Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea side they can’t afford to be ‘sloppy’ after securing a 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.
Chelsea appeared to be cruising to a seventh successive away win against the Premier League‘s bottom club after Christian Pulisic added to Tammy Abraham’s first-half opener, only to allow Gerard Deulofeu to pull one back for Watford from the penalty spot and set up a tense finish.
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster was denied a sensational late equaliser after getting his head on a free-kick in stoppage-time, and Lampard has warned his side they can not afford to get complacent in future fixtures.
“We played really well, our midfield was outstanding, but we just cannot have that sloppy bit near the end,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“It was a terrible 10 minutes considering how the game had gone. We need to be more clinical, we got a bit sloppy.
“We rely on our goalkeeper for those moments at the end of the game and he did what we needed him to do. I am happy with how the players are playing. It’s great to watch.”
Watford’s penalty was awarded after consultation with VAR as Deulofeu took a theatrical tumble following slight contact from Jorginho, and Lampard admits he was surprised by the decision to award a spot-kick.
“The longer it went on the more I expected it to be overturned.
”I was surprised. We got to see it on the big screen and it certainly was not a clear and obvious decision.
“A little bit of contact is such a grey area. We are in a funny place at the minute with it.”
Read: From Spurs to Corinthians, the best third kits from the 2019/20 season
Read: Ten times Roma signed Premier League rejects and how it turned out