Frank Lampard says Chelsea were deservedly beaten by 'fantastic' Brighton - 'They can perform like that against anyone'

Interim Chelsea manager, and club legend, Lampard has ensured a miserable time since replacing Graham Potter – losing his first three games against Wolves, Real Madrid and now Brighton.

Lampard, who was making his return to Stamford Bridge, saw his side take the lead via a deflected Conor Gallagher strike but they were soon pegged back. Substitutes Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso both found the net as a dominant Albion continued their quest for European qualification.

“It was the most deserved [defeat, so far],” Lampard said post-match. “Wins only come with performance.

"In terms of performance, that was the most disappointing one because we were well beaten in the basics of football.

"It’s a really good Brighton team. We must give them a lot of credit. They are a fantastic team and they can perform like that pretty much against anyone in the league.”

Lampard, who will be in charge of Chelsea until the end of the season, said his team were ‘short’ in all departments.

“That’s not right and we are not going to win games,” he said. “We have the capacity to do that but not the desire.

“We need to get to the bottom of it quickly. We don’t have training time and we need it. The response has to be what you see on the pitch.

“It’s my job to get as much improvement as I can. That performance shows we have work to do. It’s my responsibility as well.”

The result keeps Chelsea in the bottom half of the table, in 11th, with hopes of playing in Europe next season diminishing by the game. They are without a win since the 3-1 away victory at Leicester on March 11.

Lampard said he has a ‘strong group collectively’ and there are ‘mitigating factors’ for their poor form.

"But we can’t make excuses.,” he added. “We have to fight against it.

"From today’s performance, it’s clear. I’m not hanging anyone out to dry.

"We can’t question a person’s character. There can be a number of reasons why a player isn’t performing to their limit.”

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