LONDON — Frank Lampard chose the perfect place to end his goalless run for Chelsea, in front of the West Ham fans who have never forgiven him for leaving the east London club more than a decade ago. The England midfielder scored the first and third goals of a comfortable 3-0 away win that put third-placed Chelsea's title bid back on track after a recent stumble and left West Ham worrying about relegation. The goals were Lampard's first after 10 Premier League games without one, ending his longest barren sequence since joining the Stamford Bridge team in 2001. “I've had little patches in my career where that does happen but I have to keep my head,” Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer told Sky Sports television. “I've been playing deeper recently and at times I've missed a couple of opportunities that I'd expect to score.” Lampard has always had a torrid time at the hands of West Ham fans and they once again booed his name when the teams were announced. His father, Frank Lampard senior, was a hero at Upton Park and played 674 times for the club. Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho paid tribute to a player whose prolific scoring exploits helped him win two league titles during his first spell in charge at the west London club. “I think he is in a moment where he has nothing to prove to you, to the fans, to me, to himself,” Mourinho told reporters. “He has just to enjoy the last years of his career, try to play the maximum he can, try to score because scoring is something that is part of his DNA as a player.” Lampard blasted home a penalty in the 21st minute after Brazil midfielder Oscar was brought down by goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Oscar doubled Chelsea's lead with a pinpoint right-foot drive into the bottom corner of the net 13 minutes later. Lampard's second goal was a trademark strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 82nd minute, timing a run perfectly to sweep the ball home. Chelsea, which dropped five points in its previous two league games, is now four points behind leaders Arsenal. — Reuters
