Frank Lampard sets 118-year Chelsea record after Real Madrid loss

Frank Lampard is now the holder of an unwanted 118-year Chelsea record after losing to Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

The Blues went down 2-0 at Stamford Bridge – the same scoreline they lost by in Madrid a week prior – to not only exit this season’s competition, but likely end all hope of qualifying for any kind of European football in 2023/24.

Chelsea legend Lampard was appointed as caretaker manager in early April, after the club opted to sack Graham Potter less than seven months into the five-year contract he signed when joining from Brighton, but he has been unable to reverse the club’s alarming slide.

His short tenure, which has come at a time of extreme fixture congestion, has yielded four successive defeats – the first time any Chelsea manager has suffered that fate in the club’s 118-year history.

Lampard’s return to the club kicked off with a 1-0 defeat at Wolves, before Real Madrid schooled Chelsea with a comfortable 2-0 win at the Bernabeu. Brighton, Potter’s former club, then rocked up in west London to take all three points, and were comfortably the better side in a 2-1 win.

Tuesday’s defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie did offer up a better performance, but Chelsea still lost and have only scored one goal since Lampard returned to the dugout.

Lampard’s legendary status at Chelsea saw many fans welcome his return as caretaker boss.

However, factoring in the end of his spell as Everton manager, the numbers don’t make for pretty reading. His last 17 games – including this short Chelsea return – have spawned 14 defeats and the concession of 38 goals. In that time, Lampard’s teams have only scored eight times.

His overall career win percentage now sits at 42.3%, with his first spell at Chelsea offering up his best work in the dugout so far.

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