest last weekend and Lampard has indicated he will play a part in his side’s remaining three matches, but Chukwuemeka has started only twice since December and has not been in the matchday squad for any of the last eight games.
Lampard said that owing to injuries the club deemed it necessary to keep the former Aston Villa player, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £20million deal last summer, available for the remainder of the season.
“He’s a Chelsea player and we’ve got injuries in that area,” said Lampard. “The situation with Carney is that he’s come into a club, it was a big move for him, and this season he hasn’t managed to get so many minutes. He’s settling in at a new club.
“Hopefully there’s opportunity in these three games for him and also he’s our player, and whilst we have lost players we need him to stay.
“There’s a possibility he can join up at the end of the season if the team gets through to the next stages. That might be the best of the both worlds in an ideal way.
“But he’s our player and we had to make the decision. Carney was keen to go, but at the same time what happened meant he had to stay.”
Chelsea take on the newly-crowned Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday in what will be Pep Guardiola’s side’s first match since retaining the crown they have won in each of the previous two seasons.
Their third straight title triumph was confirmed by Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
It is Guardiola’s fifth title since arriving in England in 2016 and his personal record could be further gilded in June if City add the FA Cup and Champions League to land the treble.
Lampard, who has lost six of his eight games in interim charge of Chelsea since being appointed in early April, was asked about the frustrations of struggling to replicate his success as a player since taking up management.
“As a manager everyone’s situations are different,” said Lampard. “What club you work at, what is a version of success at the club that you work at.
“Knowing Pep a little bit and having watched him work for a couple of days when I’d finished playing, it’s clear that he’s got an incredible football brain and an amazing work ethic. I think if I can try and follow that in my own way, that’s the best I can do, that’s the way to do it.
“It’s not that hard, you just understand that going to Everton, trying to keep them in the league, it’s a compromise. You have to come and train and play different ways to get a result, which we did.
“When I had my first year at Chelsea and I came in and we had a young squad that were really willing to learn, to try and do the things wanted them to do, I think we got a really exciting team.
“Everyone’s journey in management is different, because what you’re working with dictates sometimes in terms of how you might have to compromise. When you’re a player you just focus on yourself. As a manager you have to work around many more different variables.”
Frank Lampard has revealed he tried to sign Erling Haaland for Chelsea during his first spell as the manager at Stamford Bridge.
The Manchester City striker came up against Lampard’s team in a pre-season friendly in 2019 while he was playing for RB Salzburg in Austria.
He scored 28 goals in 22 matches that season before signing for Borussia Dortmund the following summer, but Lampard said he attempted to bring him to west London instead during his 18-month spell in charge between 2019 and 2021.
Ultimately competition for the Norway international’s signature, together with the fact not everybody at Chelsea was convinced that a bid for Haaland would have been the right move, meant that Lampard was left frustrated.
His 36 Premier League goals for title-chasing City this season mean he has scored as many times in the league as the entire Chelsea squad have, with the two teams meeting at the Etihad on Sunday as City look for the victory they need to seal the title.
Chelsea by contrast remain in the bottom half of the table, with their struggles in front of goal this season having shown no sign of easing in recent weeks.
“I’ve got huge respect for him as a player, he’s a player I tried to bring to Chelsea the first time I was here,” said Lampard. “I was really keen to get him here but obviously that couldn’t happen. His level at that point was very clear, we played against him in a pre-season game for Salzburg.
“Credit to him, I love seeing players of that level, I love seeing players of that personality and hunger to play and be the best which he’s proved himself to be. In terms of having to deal with him you have to have obviously a plan and an idea, but players of that level can make anything happen at any moment.
“I think he’s special, I thought he’d adapt straight away just (because of) his level. I think with the level of players and his record of scoring, firstly in Austria then for his country and in the Bundesliga – which is not an easy league – to come into a really good unit already.
“The rest is just credit to himself and the team around him. I did expect that, it’s not just an easy hindsight answer, I’ve got real respect for the player.
“I don’t know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan. There are some of those that happen that people don’t know about that could have been this way, people talk a lot about mistakes and the things that could have been in football.
“Whether he would have come I don’t know, but I was pushing big, and for a couple of other players as well. But he was the outstanding one.
“From our point I was pushing it, I’m not sure what the appetite everywhere else in the club was to do it. The competition was big to take him because he was an outstanding player. I think there was a buyout clause at the time which I think was relatively reasonable given the player (he joined Dortmund for around £17million). I don’t have enough detail to say how close it was.”
Lampard has two matches left of his interim spell in charge, with Manchester United at Old Trafford and Newcastle at Stamford Bridge to come after City.
