The Roynaissance has come at a cost. Not to Crystal Palace or Roy Hodgson but to his captain in his last game at a World Cup. Nine years after Frank Lampard led England in a stalemate against Costa Rica to ensure Hodgson’s team left the tournament with a solitary point, he finds himself at the helm of another side facing a historic low.
Crystal Palace’s win over West Ham demoted Chelsea to the status of the sixth-best team in London, at least if the standings are to be believed, and puts them 12th in the table. End the season now and it would be their worst finish since 1994.
