Frank Lampard gave his rating on France international N’Golo Kante following their UEFA Super Cup game in Istanbul, Turkey. Kante did not start against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Blues missed the Frenchman as they lost to Manchester United 4-0.
In the UEFA Super Cup, the Blues lost to Liverpool 5-4 in a shootout which was stained with issues. Chelsea fans said that Liverpool’s Adrian crept forward before the Chelsea kicker made contact with the ball, and asked for a retake.
Before the penalty shootout, Kante played 120 minutes for the Blues which saw the game ending in a 2-2 draw. He was even named as man of the match before the game went to the shootout.
His performance at the recent Super Cup made Lampard a believer in Kante. The manager is expected to start Kante at Stamford Bridge as they face Leicester City on Sunday.
‘Well, he’s an amazing player. Amazing character, he just comes to play, he’s humble in his life but when he gets on the football pitch he’s a machine,’ said Lampard.
“Of course he’s going to be hugely important. And this is a player that hasn’t trained much, had a swollen ankle two days ago when we played on Sunday evening and he’s wanted to play today and managed to cover 120 minutes and I think you saw what he brings to the team today. And there will be more because as I say he hasn’t trained much. But I’m delighted to work with him, I respect him so much as a player, and now it’s really nice to work with him and he’ll be big for us.”
The Blues were able to convert four their penalties. However, Tammy Abraham’s shot was blocked by Adrian, giving Liverpool a slim 5-4 victory. After the loss, Abraham suffered from racial discrimination on social media from a minority of Chelsea fans. The English club is swift to defend Abraham and quickly condemned the discriminatory behavior. Despite the furor, Abraham vows to step up in his next game with the Blues.
