Frank Lampard has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award following our flawless return to action in June.
This month’s award also factors in the March fixtures which took place before the global pandemic forced football to stop, so our 4-0 thrashing of Everton at Stamford Bridge has contributed to Lampard’s inclusion in the four-man shortlist.
We blew the Toffees away that afternoon with arguably our best performance of the season so far. Mason Mount, Pedro, Willian and Olivier Giroud all got on the scoresheet, while the defence comfortably kept the visitors at bay to secure a first clean sheet in two months.
Upon our return to action, Lampard’s substitutes in the games against Aston Villa and Manchester City were widely credited as proving crucial in helping us secure a pair of 2-1 victories. At Villa Park, Lampard introduced Christian Pulisic off the bench, and he netted the equaliser before Giroud completed the turnaround.
Against Man City, it was Lampard’s replacement of Giroud with Tammy Abraham that contributed to a tight contest swinging in our favour. The young striker’s close-range effort was handled on the line by Fernandinho, leading to a red card and Willian’s winning penalty.
It is Lampard’s third Manager of the Month nomination in his first season in charge of Chelsea. He won the award in October, another month in which we did not drop a point.
The other managers nominated this time around are Steve Bruce, Nuno Espirito Santo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Lampard is the only manager to have secured maximum points from those available.
The Barclays Manager of the Month award will be announced next Friday 10 July. Voting closes at 6pm on Monday 6 July.