Lampard: Chelsea comeback was about spirit

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said Chelsea’s stunning late comeback victory over Arsenal was more to do with spirit than a tactical reshuffle.

The Blues were outplayed for 30 minutes as the 3-4-3 formation that worked so well against Tottenham failed to combat an Arsenal side with a pacier attack and more ambitious approach than their north London rivals.

But Lampard took off Emerson, introduced Jorginho and moved Fikayo Tomori to right-back, before replacing Tomori with Tariq Lamptey after the break

The tactics allowed Chelsea much more control in midfield, with Mesut Ozil’s influence waning and Jorginho beginning to dictate play.

Lampard was impressed by Jorginho but said the much-improved second half was “nothing to do with tactics”.

“It was all to do with spirit and desire,” he added.

“From my point of view you can accept a miss-pass but you can’t accept lethargy in a London derby. The players were told that and they delivered.

“We were so awful for 30 minutes; slow, lethargic and, nervous. The opposite of against Tottenham. We gave Arsenal everything they wanted.

“The main thing was the spirit and character. They were quicker.

“It’s a great sign for us that we won the game, to see the difference in the second half. The fight and desire. We kept pushing and controlled that second half.”

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