Frank Lampard makes feelings clear after Moises Caicedo Chelsea disagreement

Frank Lampard has urged Moises Caicedo to maintain his standards and deliver consistently for Chelsea after his exceptional display against Liverpool.

The 23-year-old Caicedo grabbed the spotlight after a player-of-the-match performance, capped by a spectacular goal, in Chelsea's 2-1 triumph over the Reds at Stamford Bridge.

The Ecuador midfielder put the Blues ahead in the opening period - unleashing a thunderous effort right into the top corner from the edge of the area - leaving goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili with no hope.

That strike marked Caicedo's third goal of the campaign, surpassing his tally from the entire 2024/25 season. His precise and ruthless finishing adds another dimension to his game, with the former Brighton star now proving he can contribute at both ends of the pitch, showcasing the ideal blend for a complete midfielder.

Following the match, Gary Neville sparked considerable debate by declaring Caicedo the Premier League's finest midfielder. "He's everything and a brilliant midfielder," Neville told Sky Sports. "He was the best player on the pitch by a mile and, if Liverpool had him, they would have won; he was that good."

He continued: "You think of [Ryan] Gravenberch last season and Declan Rice, Rodri obviously. But, right now, I think we can say he's the best midfielder in the Premier League."

However, Paul Scholes begs to differ with Neville's opinion, suggesting that Caicedo lacks certain qualities to be considered the best midfielder in the Premier League at present, with Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali being his preferred choice.

"I still don't class Caicedo as an all-round midfield player," Scholes said on The Overlap's Fan Debate. "Okay, I know he's got a great goal - and he was brilliant. I just prefer the controlling type of midfield players, who play with a bit more style and can score goals probably a little bit more often than Caicedo does.

"I think he's one of the very best at what he does, which is breaking the play up. I love [Sandro] Tonali at Newcastle, I was trying to think of a player as good as Tonali especially. I think he's been brilliant, [Bruno] Guimaraes as well."

Now, Lampard has joined in with the debate. Caicedo has drawn comparisons to both N'Golo Kante and Claude Makelele due to his performances for Chelsea, and Lampard understands why such comparisons are being made.

"They (Kante and Makelele) were both amazing," Lampard told talkSPORT. "I played with Maka obviously and he was a different type to N'Golo, because N'Golo could really get around, whereas Maka basically sat in front a lot.

"But I see because of the style of play, he (Caicedo) can do the Makelele break-up stuff really, really well, close down space really quickly. Now he's shown last season, and this, that he's got the sort of Kante bits in his game because N'Golo could do that, could arrive at the edge of the box and score."

Lampard went on to suggest that the comparison of Caicedo with both Kante and Makelele was justified, but he also laid down the gauntlet for the Ecuadorian to maintain his ascent to the very summit.

"What he's got to do now is just turn out consistently for the next season and, hopefully, try and win things with Chelsea," Lampard went on. "It (the comparison) makes sense, he's doing really well."

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