Frank Lampard’s feel-good Chelsea remain a work in progress but are now serious title contenders

Frank Lampard has plenty to feel good about. The Chelsea manager was more than pleased after his side’s 3-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday evening. The victory put the west London club on top of the Premier League overnight.

It was a brief but heady stay at the top, made all the sweeter because fans were back inside Stamford Bridge to watch a victory over rivals who loom large in Chelsea’s history. Lampard has a more personal feud with Marcelo Bielsa and outwitting the Argentinian was another cause for satisfaction for the 42-year-old. The mood could not be more positive in SW6.

People are beginning to talk about Chelsea as title contenders. The visit of Leeds, who have earned plaudits after coming up from the Championship, was a good chance to assess the progress of Lampard’s team.

READ MORE: Pulisic sinks Leeds as Chelsea go top of the table

The Chelsea manager has built a squad with a wealth of attacking talent and, right from the first whistle, the home side surged forward. Not even an early setback when Patrick Bamford gave Leeds an early lead affected Chelsea’s attacking intent. The chances flowed but, despite having 23 shots, the match was not secured until Christian Pulisic scored in stoppage time.

Olivier Giroud and Pulisic were on the scoresheet but both forwards could have added to their tally. Timo Werner and Kai Havertz wasted opportunities.

It took too long to kill off a stubborn Leeds side who began to run out of steam in the second half. Bielsa’s team are awkward to play against but their quality has been oversold. They thrive when the game is ragged. There were periods when Chelsea might have improved their prospects by slowing down the pace.

Mason Mount was excellent. His passing going forward was splendid and the 21-year-old also put a shift in defensively, making sure that Ben Chilwell was not overwhelmed when Luke Ayling tried to build pressure down the flank. Mount has not yet fully developed the knack of dictating the tempo. The man who can do that for Chelsea is Hakim Ziyech.

The Moroccan’s passing and crossing catch the eye but his role in Giroud’s equaliser illustrated another aspect of his game. He took possession outside the box and instead of quickly moving the ball along, Ziyech waited. For a long moment the game stood still - certainly three Leeds defenders seemed rooted to the spot. The delay allowed Reece James to overlap into the perfect position to receive the pass and cross to Giroud, who clipped the ball into the net. In a match that was breathless, Ziyech’s nanosecond of stillness stood out. It was disappointing for Lampard that the equaliser was the midfielder’s last involvement. He limped off with a hamstring injury.

The one area where Chelsea do not need to be static is at the back. The opening goal exposed the lack of pace at the centre of defence. Kurt Zouma is strong in the tackle and excellent in the air but he was caught too near the halfway line with Patrick Bamford loitering on his shoulder with evil intent. Kalvin Phillips looked up, saw that the defender was in no man’s land and curled the ball around him into Bamford’s path. The striker rounded Edouard Mendy and rolled the ball into the net. Zouma turned to his team-mates with a “what can I do?” look. Thiago Silva shrugged and shook his head. The 36-year-old has even less pace than his colleague but so much more knowledge and experience. Bamford had less joy in Thiago’s zone.

Zouma’s aerial presence is important to the side and his towering header from Mount’s corner gave Chelsea the lead in the second half. Lampard was full of praise for the centre back, who scored his fourth league goal of the campaign. “He has been playing really well this season,” the manager said. “Obviously the eyecatching thing is the amount of goals he has scored from set-pieces. That is just him going up with more confidence, more belief in himself. He has always had size and spring, but now you see him in all parts of the pitch. Aerially he is a real threat and doing his job.”

Chelsea’s tactics, with the full backs charging forward, can leave the centre backs isolated. That makes the use of space more important. Lampard agreed. “He has been helped by the experience of Thiago Silva next to him,” he said.  “As a unit we look stronger and Kurt has been a big part of that.”

Silva’s anticipation and use of space are a lesson to any defender but equally important to Chelsea’s back line is N’Golo Kante’s energy. The Frenchman was everywhere, breaking up the play at one end, driving his team forward at the other. The midfielder plugs gaps and Leeds, especially in the second half, had cause to curse the 29-year-old.

Bamford, who had five fruitless years at Stamford Bridge, looked sharper than his Chelsea counterparts in the opening period but the striker’s supply lines were cut as the game went on. Leeds were a little one dimensional. Yet they hung in the game, largely because of the home side’s profligacy in front of goal. Werner was particularly wasteful but the German redeemed himself with an exquisite cross for Pulisic’s goal in stoppage time.

For long periods of the game Chelsea were on top but not really in control. When they played at their pace rather than the opposition’s, they were much more dangerous. Ziyech will be central to the side’s prospects of challenging Liverpool and Manchester City. If Mount can also vary the cadence of his passing, Lampard could have a team of serious contenders on his hands. Chelsea are not quite where they want to be but they are not far away.