Frank Lampard tells his Chelsea players not to hold grudges

Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea players not to hold any grudges in the wake of Marcos Alonso’s half-time substitution at West Brom.

Alonso was hooked at the interval at the Hawthorns with Chelsea 3-0 down and boss Lampard forced to chase the game.

Chelsea rallied for a 3-3 draw but Lampard is understood to have given Alonso a dressing down for attempting to watch the second half of the match from the team bus.

Full-back Alonso is among a nucleus of Chelsea players with uncertain futures, with a number of them able to leave before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Lampard refused to outline the situation with Alonso at West Brom, but insisted the matter is now closed.

“I’m not going to disclose what goes on in the dressing room, I think that would be wrong, so that was it,” said Lampard.

“It was a game where we were disappointed to be 3-0 down at half-time, I had to make changes.

“And all I ask from all the players is that, for good or for bad, the players stick together in every moment. Because that’s the only thing that brings a successful group.

“So that’s as much as I’ve got to say on it and it doesn’t affect anything ongoing.

“I cannot have grudges or feelings in games that carry on.

“We work, we’re honest with each other, and we carry on working to get better and better.

“And things happen during the course of the season, they happen a lot.”

Chelsea host Crystal Palace on Saturday hunting for their first home win of the new campaign, and with Mason Mount receiving a ringing endorsement from Lampard.

England midfielder Mount missed the decisive penalty as Chelsea lost 5-4 on spot-kicks in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash at Tottenham, with the tie 1-1 at full-time.

And Lampard has revealed he has told Mount not to fret over the penalty miss.

“Everybody rallied round Mason as they would any individual in the team,” said Lampard.

“I’ve been the penalty misser and the one in the squad when someone misses. That’s standard, that’s how it is.

“I think Mason’s biggest disappointment is the feeling that he may have let his team-mates or myself or staff down, but it’s absolutely the opposite.

“What Mason’s done since he’s got in, a young boy who’s been desperate to play for Chelsea in all his young life, and got in and been fantastic for us over the last 18 months.

“And missing a penalty in a round of the Carabao Cup to get knocked out is par for the course for someone of Mason’s young talent, that will go on to play many a game as important, more important, have critical inputs into games, much more important, and I’m not trying to belittle the game but I’m just talking about how his career’s going to go.

“So he’s supported by everybody at the club and we all move on.”