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Frank Lampard He admitted he was “disoriented” after the post-match scuffle coventryThe match was a 1-1 draw in Southampton.
Saints fans chanted at the Sky Blues boss and branded him a “s***”. Steven Gerrard“In the latter stages of the match.
And after the full-time whistle, Lampard went onto the pitch and repeatedly gestured to the home supporters, causing a reaction from the players.
“I was probably emotional,” Lampard said. “The fans had given me something in the last 10 minutes and I went on the field to give it back to them.
“It was really out of order, but if I wasn’t emotional sometimes on the pitch, and wasn’t a bad player I wouldn’t have lasted so long in the game.
“I was very proud of the players and then it got a little heated. Not every game is about shaking hands and smiling. We’re passionate about the game.”
“I have no problems with their players or fans. It’s a very good football club and I’ve always loved it. Maybe they don’t have it all for me tonight but that’s OK. Nothing means anything in this game, we both want to win.”
“I was very excited with what my players did. I’m not a robot. I had 10 minutes and I feel like I’m allowed to have a few moments.”
Lampard was forced to deal with an illness problem in his squad – which ruled out first-choice trio Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching.
Their table-toppers took the lead in the first half when Efron Mason-Clark nodded in Victor Torp’s cross, but were forced to hold on for the second half after Jay DeSilva was dismissed.
DeSilva lashed down Wellington’s shin 85 seconds after the restart, and despite Nathan Wood’s first Saints goal, Southampton could not find a winner.
Lampard said: “It was an excellent performance from both halves.
“We have a strict training ground and it’s very common that this is going on across the country. Friends and family have potentially got it, so it’s about managing it where we can.”
Lampard also thought his team should have had a penalty when Hadji Wright went down under pressure from Taylor Harwood-Bellis. He added: “The striker is tackled from behind by a defender. It’s a penalty and a red card.
“It’s really as obvious as a visual. It’s really unbelievable that the referee made that mistake.”
Southampton controlled things after gaining the man advantage but goalkeeper Carl Rushworth made good saves to stop Finn Azza and Ryan Manning. The hosts took 23 shots, but only seven hit the target.
Head coach Tonda Eckert said: “We played to win in the end. It’s very clear to us as a team that we always play for the three points, no matter who we play against.
“There were enough moments and chances to win but we couldn’t do it. There are performances and results, and we are disappointed with the result.”
“We were very effective. Even with one man it’s not easy to be as effective as we were in the second half. We got into some promising situations but we couldn’t get a second over the line.
“We know there are some things we need to continue to improve on and we will continue to work on that.”