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Sports News of Thursday, 23 July 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Don't get too arrogant, Lampard tells PL champions Liverpool

It was a night to remember and forget for Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively, as the Reds topped the Blues in a thrilling 5-3 encounter to lift the Premier League trophy on Wednesday night at Anfield.

However, Jurgen Klopp's men were home dry in preparation for their trophy presentation and had nothing but pride to play for in their last home game of the season against a Chelsea team at risk of missing out of the Champions League next season, with Manchester United and Leicester City in contention.

Despite the goalfest on the pitch, attention also moved to the technical area spat between Klopp and Lampard after Mateo Kovacic launched into Sadio Mane from behind to halt the Senegal international's brilliant run from the halfway line.

Reflecting on the incident, Lampard told Sky Sports: "For me, it wasn't a foul from Kovacic, and there were a lot of things that weren't going our way. But I've not got a problem with Jurgen Klopp. The way he's managed this team has been fantastic.

"Fair play to Liverpool Football Club, they've won the league, but also don't get too arrogant with it. That was my point, but it's done. In match play, you can get emotional and that was it."

"It was an extraordinary game," Lampard added. "Even when you say they threatened to run away with it, I felt we were in it. I could feel that in the way we were playing.

"It was a turnover and a great strike. A non-foul and then another strike that goes into the top corner. On the third, it was terrible from us defending the corner.

"But other than that in match play, we were OK. The first goal gave us hope and the lads showed great character but they're a fantastic team and we can't afford to make those mistakes.

"Some of the stuff I saw tonight from our team was resilience and quality. At 4-3, if we didn't concede the fifth, I felt like we were coming. But it wasn't to be.

"You can never be happy in defeat, but when you see the quality of the first two Liverpool goals, you understand what this place is and why they're so successful at the moment.

"We're building towards that, and we're going to have to suck this in tonight as it's where we want to get to one day."

A draw for Chelsea against Wolves on the final day of the season at Stamford Bridgecan can, however, help them secure Champions League football provided third-placed United win, lose or draw against fifth-placed Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

Be that as it may, a lose for Chelsea and a draw at the King Power Stadium would mean trouble for the Blues.

"It's going to be huge. We know the situation," continued Lampard. "It's in our hands to get the right result against a very good Wolves team. We have to deal with the pressure of moments like this if we want to get to where we want to be.

"We'll have to recover and then we'll go on Sunday." [Sky Sports]