Rarely is anyone namechecked so often in rival chants as Frankie Lampard…and more will follow, come Saturday.
Chelsea travel to Everton, following the Blues' women's team's similar trek north last weekend, thwarted by a frozen pitch.
Lampard's name was bellowed by West Ham fans from one side of Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea fans from the other, as the Hammers secured a first win at the Blues' home in 17 years.
The blame? Lacklustre players, tired manager, muddled commitment. Whatever, it was clear that had ref Jon Moss added an hour of stoppage time instead of his five minutes, Chelsea still wouldn't have made the Irons' net bulge.
Perhaps there was a hangover from the lively 2-2 romp in Valencia, but West Ham were unfortunate not to win 2-0 instead of 1-0 after VAR ruled out a second goal.
Chelsea were groggy. Olivier Giroud, given a rare chance to start, failed to impress, and only Kepa's athletics kept the score down.
This is where Lamps will earn his corn. "Obviously we're not going to get through the season with the same 10 or 11 players," he said, outlining rotation thoughts.
Last weekend was apparently "one of those days". But the Blues fell below acceptable standards, and if this young, optimistic squad is going to become a proper footballing dynasty, a woeful lack of creativity, front and middle, must be addressed urgently.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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