Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has reacted to Manchester City Court of Arbitration for Sport verdict.
Lampard says he was ‘neutral' on whether City would win their appeal against a Champions League ban, as it was confirmed that Chelsea will have to finish in the top four to qualify for the competition next season.
City's successful appeal at CAS means their two-year expulsion from the Champions League has been overturned, meaning the fifth-placed team in this season's Premier League will qualify for the Europa League as usual.
If the ban had been upheld, City's Champions League place would have gone to the fifth team, which is currently Manchester United.
A win for the Red Devils on Monday evening against Southampton will lift them above Chelsea and Leicester into third, with three games remaining.
However, Lampard insists Chelsea were not counting on fifth place being available, and were neutral in the situation.
He said: “I was pretty neutral on it really. I didn't know much about the case, I just looked at the result at it this morning.
“I don't see beyond the games in hand, we want to win them. I was never pinning my hopes on it, we just looked at ourselves.
“We are sitting third, it is in our hands. This morning has just made it clear now and we have to fight for it.”
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Chelsea were one of eight top half Premier League teams who reportedly sent a letter to CAS asking for City's ban to stand while their appeal was ongoing.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
