CHELSEA fans were left red-faced after booing Frank Lampard’s substitutions against Bournemouth… only for them to prove vital in winning the match.
The Blues interim boss opted to make his first roll of the dice in the 63rd minute by bringing on Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
3Frank Lampard was criticised by his subsCredit: Getty
3And Chelsea fans were not happy with the changesCredit: Rex
3But they ended up working wonders to help Chelsea win 3-1 at BournemouthCredit: Reuters
Ben Chilwell’s injury prompted the introduction of Cesar Azpilicueta alongside Hakim Ziyech, before Joao Felix was brought on with six minutes of regular time to go.
Chelsea fans were not happy with the changes, and could be heard booing them and chanting against owner Todd Boehly.
Other fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration, with one fan tweeting: “Lampard has thrown the game with these subs. Again. Sick of him.”
A second typed: “Frank has no idea what he’s doing.”
While a third added: “Lampard is a social experiment.”
But together these subs helped turn a 1-1 draw into a 3-1 victory, with Ziyech setting up Benoit Badiashile’s effort before Sterling and Felix combined to kill the game off in the 86th minute.
Reacting to the chanting, Lampard admitted Chelsea fans were in unprecedented territory, but ultimately backed the fans to stick by the club.
He said: “The fans have had a lot of success, it’s what they’re used to.
“They’ll stick with the club, they’re a fantastic group of fans.”
Following the club’s first win in Lampard’s seven games since taking charge, some fans opted to see the funny side of an otherwise miserable season as they joked about staying in the league.
One fan joked: “Lamps saved us from relegation to the Championship and administration.”
A second said: “Best manager in the world.”
While chants of “we are staying up” could be heard from the Chelsea section at the Vitality Stadium.
