Before entering management, Frank Lampard was one of the most prolific midfielders that the Premier League had ever seen – so, here are his top 5 career goals.
Lampard started his career at West Ham, before moving to Chelsea in 2001. It was in the blue side of London where the midfielder immortalised himself as a legend.
The England international picked up countless trophies during his spell at Stamford Bridge. Under numerous managers, “Lamps” won three Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, a Champions League, a Europa League, and two League Cups.
Additionally, his impressive penchant for arriving in the box at the perfect time gave Lampard a phenomenal goal record. Despite being a midfielder, he finished his career as Chelsea’s all-time top scorer, with 211 goals. Lampard also has the most goals all-time by a Premier League midfielder.
As a result, we definitely have plenty of choices for a top 5 goals compilation.
#5: vs Everton, 2006/07 Premier League
Frank Lampard loved to score against Everton, with this particular effort undoubtedly his best and worthy of a top 5 goals entry.
Before going on to manage the Toffees, the Chelsea legend was a thorn in Everton’s side, scoring ten times against them in his career. But the Goodison Park faithful must have been impressed with this goal.
Lampard received the ball from Salomon Kalou, roughly 25 yards out. Before a defender could close him down, the England midfielder unleashed a glorious shot. His effort dipped out of the reach of Tim Howard and into the far top corner.
With this goal, Lampard brought Chelsea level with the hosts during their Premier League encounter. Eventually, a stunning Didier Drogba strike gave the Blues a 3-2 win away from home.
Take nothing away from Frank Lampard’s goal, though; it was a beauty.
#4: vs Croatia, 2003 international friendly
Despite scoring 29 goals for England, just one international strike makes it into our top 5 from Frank Lampard. It also turns out that it is the midfielder’s first goal for the Three Lions.
During a 2003 friendly against Croatia, Lampard tried to rip the net off with a thunderbolt from range.
Some lovely one-touch passing eventually saw the ball reach substitute forward James Beattie. With his back to goal, he laid the ball backward into the path of Lampard.
The temptation to hit it was just too much for the England midfielder. So, Lampard delivered a venomous strike that flew from his right boot into the top-left corner. The helpless Croatia keeper couldn’t even get near it.
This goal wrapped up a comfortable 3-1 friendly win for Sven Goran Eriksson’s side on the night. On a personal level, it is surely one of Frank Lampard’s more memorable goals as his first in an England shirt. He arguably set himself such high standards that he never scored a better goal for his country!
#3: vs Bayern Munich, 2004/05 Champions League quarter-final 1st leg
Next up on our top 5 goals from Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is a fabulous effort from a big European night.
Lampard was integral to the London club’s emergence as a force in Europe. He scored goals at crucial times when Chelsea made runs deep into the Champions League. Additionally, he was a key figure in their 2012 triumph in the competition – the Blues first UCL title.
But for now, we are looking back on a sublime finish from 2005.
After Bayern half-cleared the ball to Claude Makelele, the Frenchman chipped the ball to Lampard in the box. Chelsea’s No.8 cushioned the ball on his chest, high up into the air.
This forced Lampard to have to spin in order to greet the ball as it fell to the turf. And boy did he meet it. The England star lashed a perfect half-volley to the far side of the goal that flashed past Oliver Kahn in the Bayern net.
Lampard actually managed to score twice in this excellent 4-2 win over the Bavarians. Prior to his half-volley, he had also found the net with a low-driven strike. These goals set Chelsea on their way to winning the quarter-final tie on aggregate.
Unfortunately, though, Liverpool eliminated the Blues at the semi-final hurdle in the 2004/05 season.
#2: vs Hull, 2008/09 Premier League
In second place on the top 5 goals from “super” Frank Lampard is an outrageous chip from the 2008/09 Premier League campaign. Lamps scored 12 goals in this particular season – however, none were quite as impressive as this one.
When Hull failed to clear the danger, the ball rolled to Lampard on the left-hand corner of the box. As it came to his feet, the Chelsea star noticed Hull keeper Boaz Myhill off his line. Then, without taking a touch, he produced a stunning lob – using his weaker left foot – which glided into the far corner of the net.
The ingenuity and technique truly make this one of Lampard’s standout goals. Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win at Hull following this, with Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda also on the scoresheet.
#1: Barcelona, 2006/07 Champions League
Finally, taking top spot in our favourite 5 goals from Frank Lampard is an incredible finish from a memorable night at Camp Nou.
Just like the other UCL goal on this list, Claude Makelele is the provider, but Lampard really provides the quality.
Trailing 1-0, Makelele sent a lofted pass to the left-hand side of the box. Lampard unfortunately mis-controlled the pass, though, and ended up chasing the ball down to the goal line. When he reached the ball, the England international is effectively stood on the touchline. Still, that does not deter him from putting an effort at goal.
In one clean movement, Lampard pivoted on his standing foot and clipped a delightful lob towards the far post. Victor Valdes, stuck at his near post, cannot reach this perfectly weighted attempt as it sails into the far side netting.
Lampard’s audacity to even take on the shot allowed him to take Barcelona by surprise. His strike brought Chelsea level with the Catalan giants during their group stage encounter, which eventually finished 2-2.
Sadly, Liverpool again proved Chelsea’s undoing in their 2006/07 UCL run; the Reds eliminated the London side in the semi-finals once more.
Featured image credit: Getty