Caretaker manager Frank Lampard has suggested that Chelsea cannot afford to drop their standards after they defeated Bournemouth by a 3-1 scoreline on Saturday afternoon.
Lampard and his squad made the trip to the Vitality Stadium having lost six successive matches, putting the club and its interim boss at risk of setting unwanted records.
However, Chelsea finally found some joy under Lampard’s watch, finishing strongly to earn maximum points against opponents who could have moved above them in the Premier League standings.
An early Conor Gallagher goal was cancelled out by Matias Vina, but late efforts from Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix secured a welcome victory for the visitors.
Although Chelsea have only moved up one spot to 11th place, it is a welcome boost ahead of what remains a tough run of closing fixtures.
While Chelsea did not have things all their own way on the South coast, Lampard feels that his side were full value for a morale-boosting success.
Speaking to Match of the Day, the Englishman said: “I’m happy. We came in off the back of a tough run, it’s been a tough year and there is a lot work to do.
“But the performance and the result in isolation are really good, we deserved to win the game. It’s a nice step forward for the lads. To work hard and come to a place that has been very hard for a lot of teams this year, I’m very happy.”
Lampard also spoke about confidence levels in the squad, adding: “I don’t know why the players can’t grasp it, there are a few younger players we’ve brought in and it doesn’t matter if you’ve won a World Cup, you’re moving to the Premier League. There are a few players finding their feet.
“Typically at Chelsea, one or two have fed into the group and now we have more. It’s understandable that as a group finding rhythm and confidence can be difficult.
“This is a first step, it won’t be plane sailing but there is talent there and the players need to come together to get us to where we want to be.”
Chelsea, who are now just three points adrift of 10th-placed Fulham, are next in action when they play host to Nottingham Forest on May 13.
