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Frank Lampard: 'We nearly won it, nearly lost it'
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says the end-to-end game with Valencia wasn’t what they wanted after the Spanish side equalised late on, meaning the Blues will have to wait on their Champions League qualification.
A win in Valencia would have seen Chelsea through to the knockout stages of the competition, but they will now have to beat Lille at home in their final group match to advance after a 2-2 draw at the Mestalla.
"We nearly won it, nearly lost it. It was end-to-end, not that we wanted it to be.
"It's difficult to come here, I know that from coming here as a player. When the atmosphere turns, sometimes you're hanging on, but it keeps it in our hands."
READ MORE: Chelsea must wait on Champions League qualification after Valencia level late on
Chelsea went behind in the 40th minute, but responded immediately through Mateo Kovacic with his first goal for the club a minute later.
They then went ahead themselves five minutes after the restart as Christian Pulisic finished from close range.
Kepa later produced a magnificent save to deny Valencia from the penalty spot, but the home side found the back of the net from what was surely a cross misjudged by the Chelsea keeper, as Daniel Wass found the back of the net off the inside of the post.
The match was far too open for Lampard’s liking. Not impressed with their defensive efforts or their end product.
"Parts of our performance I'm not mad on. We gave away too many chances. We missed a lot as well. That's something we're doing a lot of at the minute - not putting our chances away.
"But can't turn away from the fact they had a lot of chances. They were arriving in our box too much. Credit to the players for their work-rate and hanging on in there, but sometimes you have to be more secure than that."
Chelsea host Lille on 10 December where a win will see them through.
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