Liverpool and Man City ‘out on their own’ as Frank Lampard plans to try and breach gap to top two

Chelsea boss hails victory over City that handed Liverpool the title but believes there is still plenty of catching up to do even when Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech arrive next season

Liverpool and Manchester City have set the benchmark for the rest of the Premier League to follow, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said after masterminding the 2-1 win over City that handed the Reds their first league title in 30 years on Thursday.

Lampard, who won three Premier League titles as a player at Chelsea, congratulated Liverpool in a news conference and said it was up to other clubs to match them and Pep Guardiola's City.

"I think for the last three seasons, themselves (Liverpool) and City have been out on their own pretty much, and that's a lot of work," he said.

"It's a gap that we want to try and breach, we want to move up towards - they are two of the best teams in the world. Again, credit to Liverpool for what they've done," Lampard added.

The Chelsea boss added: "I'd just congratulate Liverpool, the title was decided a long time ago.

"They have a great group of players and a great manager.

"And now Liverpool have shown their quality. So again, credit to Liverpool for what they've done.

"There's a clear gap and it won't happen overnight with one or two signings, there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

"But this was a big performance and result for us."

Reuters