Dalglish backs under-fire Lampard

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has slammed Frank Lampard’s critics by calling those who wrote him off as now looking ‘a little stupid’.

The experienced midfielder’s future had previously been the subject of some speculation, but he has since answered the doubters by scoring six goals in 10 appearances in the Premier League.

The 33-year-old was also handed the honour of captaining England during the recent international friendly against Spain, in the absence of club-mate John Terry.

“I don’t think there was any suggestion from here that Frank Lampard’s time has passed,” said Dalglish ahead of the teams’ clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“People who have said it are looking a bit stupid now.”

Liverpool head into the match knowing that a victory will see them go level on points with the Blues.

The London-based outfit are themselves currently 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, but Dalglish believes that Chelsea have the quality necessary to challenge for the title.

“I wouldn’t expect Chelsea to be too far away,” he said.

“It is up to them how close they get but we’re not concerned about that because we want to get ourselves up there as well.”