Jorginho a Lampard player now: Sarri's son reborn at Chelsea

Despite the summer exit of his Italian mentor, the midfielder has grown into an important figure on and off the field at Stamford Bridge



Jorginho has never had any issues putting himself forward to take a penalty but it's nonetheless impressive how he's also stepped up to the mark at Chelsea following the departure of Maurizio Sarri during the summer.

The Italy international isn't just surviving under Frank Lampard, he's thriving.

The midfielder once dubbed "Sarri's son" because of his importance to his mentor's preferred style of play had been expected to struggle at Stamford Bridge this season.

Indeed, many saw the midfielder as a one-dimensional regista but he is proving himself so much more than that under new Blues boss Lampard.

At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Jorginho dominated the midfield in one of Chelsea's most solid displays of the season so far, laying the foundations for a comfortable 2-0 win over lowly Brighton.

The Blues had 17 shots in the first half alone but squandered a succession of gilt-edged opportunities, one of which Jorginho created for Pedro with a lofted through-ball.

It was ultimately left to Jorginho to break the deadlock in the 50th minute, after Mason Mount had been fouled in the area by Adam Webster.

The Brazilian-born playmaker took over the penalty-taking duties from Ross Barkley after the latter's miss against Valencia and showed exactly why.

Jorginho sauntered confidently towards the ball, performed a little skip and then slotted the ball past Mat Ryan.

It was his 12th penalty scored from 13 taken in all competitions (excluding shootouts) and it was the 100th penalty to be scored at Stamford Bridge.

Willian went onto make it 2-0 with a shot deflected off Dan Burn as Callum Hudson-Odoi marked his Premier League return with an assist.

However, Jorginho deserves most of the plaudits for the platform he provided in the middle of the park.



Almost impeccable penalty-taking is just the icing on the cake when it comes to Jorginho, who, despite Sarri's exit, continues to control the tempo of games, either speeding up or slowing down the play with his passing.

In addition, he is competing better from a physical perspective this season, after being criticised for being lightweight on a semi-regular basis last term.

He is also one of Chelsea's most intelligent pressers and won the ball high up the pitch on several occasions against Brighton, who like to play it out from the back.

Lampard has been keen to highlight the importance of Jorginho, who was even booed by some Chelsea fans during a turbulent first season in England, so it was nice to hear the Matthew Harding End chanting his name as he went over to applaud the fans after the final whistle.

The midfielder has put in plenty of effort to improve his English over the past year and it has helped him become a popular figure in the dressing room. He is now conducting interviews in English and he has been seen leading Chelsea's youngsters with pep talks at half-time.

The 27-year-old has quickly become a leader within a dressing room filled with young players and his extra dynamism this season has been hugely important given N'Golo Kante's injury issues.

Jorginho's metronomic style of play rarely sees him afforded any time the spotlight but he is quietly dictating Chelsea's play under Lampard.

He epitomises the emphasis on keeping possession and winning it back consistently which earned Lampard a first clean sheet after 10 games in charge and a first home win in the league since he returned to the club.

Sarri's son has been reborn: he's a Lampard player now.

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“He was brilliant for me at Derby. I did not expect this level but he is improving daily.”

He added: “It is great for the club and a long time coming.

“The work is done in the academy. The mentality is great. They want to play for this club. At the moment they are earning it and setting a level for others.

“I have complete confidence in the lads. They are there on merit. Whatever game they take it on board and long may it continue.”

Victory over the Seagulls on Saturday was Lampard’s first in the Premier League as Chelsea manager.

The Blues manager added: “We needed the win.

“We haven't had a 90-minute game where we've controlled it enough. The only disappointment is we didn't have more goals. A clean sheet as well. It is good for the confidence of everyone.

“We had a lot of shots first half. But weak finishing and a bit of bad luck. You do start to wonder but you have to remain confident it will come and it did.”

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Sheffield United boss chooses tough love for Dean Henderson

Dean Henderson might have known better than to expect sympathy from Sheffield United's no-nonsense manager Chris Wilder after the costly howler against Liverpool.



Henderson, on loan from Manchester United, allowed Georginio Wijnaldum's volley to slither from his grasp and through his legs into the net to give the Premier League leaders a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane.

It did not help to have Gareth Southgate in the crowd and the home supporters tried to lift the spirits of their England U21 'keeper when they stood to applaud and sing his name as he trudged down the tunnel at the end.



Wilder, however, is not the type to worry about hurt feelings. 'I'm not bothered how people feel,' said the Blades boss. 'This is a real tough sport. I'm certainly not going to put my arm around him and rub his head.

