Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was pleased with his teams first 25 minutes, but not so for the rest of the game.
The Blues managed to pick up a point in their 1-1 draw to Leicester City on Sunday in the Premier League.
It all started off so well for Lampard's side when Mason Mount pickpocketed Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi in the 7th minute and slotted home off balance past Kasper Schmeichel to make it 1-0 to Chelsea.
The Blues had multiple chances to extend their lead in the opening 25 minutes of the game, but the likes of Pedro Rodriguez and Ngolo Kante couldn't convert their golden chances.
Leicester then dominated the rest of the game and deservedly equalised in the 67th minute from a corner when Wilfried Ndidi powered home his free header past Kepa to make it 1-1.
And the Foxes then squandered golden chances to win the game, with Jamie Vardy and James Maddison failing to convert as a tired Chelsea side held on for a point in Lampard's homecoming to Stamford Bridge.
We played into Leicester's hands
After the game, Lampard admitted he was happy with the first 25 minutes for his side, but wasn't happy with how his side played into Leicester's hands after that initial spell.
"The first 25 minutes was how we want to play but the rest of the game wasn’t quite how we want to play,’" he reflected.
"Credit to Leicester for that, they put us under pressure and we weren’t good enough in possession after the first period. We gifted them possession back and gave them the feeling they were still in the game because we didn’t score that second goal.
"In the second half, we left far too many spaces for them. They’re a very good team on the counter-attack, they have good attacking players who can really hurt you and that was the disappointing thing for me, the fact we couldn’t sustain the period in the early part of the game.
"I don’t expect that 100-miles-an-hour energy for 90 minutes but I do expect that we keep possession of the ball better when we rest."
Tiredness a factor for his side?
Lampard's side had played 120 minutes in Istanbul in the Super Cup in Chelsea's penalty loss to Liverpool.
So when asked about tiredness being a factor, with a little hesitation- The Chelsea boss did admit that it played a significant part in his sides lacklustre second-half performance.
"I hate the tiredness excuse but I think it was a factor in the second half of the game. We’re good enough that if that is a factor we can take it out by being better on the ball, we turned it over too many times, we allowed them counter-attacks which means you run a lot.
"The performance against Manchester United overall made me happier than today’s, even though it was a 4-0 defeat. It’s clearly a results business and we need results as well as performances but I believe we have both in us because we have good quality.
"We need better game management. When the game turns slightly against us then we need to be good enough to wrestle that back and move the ball better so that’s something for us to keep working on."
Delighted with Mason Mount's performance
The standout performer for Chelsea from the game was clearly Mount, with his crucial goal which in the end earned Chelsea their first point in the Frank Lampard era.
On his goal, The Chelsea manager felt his goal showcased everything that the youngster is about.
"That was the first of some big moments for Mason and I’m delighted for him on that level but I know he’ll have wanted that to be part of a win."
My return to the Bridge 'felt great'
Discussing his emotional return to the bridge, Lampard admitted how good it felt to be home.
"It felt great. It was obviously a big, special moment for me to come back to the club and manage the club at Stamford Bridge. It’s the stuff of dreams and I certainly appreciate it but I’m here to do a job and we know we can do better than we did today."