With one round left to play in the English Premier League, Chelsea have secured a top four spot, guaranteeing them a return to UEFA Champions League. It’s only slightly ironic that somebody who may not be with them next fall was the one to seal their fate; somebody who is now the leading scorer in club history.
With two second half goals today at Villa Park, Frank Lampard lifted Chelsea to a 2-1 win at Aston Villa, giving the third place Blues a six-point lead on fifth place Tottenham Hotspur. If Spurs get full points, they would also have to turn around a 17-goal gap in goal difference. And the Blues would have to lose next weekend at home against Everton.
Lampard’s goals also move him to 203 in his Chelsea career, passing Bobby Tambling to sit first on the club’s all-time scoring list. His 15 league goals also mark the third time in his career he’s reached that plateau, this being the 10th consecutive season Lampard’s posted double-digit tallies.
Lampard’s first pulled back Christian Benteke’s early opener, the Chelsea midfielder finishing high past Brad Guzan after his left-footed shot took a slight deflection off defender Nathan Baker. Minutes after Benteke had been sent off (evening the sides at 10 after Ramires’s earlier dismissal) and with just under half an hour to play, the Blues were even: 1-1.
Then in the 88th minute, Lampard was in the right spot as work from Eden Hazard and Ashley Cole gave the Belgian attacker a chance to slam a ball across the face of goal. Lampard was far post for the easy finish, one that likely pushes his club into Champions League.
Lampard, however, may not experience that campaign. With no contract for next year (and, reportedly, an offer only recently coming), the 12-season veteran at Stamford Bridge could be leaving the club, with only the Europa League final and the season finale next weekend left on his current Chelsea schedule. With 203 all-competition goals in 606 appearances, Lampard will leave the club as one of its most heralded players, if performances like today’s can’t forge a future for him at Stamford Birdge.