He has won only once during his eight games in the job, a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth earlier in May, with six defeats having come in that time including a Champions League exit to Real Madrid.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be confirmed as the permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2, in the coming days, and he will have a huge rebuild on his hands after a disastrous season for the club.
Despite the poor form, Lampard said he has no regrets about agreeing to take over in the short-term from Potter.
“I have enjoyed it, I get asked it a lot,” he said. “You want to always get results but you have to be realistic in football. When I came into this, the Champions League dream that everyone talked to me about, (saying) it’s been done before, can we do it again?
“The realistic answer was we were where we were in the league for a reason. Our view was to try and beat Real Madrid then possible City to get to a final. In terms of the rest of the job, it’s been how many small wins can I try and impact behind the scenes. You can’t always impact results.
“Generally there’s a lot of work to do here. I can have a certain impact with certain individuals within the group because I have a big feeling for the club.”
Frank Lampard praised the form of Trevoh Chalobah during his spell as Chelsea interim manager after the defender put in a fine all-round display in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
The 23-year-old academy graduate has featured in all eight of Lampard’s games in charge including five starts, becoming a dependable presence amidst the team’s struggles for performances and results.
He has been used both at right-back and on the right of a back three as Lampard has shuffled between systems, and has been the club’s most visible homegrown product since owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind January transfer spend.
This has been Chalobah’s second season in Chelsea’s first team after loan spells at Ipswich, Huddersfield and French side Lorient, and his 22 Premier League appearances have exceeded the 20 he made last campaign.
Against Forest he was responsible for setting up the first of Raheem Sterling’s two goals, combining well with Noni Madueke down the right before picking out his team-mate to score, as Chelsea recovered from a goal down to avoid the ignominy of another home loss.
“He’s such a selfless lad. He doesn’t say ‘I want to play in this position’,” Lampard said. “Maybe (his best position) will become apparent, but I think he’s played really well in a back three for the club.
“(He had) a really good period when he first got into the team, he can play well as a centre-back in a back four and at right-back. The bigger picture is the way he’s been applying himself since I’ve come back.
“He’s a delight to train with every day because he comes in with an enthusiasm, low maintenance, and when you talk about the things you want, he tries to do them on the pitch, which is a great thing.
“In my short period here, you look at what are the games and the individual players, I’ve been very happy. I was looking forward to working with Trev because I didn’t get that chance when I was here before (2019-21).”
It is understood Chelsea are closing in on appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their next permanent head coach, with an agreement believed to have been reached for the former Tottenham boss to take over from Lampard at the end of the season.
One of his first tasks will be deciding who of the club’s bloated squad will have a role in his plans.
Until recently Chalobah might have seemed a candidate to depart, but that looks less likely after the versatility and consistency he has demonstrated under Lampard.
“I’ve tried to get him on loan when I’ve been working elsewhere, and now it’s been nice and I appreciate what a high-level player he is,” Lampard added. “He’s going to get a lot better.
“He’s always had that (good crossing, finding his man). He’s played as a number six, he’s played as a right-sided centre-half who steps into areas.
“Some things you rely on the level of the player to be able to step in, to make crosses and to have the physical capacity. He’s got all that. He can fill different roles for us.”
Steve Cooper says Nottingham Forest’s assignment at Chelsea on Saturday is not made any easier by the London club’s recent struggles.
Forest head to Stamford Bridge looking for the three points that could virtually secure their Premier League status and will fancy their chances, despite their dreadful away record.
Chelsea ended a nine-game winless run at Bournemouth last week, but they have not won any of their last five league home matches.
Cooper says he does not take any notice of the problems Frank Lampard is enduring.
“We are playing Chelsea away so that is always going to be a tough game at any time of the season, you look at the squad they have, the changes they can make, the team they can start with, they have players all over the pitch who can make a difference and we have to be ready for that,” he said.
“I never pay any attention to any context around a team we play against apart from them being at their best because I always think you have to prepare for that.
“That’s what we’ll be doing. We want to go there with our best intentions of getting a result we really need and want.
“We have got to know what it takes from our guys to do well and try and minimise the strengths they have because there is a lot.”
Forest will give Serge Aurier every chance to be fit after he limped off in Monday night’s win over Southampton with a knock.
“Serge walked off and we’re doing everything we can to see if he’s available,” he said.
“Maybe in a different time of the season and if Neco (Williams) was fit it might be a different situation, but we are going to give him everything we have to be available. But that might be touch and go.
“(Gustavo) Scarpa is back in full training now so he won’t be far off being available. (Emmanuel) Dennis has been injured, he picked up a knock in training before Southampton and he is still not available.
“Still a bit of a mixed bag, it’s definitely been worse but not something we’re paying attention to.”
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