Chelsea have announced the sensational return of Frank Lampard as their caretaker manager until the end of the season.
Lampard returns to the club where he was manager from July 2019 until he was sacked in January 2021 when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel's replacement, Graham Potter, lasted just 31 games and less than seven months in charge before he was sacked on Monday, following a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa that saw Chelsea drop into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
They are 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, despite having spent more than £550 million on new players this season.
And while the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino have been linked with the job, Chelsea have decided to bring back the club legend Lampard for a second stint in charge.
"It's a pretty easy decision for me. This is my club. I have a lot of emotions and feelings," Lampard said in a press conference on Thursday.
"I've come with a belief I can come and help the cause until the end of the season. I'll give my utmost to give the fans what they want until the end of the season.
"There's a lot of talent in the squad. I'm excited to work with that talent and to help them.
"Really exciting. I was there on Tuesday [for the draw against Liverpool], it was the first time I'd been back since I left previously. It was an amazing buzz to be back at Stamford Bridge.
"It was a surprise in terms of you never know what decision the club will make. There's been a lot of change in the Premier League this season.
"It's a big challenge, but aren't they all? I have complete sympathy for all managers that lose jobs. I'm ready to put my work into this challenge and take it day by day."
Former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard had been out of a job since January when he left relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge.
“We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” Chelsea co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement.
“Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.
“As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.
“We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.
“We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games.”
Chelsea 0 Liverpool 0: Player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga 6 - A quiet game for the goalkeeper who was comfortable enough saving Joe Gomez’s effort, while he was a spectator for most of the second half. AP -
Marc Cucurella 6 - Quick to react to danger and intervened to stop Diogo Jota’s chance inside the box. Getty -
Kalidou Koulibaly 7 - The Senegal international could have been better on the ball at times, but it was an overall solid defensive performance. Getty -
Wesley Fofana 6 - An excellent block got in the way of Fabinho’s volley from close range that looked to be beating the goalkeeper. Battled well when isolated against Nunez. EPA -
Ben Chilwell 6 - Stretched the play down the left flank and made a number of impressive passes that moved Chelsea into promising areas. AFP -
Reece James 7 - Didn’t allow any space down the right wing and showed composure when in possession, dribbling past players who were counter-pressing him. Unlucky not to score with an offside ruling out his well struck volley. Action Images -
N’Golo Kante 8 - A strong return to action as Kante looked like he hadn’t been away. The France international frustrated Liverpool in central areas, and excelled at winning back possession. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic 6 - Timed runs forward to get into promising positions but he has to do better with his chance that he hit off target just after the break. Kept things ticking in midfield for the Blues. AFP -
Enzo Fernandez 8 - A standout star for Chelsea, dictating the match with his passing while also being able to win the ball back on countless occasions. Excellent with his pressing to force Liverpool into mistakes. PA -
Kai Havertz 5 - Not good enough in front of goal and unconvincing with his efforts. Had the ball in the net from a strike that came back off his arm and past Alisson Becker. AFP -
Joao Felix 7 - Bright when in possession and appeared unphased by pressure. At the heart of many of Chelsea’s best attacks, but could have been better with his final touch. Getty -
SUBS: Conor Gallagher (Kante 69) 6 - Didn’t have enough touches to make an impact, but passed the ball well in attacking areas. Getty -
Mykhailo Mudryk (Chilwell, 78) - Utilised his pace down the left flank but didn’t create anything meaningful. Raheem Sterling (Felix, 85) - N/A. AFP -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson 7 - Denied Kai Havertz in the first half with a strong save from close range. Saved again from the Germany international after the break, with a handball deflection helping him maintain his clean sheet. AFP -
Kostas Tsimikas 3 - A sloppy pass early-on almost allowed Chelsea to score the opener four minutes in and that set the tone for his performance. Slow to read danger and too many mistakes. Reuters -
Joel Matip 5 - Recovered well after being beaten by Joao Felix inside the box with what looked to be a goal-saving block. Beaten too easily later on in the half, while his passing sometimes left a lot to be desired. EPA -
Ibrahima Konate 5 - Block prevented Mateo Kovacic from scoring the opener, though Konate didn’t look as comfortable as normal alongside Matip. AFP -
Joe Gomez 6 - An effort from range was hit well but not troubling the goalkeeper too much. Struggled to make an impact in forward areas, but defended well when called upon. AP -
Fabinho 4 - Sloppy at times when giving away fouls and was eventually booked. Had one of Liverpool’s best chances with a volley that was blocked by Fofana. AP -
Jordan Henderson 4 - More care was needed from the Liverpool skipper in attacking areas as he often miscued the ball. Commanded his side well when there was danger. Getty -
Curtis Jones 6 - Patient with his approach and took care of the ball. Played a well-timed pass to Diogo Jota that the Portugal international could have struck first time. Reuters -
Darwin Nunez 5 - Looked bright with time on the ball, but it frequently came to nothing as he was crowded out. A strike just after the hour mark was hit too central which made it easy for Kepa to stop. Reuters -
Roberto Firmino 6 - Linked play impressively in the first half, with his decision-making standing out under pressure. Faded before he was eventually replaced by Mohamed Salah. AFP -
Diogo Jota 5 - Drifted in and out and looked to be lacking confidence when in the box, taking too long to strike the ball when he had time on his left foot in the first half. Performance deteriorated after the break in an attack that was out of sync. Action Images -
SUBS: Mohamed Salah (Firmino, 65) 5 - Never had enough space to make an impact, and was often crowded out by Chelsea defenders. AP -
Andy Robertson (Tsimikas 65) 6 - Anticipated the play well. Helped secure Liverpool’s left side that had struggled before he came on. AFP -
Cody Gakpo (Jones, 79) - Deployed on the left flank but faced similar struggles to Salah, with little space to work with. EPA -
James Milner (Nunez, 79) - A cameo that saw him overtake Frank Lampard in the all-time Premier League appearance standings. AFP
Chelsea have nine Premier League games remaining this term, starting with Saturday's trip to Wolves, which is followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with European champions Real Madrid.
Lampard, Chelsea's record scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances between 2001 and 2014, watched from the stands on Tuesday evening as a Blues side managed by caretaker manager Bruno Saltor started the post-Potter era with a goalless draw against Liverpool.
He guided Chelsea to the 2020 FA Cup final, which they lost 2-1 to Arsenal, during his previous managerial spell at the club, having joined the Blues after one season at second-tier Derby.
The 44-year-old was sacked from his previous job at Everton with the Merseyside club sitting second bottom of the league, having lost nine of his last 12 games in the dugout.
Ex-Barcelona and Spain coach Enrique reportedly flew into London on Wednesday to meet Chelsea officials for talks about the full-time job. Nagelsmann, sacked recently by Bayern Munich and replaced with Tuchel, is also thought to be a frontrunner for the job long-term.
