Frank Lampard and 5 Former Chelsea Players Who Have Returned to Haunt the Blues

Frank Lampard’s move to Manchester City on loan from MLS franchise New York City FC was always going to be controversial.

The terms of his loan mean he will not face former club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, per Joe Bernstein of the Daily Mail, but there was nothing to stop him playing against the club he called home for 13 years at the Etihad.

Lampard’s equalising goal was almost to be expected given his astonishing record for the Blues, but it would be difficult to find another situation where a footballer looked so gutted to have scored in the right net.

Although seeing Lampard score against Chelsea cut deep, he is not the first former Blue to do some damage to the club. Click through for five of the most notable familiar faces who have returned to haunt Chelsea.

All Chelsea stats taken from the archive on the official website. Transfer fees, where applicable, taken from transfermarkt.co.uk. 

Shaun Wright-Phillips

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Shaun Wright-Phillips won the full set of domestic honours in his three-year spell with Chelsea.

Signed from Manchester City in 2005 for £21 million, Wright-Phillips made 124 appearances for the Blues before returning to City in 2008. After struggling to fit back in, he returned to London in 2011 to play for Queens Park Rangers.

The following season, Wright-Phillips scored the only goal of the game as QPR defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, compounding the misery of the supporters.

Already depressed by the sight of Rafa Benitez in their dugout, they were dismayed to see a former player score the only goal for their local rivals, and Wright-Phillips was not afforded the same warmth and affection that was offered to Lampard at the Etihad. 

Samuel Eto'o

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Samuel Eto’o’s Chelsea career was brief but memorable. He scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for the Blues during the 2013-14 season.

After his contract expired in the summer, Eto’o moved to Everton and came off the bench to score as the Toffees were beaten 6-3 by his former club. 

Daniel Sturridge

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Daniel Sturridge joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2009 and went on to make 96 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals in the process. Never able to get a consistent run in the starting XI, Sturridge left the Blues for Liverpool in January 2013.

He faced his former club later that season and predictably found the back of the net in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Anfield, although his goal was overshadowed by Luis Suarez biting Branislav Ivanovic in the same game. 

Steve Clarke

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Steve Clarke played for Chelsea during the glory days of the 1990s, winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup after 421 appearances.

He left after that triumph to join former Chelsea team-mate Ruud Gullit as part of the coaching staff at Newcastle United before returning to Stamford Bridge to coach the youth team. He was promoted to become Jose Mourinho’s assistant in 2004 and enjoyed a successful relationship with the Special One before quitting in 2008 to join another former Blue, Gianfranco Zola, at West Ham.

His first managerial appointment in his own right came at West Bromwich Albion, where he oversaw a 2-1 defeat of Chelsea in the November of his first season in charge. That game was the penultimate match of Roberto Di Matteo’s tenure in charge of the club and was cited as one of the main reasons for his sacking. 

Mark Hughes

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Mark “Sparky” Hughes joined Chelsea from Manchester United in 1995 and forged a strong striking partnership with fan favourite Gianfranco Zola. After scoring 39 goals in 123 games, Hughes left for Southampton in 1998 before finishing his playing career at Blackburn Rovers.

He then embarked on a managerial career that took in Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and QPR before arriving at his current role in charge of Stoke City.

Chelsea arrived at the Britannia Stadium in December 2013. Hughes set his side up to use their superior physicality to muscle their way to a 3-2 win, putting a dent in the Blues’ early season title ambitions.