Chelsea face defining 12 days as Frank Lampard demands response from 'one of our worst' performances

Blues face relegated Norwich City four days after 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United and are aiming to keep control of their top four destiny

SHEFFIELD UNITED RATINGS: Dean Henderson 7: Not put under much pressure, to be fair, but whatever he did, he did well. One good save from James' speculative strike in first half, another header hit straight at him from Giroud after the break. Dominated the penalty area, unlike his Chelsea counterpart. Getty

George Baldock - 7: Right-back was booked after just two minutes for foul on Pulisic, but held his nerve navigating red-card tightrope for rest of match. His ball into box helped set up Blades' first goal. AFP

Jack O'Connell - 7: Vital touch that sent an Azpilicueta shot wide in second half. PA

John Egan - 8: Part of a fantastic defensive performance and left the dangerous Abraham hunting for scraps. AFP

Chris Basham - 8: Blades were so well drilled at the back with Basham playing his part. AFP

Enda Stevens - 7: Played lovely one-two with O'Connell down the left before inch-perfect cross found McBurnie for the second goal. Blazed chance to make it 4-0 over the bar. AP

Oliver Norwood - 7: Blades captain is such an important cog his team's organisation. Full of running. AP

Ben Osborn - 7: Stabbed a good chance over the bar early on after a poor Kepa punch. Another who never stopped for 90 minutes, playing his part in defence and attack. Reuters

Sander Berge - 6: Midfielder worked very hard defensively from midfield without the impact in attack that he is capable of. AFP

Oliver McBurnie - 8: Brilliant bullet header from the Scot to put the Blades 2-0 up. Worked himself into the ground up front before making way just after the hour mark. Getty

David McGoldrick - 8: Showed great reactions to score his first Premier League goal after Kepa saved from McBurnie. Similar instincts to grab his second after Rudiger's blunder. Striker produced some lovely footwork at times and put in a fantastic shift. Reuters

SUBS: Lys Mousset (On for McBurnie 63') 7: Played part in third goal and will be disappointed not have scored himself when he chipped wide after great work from McGoldrick helped put him clean through. Getty

John Lundstram - (On for Berge 63') 6: Slotted straight into the midfield with no problems. EPA

Phil Jagielka - (On for Basham 68') 6: Rare appearance for the veteran defender. AP

CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5: Continues to be weak link for Chelsea. Could only parry deflected shot into path of McGoldrick for opening goal. Very unconvincing on crosses and fails to command area. PA

Reece James - 6: Started well and his early cross provided Pulisic with early chance to take the lead but the right-back was taken apart by Stephens' movement for second goal. Forced decent save out of Henderson just before the break. Getty

Kurt Zouma - 5: Was beaten to the ball far too easily when McBurnie headed home the second. PA

Andreas Christensen - 5: Picked an early knock and never looked comfortable. Hooked at half-time. Reuters

Cesar Azpilicueta - 6: Captain couldn't lift his team on a bad day for Chelsea. Saw one second-half chance deflected wide. Reuters

Jorginho - 6: Italian back in team after spell on bench and his usual neat and tidy self but was caught in possession a few times as Chelsea capitulated. Getty

Mason Mount - 5: Buzzed around while contributing very little. Taken off at half time. PA

Ross Barkley - 5: Midfielder went missing when Chelsea needed him. PA

Willian - 5: Should have done more to assist James down the right for the Blades' second. Disappointing show. AFP

Christian Pulisic - 6: Headed first-half chance over the bar. Flashes of his undoubted talent but the American came up against an incredibly well organised Blades defence. Reuters

Tammy Abraham - 5: Just 13 touches in the entire first half for the striker. Had a couple of chances in second half but lacked the killer touch on both occasions. AFP

SUBS: Marcos Alonso - (On for Alonso 45') 6: Brought on to give Chelsea more width down the left as Lampard changed formation in second half with little effect. AFP

Antonio Rudiger - (On for Christensen 45') 5: Awful error when he got his feet in right old muddle to gift McGoldrick his second goal. AFP

Olivier Giroud - (On for Pulisic 66') 6: Difficult chance with first touch but could only volley. AP

Callum Hudson-Odoi - (On for James 75') 6: No chance to make any impact. Getty

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - (On for Barkley 78') NA: Came on a minute after third goal with game over. Reuters

Frank Lampard ranks as Chelsea’s highest scorer in their history. He was less interested in compiling a more unflattering table at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

Was that 3-0 defeat, he was asked, their worst performance of the season? "I'm not bothered where it is on the scale," came the reply. Yet Lampard conceded it was clearly "one of our worst" and his only heavier loss, 4-0 at Manchester United, had a deceptively harsh scoreline.

And so to a defining 12 days in Chelsea's future. The pendulums of emotion have swung by the day. Chelsea were wretched on Saturday, reprieved on Sunday, when Leicester City produced a self-destructive second half at Bournemouth, and saw their margin for error reduced on Monday, when Manchester City's Champions League ban was quashed.

Fifth place will not be enough anymore. “I just looked at the result,” said Lampard. Sat inside the top four, Chelsea are in control of their destiny – “it’s in our hands and we have to fight for it,” Lampard said – but their final two games are against Liverpool and Wolves.

Tuesday seems the simple part: beat Norwich. Lampard described Daniel Farke's team as a "wounded animal". The alternative interpretation is that they were killed off by West Ham when relegated on Saturday. The only team without a point in the summer have lost seven consecutive league games. The broader point is whether Lampard can alight on a formula that will work against superior opponents.

The broader context is that, with six wins in eight, Chelsea’s form is good. Yet Saturday was so bad – 76 per cent possession but ineffectual in attack, defensively poor and tactically outwitted by Sheffield United – it raised doubts. "I would have been lying to the players and the outside world if I said we deserved something," Lampard said.

It will be instructive which of those players he selects. Chelsea are at a crossroads, and not merely because one route leads to the Champions League and another to the Europa League. After a transfer ban, they are displaying ambition, but it could come at a cost to others.

N'Golo Kante is still out – he could return for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against United – so Jorginho could make just his second start since February. Chelsea have been caught on the counter-attack too often this season and the Italy international failed to protect the defence at Bramall Lane. His agent has admitted he would consider a move to Juventus and Lampard's summer slights show he has fallen down the pecking order.

Andreas Christensen is injured so Antonio Rudiger, at fault for the third goal ought to return to the team. Arguably Chelsea’s best centre-back has begun the last three games on the bench in the search for the best combination.

Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded three goals from four shots on target, the sort of underwhelming return which was not unusual for the world’s most expensive goalkeeper and Chelsea have been linked with Ajax’s Andre Onana.

The warning signs are there for the unwanted. “I know where I want to go with the squad,” Lampard said. “We brought a few players into the squad which shows the positivity of where we want to go.”

With Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech arriving, it amounts to an attacking direction. Defensively, however, Chelsea have conceded 49 goals; at the current rate of progress, or regression, they will post their worst defensive record for 23 years. It may not be decisive.

Rewind to August and Lampard’s first win was 3-2 against Norwich. A season of 3-0s and 3-2s and 2-2s has offered entertainment. In three more games, it will be clear if it has brought enough efficiency.