'We set a high bar. It always amazes me when pundits talk about not criticising players in the press. This game has been beamed around the world. There's no hiding place.

'He has to get on with it. He's gutted. He's a good 'keeper. He has to learn and move on from his mistakes. We're here to get points. We're not here for people to think we're a good side. We're here to compete.'



Henderson responded to his mistake by making a fine save to stop Mohamed Salah from extending the lead but Sheffield United were unable to find an equaliser. Substitute Leon Clarke missed their best chance late in the game.

'We have had a glorious golden opportunity to put a marker down and show we are in this division to compete and pick up points,' fumed Wilder.

'When these unbelievable sides have slight off days we have to capitalise and with a little bit more quality in both boxes we could be talking about not just hosting the European champions but beating the European champions.'



Liverpool, meanwhile, are under investigation for featuring an ineligible player in the Carabao Cup third round against Milton Keynes Dons.

Pedro Chirivella came on as a substitute in the 2-0 but it has emerged Liverpool had not secured international clearance for the Spaniard who was on loan at Extremadura last season, even though they applied for it in July.

The EFL will look into the matter and have a full range of punishments at their disposal but Jurgen Klopp's team are not expected to be expelled from the competition.

A fine is more likely in line with a similar offence committed by Sunderland in 2014.

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Lloris' horrendous gaffe could prompt a change of captain at Tottenham

There has been much debate about the captaincy at Arsenal in recent weeks.



Never, though, do we hear quarrel about the wearer of the armband on the other side of North London.

Perhaps it is time to start that discussion. Hugo Lloris is the skipper in these parts, appointed by Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2015.

It is said that the bond between manager and captain is unbreakable. The former stood by the latter following his drink-driving ban last year and Pochettino even has a gift from Lloris in his office, a replica of the World Cup trophy lifted by the France skipper in 2018.

But it was on that day in Moscow, one that should rank as the greatest of Lloris’ career, that he made an uncharacteristic mistake which, in the time since, has become somewhat characteristic.

At PSV, Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool last season he was culpable of giving away costly goals. Unforced errors do not look good for one who should be leading by example. Trust, you suspect, must surely erode on the back of such calamity.

In the World Cup final, Lloris gifted Croatia a goal when attempting to dribble away from Mario Mandzukic, who poked the ball into the unguarded net. With France already leading 4-1, the blunder has since been relegated to a footnote in the story of the final.



But Lloris was at it again here, at a time when his side least needed a needless concession. Southampton’s Danny Ings was the beneficiary of his brain-fade after the keeper failed to take the ball with him when attempting a Cruyff turn inside the six-yard area. It was a horrendous gaffe.

That left 10-man Spurs at 1-1 approaching half-time with the spotlight very much on the manager. How the Southampton supporters revelled in a chant of, ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ towards their former boss.

Enter Harry Kane, the England skipper and the man who again took the heat off Pochettino with what proved to be the winning goal just before the break. That is what captains do, they come good in bad situations.

In fairness to Lloris, he produced two fine saves in the second half, but it was Kane who bailed his side out, and not for the first time.



Could it be that a change of skipper is considered at the end of this season, especially if that means bestowing an honour upon Kane that could persuade him to remain at the the club in the long term?

For now, Kane wears the look of the captain and that much was evident in the closing stages, protecting the ball and the lead as he relieved pressure amid a late rally from the visitors.

It is something for Pochettino to think about at least, if indeed he sees out the season himself.

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Watch Ole, Sanchez scores more league goals for Inter than last season at Utd

Alexis Sanchez already surpassed his league tally in last season.



- league goals for Manchester United in the last season: 1

- league goals for Inter 22 minutes into his first start: 2

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Madrid Derby is coming! Will Hazard score his first goal in La Liga today?

This is the 223rd Madrid Derby in history and the 165th Madrid Derby of league matches. How will Hazard perform today? And will he score his first La Liga goal in this significant game?

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Old Picture: The last Madrid Derby in 20th Century

The last Madrid Derby in 20th century is the round 10 of 1999-2000 La Liga. Hasselbaink got 2 goals and 1assist so that Atletico beat Real Madrid with 3-1. However, Atletico beat Real Madrid no more since that game for 13 years, while Real Madrid won the UCL title in 2000.

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Former Liverpool and Chelsea star Joe Cole: Man Utd were wrong to sack Mourinho

Former Liverpool and Chelsea star Joe Cole has stated his belief that Manchester United made a mistake axing Jose Mourinho from his role at Old Trafford last December.



United replaced the Portuguese boss with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who, after a fine start that earned him the job on a permanent basis, has struggled to find consistent results.

