Frank Lampard’s return to Stamford Bridge ended in disappointment as his Derby County were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea and eliminated at the fourth round of this season’s EFL Cup.
In front of a full house in West London the first half did not disappoint, with the Premier League side taking the lead after only five minutes when Derby centre-back Fikayo Tomori put the ball into his own net – for the club he is on loan from.
The Rams weren’t behind for long as Jack Marriott equalised just four minutes later against the run of play with the strike sliding the ball past Willy Caballero into the far corner.
Chelsea restored their lead midway through the first half when Davide Zappacosta’s cross was sliced into his own net by Richard Keogh – the third consecutive own goal Derby had conceded at this point, carrying over from the weekend’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.
This came just three minutes after Martyn Waghorn had missed a one-on-one for Frank Lampard’s side. However, the big summer signing from Ipswich Town redeemed himself on 27 minutes by tapping home Scott Malone’s cross at the far post.
In truth, the Premier League side’s quality stood out and they may feel hard done by with the scoreline but Cesc Fabregas scored the winner five minutes before half-time none-the-less.
Chelsea progress to the quarter-finals of this season’s tournament, joining Arsenal, Bournemouth, Burton Albion, Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester City host Fulham on Thursday whilst Leicester City against Southampton has been rescheduled for later in the month.
Frank Lampard spent 13 seasons as a player for Chelsea between 2001-14, winning the Premier League on three occasions, the FA Cup four times, the EFL Cup twice, the 2012 Champions League and the 2013 Europa League.
