Reputed pundit praises Lampard for securing a draw vs Spurs as Mourinho tames Arsenal

Gary Neville believes Lampard deserves credit for getting a draw vs Tottenham

Speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage (h/t football.london) of the North London Derby on Sunday, Gary Neville lauded Frank Lampard for securing a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur last week.

Tottenham Hotspur put two past Arsenal on Sunday to win the much-awaited derby and go top of the table, with Son Heung-min and Harry Kane both scoring in the first half.

Chelsea played out a 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur earlier on 29 November when the two teams went head to head at Stamford Bridge.

After the full-time whistle, Spurs were the happier of the two sides as Jose Mourinho tactically spearheaded a goalless draw in a match where the Blues had 61% possession and thrice the shots on target.

However, seeing Spurs roll Arsenal over in the derby on Sunday, Gary Neville praised Frank Lampard for setting up his Chelsea team in a way which cancelled out the threat of Son and Kane.

“What you can start to do is give Frank Lampard a little bit of credit for what he did last week for not falling. I know what you’re saying, Jamie [Redknapp], but they [Arsenal] did over commit in those two moments. They’ve been beaten in the way they were always going to be beaten. Chelsea last week didn’t fall for it and in the end, they had a couple of chances.”

Conceding just 11 goals in the league this season, it is no surprise that Chelsea’s defence was capable enough to keep a clean sheet against Spurs.

The Blues are now 3rd in the Premier League table after coming back to win 3-1 against Leeds United, and are just two points behind Liverpool and rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Lampard’s men face Krasnodar in a dead rubber this week in the UEFA Champions League group stage before travelling to Merseyside to face Everton in a late Saturday night kick-off.