Results are needed and questions will be asked if positive outcomes are not witnessed this week and Cole has made a big claim, stating the decision to relieve Mourinho of his duties was a mistake.

“One thing with Jose that we all know is that he's a winner and what he will tell you that if things are not right, he will address it,” he told BT Sport.

“His issue at the club when the signings weren't quite right, he brought that into the light. That Mourinho, Pogba, Ed Woodward, that signing sort of summed up the club. You had fans pulling in one direction, the manager trying to say 'we want these players' and Woodward saying 'we can't get these for whatever reason'.

“Jose is not one who will sit there quietly being a good boy, thinking 'I'm happy to be Manchester United manager', he knows that his reputation was at stake and he was telling people that it wasn't right, he wants a centre-half.

“For me, it was glaring that things behind the scenes were wrong and I think getting rid of Jose at the time they did was the wrong call for the club, that wasn't where the problem is.

“As a financial man, commercial deals, getting deals done, his contacts, Woodward is second to none and he's running a successful business but for Manchester United fans, who are used to massive success, used to a well-run club, at the moment it's all over the gaffe.”

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Chelsea secure a record-breaking ninth successive victory over Brighton

The Blues have always enjoyed their meetings with the Seagulls, and secured a record-breaking ninth successive victory over them on Saturday



Chelsea have made Football League history by overcoming favoured opponents Brighton once again.

The Blues eased to a 2-0 victory over the Seagulls at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Few expected the visitors to take much from a trip to west London, with Chelsea starting to show signs of promise under Frank Lampard.

Brighton’s record against the Blues also suggested that they were always going to find the going tough.

The men from the south coast have never taken anything from a league meeting with Chelsea.

The two sides have now locked swords on nine occasions, with the Blues collecting maximum points from every fixture.

No side in English football can claim to boast such a faultless record against one foe.

A Jorginho penalty and a deflected effort from Willian saw Chelsea to their latest triumph over Brighton.

That result has maintained a remarkable record which started back in September 1983. At that time, the Blues and Seagulls were second-tier outfits.

Chelsea prevailed 2-1 in the first league clash between the two clubs, with a trend being set.

There have been long periods in which a one-sided rivalry has seen no action.

Between 1989 and 2017, Brighton found themselves in a different division to the men from the Bridge.

Promotion to the Premier League brought them back onto the Blues’ radar and there has been no letting up from the capital club.

Chelsea’s latest success means that they have taken 15 points from five top-flight meetings with Brighton.

During that run they have netted 13 goals and been breached just once.

They have only conceded two league efforts in total and suffered just one defeat across all competitions when meeting the Seagulls.

That solitary setback came in the club’s first-ever contest, with Brighton claiming a 2-1 victory in the third round of the 1932-33 FA Cup.

They will next get a chance to claim a positive league result against Chelsea on New Year’s Day, with the Blues set to open 2020 by taking in a trip to the Amex Stadium.

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Valverde: Dembele didn't feel 100%, I don't know if he will be ready for Inter

Barcelona beat Getafe 2-0 at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday afternoon to record their first away win of the season, although thoughts immediately turned towards their Champions League clash with Inter after the match.



Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Carles Perez were arguably Barcelona's best performers on the day, while Valverde recognised the importance of sealing their first win away from the Camp Nou this season.

"After some bad matches away from home, we needed to win," Valverde said.

"It's always a tough game here. If you want to win LaLiga, you have to win away games against a hard-to-beat opponent."

Luis Suarez returned to scoring ways by grabbing Barcelona's opener, which Valverde believes will help his confidence after the Uruguayan was whistled as he came off at home to Villarreal in midweek.

"Goalscorers sometimes score and sometimes they don't, but Luis always perseveres," he stated.

"He fought for a long ball and was rewarded."

Ousmane Dembele was originally named in Barcelona's squad for the trip to Getafe, but just before the match itself, he was left out. Valverde states that it was just as a precaution after the Frenchman didn't feel 100 percent.

"It's true that I left him out of the [matchday] squad," Valverde noted.

"It was more as a precaution. He's told me that he is calm.

"We think it's a little nuisance, but it's nothing serious."

When pressed if Dembele would feature against Inter, Valverde was reserved.

"I don't know," he added.

"I wish that wasn't the case, but I can't say for sure."

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'End of story!' - Lampard closes Chelsea penalty debate as Jorginho gets the nod

The Italy international saw Ross Barkley miss against Valencia and Pedro convert versus Grimsby but has now been made the Blues' main man



Frank Lampard has declared the penalty-taking debate at Chelsea to be over, with Jorginho handed the responsibility after converting in a 2-0 win over Brighton.

