Chelsea
climbed to the top of the Premier League for the first time in over two years on
Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win away to Newcastle United.

Frank Lampard’s
charges moved clear of Leicester City on goal difference with an own goal from
defender Federico Fernandez and striker Tammy Abraham’s second half strike. The
win stretches Chelsea’s unbeaten run in the league to six games, with that run
extending to nine games in all competitions.

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The Blues
have also kept five clean sheets in the last six matches and third consecutive Premier
League win was the perfect way to start a busy period in the lead up to Christmas.

Chelsea
were last top of the Premier League in September 2018, with Maurizio
Sarri at the helm, but Lampard’s unit is more well-rounded and potent in attack
than the Italian’s side and a potential title challenge could well be on the
cards.

But Lampard,
a three-time Premier League winner with Chelsea as a player, played down the talks
about a title race, advising his players to stay humble.

“It’s not
an easy game. We played well in patches and the result is key in these games,”
AFP quoted Lampard saying post-match.

“The
Premier League is tough, relentless, and we dealt with the challenge of the
game very well. I won’t get excited about being top of the table for five
minutes. It’s important to be humble and know it’s a long race.”

Chelsea’s stay
at the top could be very short-lived, however, with both Aston Villa and Tottenham
Hotspurs with the chance to go above them depending on their results.

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“We can’t
have it all our own way, but we put the game away with a professional
performance. First 20 minutes we were great, we had control and all the
possession. I always felt that the real danger from us would be on the counter,”
Lampard said.

“You saw
that with Timo Werner on the break and then setting up Tammy’s goal.”

The Blues’
pressure was rewarded in the 10th minute when a short corner caught Newcastle
flat-footed.

Mason Mount
whipped in a low cross and Fernandez turned it into his own net under pressure
from Chilwell at the far post.

Chelsea put
the result beyond doubt in the 65th minute when Werner accelerated away from
the Newcastle defence and slipped a pass to Abraham, who guided his shot past
Darlow and in off the post.

Abraham has
now scored in three consecutive appearances in all competitions for the first
time since September 2019.