Chelsea interim boss Frank Lampard has said his team played brilliantly for large parts against Real Madrid as the Blues crashed out of the Champions League.
Chelsea welcomed Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge and despite the club's recent Malaise, they actually played well and created good opportunities to score but just like in recent weeks, a goal eluded Frank Lampard’s men.
Lampard takes positives from Chelsea loss
However, the Blues eventually came unstuck to two second-half strikes from Real’s Brazilian star Rodrigo as they exited the Champions League 4-0 on aggregate.
Despite the disappointing result, Lampard chose to focus on the positives instead of the negatives, pointing out his team’s improved showing against difficult opponents.
"We played really well for 60 minutes," he told BT Sport.
"And maybe it's normal, after the goal, 3-0 in the tie, we made some changes to go for it... maybe it's normal how the game pans out.
"But for 60 minutes, really good. Really good chances. At this level, you want to take them. You have to take them.
"You don't want to praise the performance too much when you lose, but of course, where we've been this season and where we are.
"In this moment, it wasn't out night. Some players will take that tonight and understand what it is when they come back at this level."
Real Madrid prove UCL dominance with milestone achieved after Chelsea win
Big picture for Chelsea
With Chelsea in the midst of their longest winless streak since February 1995, Brentford will be a good match for them to stop their alarming slide.
As the Blues still have to face Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle, victories over Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are extremely important.
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