The England international fluffed his lines, but stated afterwards: “When I’m on the pitch, I’ll take the penalty.

"Obviously I didn’t execute it right but everybody misses penalties. I didn’t score the goal but I felt confident.

“If there was another penalty in the game, I would have been confident to take the pen. You can miss penalties.”

While Barkley believed that he was still the main man, it was Pedro who stepped up during a Carabao Cup clash with Grimsby.

He found the back of the net, but slipped down the pecking order against Brighton as Jorginho took charge once more.

The Italy international never looked like missing and is now the go-to man for the Blues.

“Yes he is, end of story,” Lampard said when quizzed on the issue.

The Blues boss was then pressed further on his decision and added: “I knew you’d ask me that question again. I’m surprised about the obsession with penalty takers.

“Jorginho took it and he scored. He’s a penalty taker.”



Jorginho impressed against Brighton in the middle of the park, with Chelsea preserving their faultless league record against the Seagulls.

He did not have France international N’Golo Kante alongside him, with Lampard opting not to take a risk on the fitness of the World Cup winner after seeing him carry a few niggling knocks since the summer.

Lampard said of Kante: “It’s an awareness, I didn’t want to take a risk.

“I spoke to N’Golo about it and he’s so important for us. We know that.

“He’s had a difficult pre-season. It’s been difficult for us but mainly for him because of the break-up of his pre-season, with the injury carrying over from last year.

“It wasn’t right to risk him. He could have a chance for Lille.”

Chelsea will return to Champions League action on Wednesday before heading into the next international break on the back of a Premier League trip to Southampton.

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Pochettino takes blame for Lloris clanger and hails return of Tottenham's spirit

Mauricio Pochettino took the blame for Hugo Lloris' clanger against Southampton and praised the return of Tottenham's spirit after their gritty win.



Harry Kane finished off a flowing team move to spare his teammate's blushes and put the 10 men in front before Lloris responded after half-time with a very assured performance that included two brilliant saves to repel the visitors.

"Don't blame Hugo, blame me, I demand him to play in this way," Pochettino said.

"He showed great mentality [in the second half] and that is why he is one of the best in the world."

With that record in mind, this victory over Southampton came at an important time and Pochettino was delighted to see the Tottenham "spirit" return.

"I am so happy because of the players, because of the fans and the staff - they deserve to be in a different situation to the one we've been living in in the past few weeks for sure," he added.

"A few months ago we played in the Champions League final, not because of luck, it was because we fully deserved to be there. We cannot have changed too much in a few months.

"I'm proud. I was so happy for them, my players, my squad. We have unbelievable players, only we needed to recover the spirit that we showed today."

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Chelsea 2-0 Brighton: Jorginho & Willian give Lampard first EPL home win

Chelsea earned a deserved 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday through a Jorginho penalty and a deflected strike from Willian.

Match Report

Chelsea bounce back from their defeat to Liverpool last time out in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.

A Jorginho penalty and a deflected strike from Willian earned Chelsea their first home Premier League win under Frank Lampard as they beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 on Saturday.



Lampard's men had drawn two and lost one of their opening three matches at Stamford Bridge this term, but they deservedly got off the mark on this occasion.

Brighton, now beaten in all nine of their league meetings with Chelsea, survived an onslaught on their goal in the first half but Adam Webster gifted the Blues a spot-kick early in the second half.

Match Events

15' OFF THE POST! Abraham nearly scores

The Blues are denied by the woodwork as Abraham glances his header at goal. The forward rises highest from Mount's free-kick into the box, getting a run on his marker in the middle. However, his header comes back off the post before the visitors hack away the loose ball in the box.

50' Penalty Goal! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton (Jorginho)



Mount puts the pressure on Webster and forces the mistake from the defender with a short backpass. He sticks out a leg to bring down the midfielder, leaving the referee to point to the penalty spot.

Chelsea take the lead as Jorginho holds his nerve from 12 yards. He goes for the staggered run-up and then places his effort into the left bottom corner. Ryan is fooled and is rooted to the spot.

61' CLOSE! Abraham's shot saved



Brighton play themselves into trouble at the back once more. A backpass from Stephens is cut out by Abraham on the stretch and he pokes an effort towards goal, but Ryan remains big and makes the block with his body to deny the forward.

63' Sub! Hudson-Odoi replaces Pedro

Hudson-Odoi makes his first Premier League appearance of the season as he replaces Pedro.

76' GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Brighton (Willian)



Chelsea have their second goal to take the contest away from Brighton. Willian runs at Burn in the right inside channel and finds enough space to fire at goal. His effort takes a deflection off the leg of the defender to wrong foot Ryan and find the net.

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