Frank Lampard Gives Christian Pulisic 'Great Credit' After Chelsea Win vs. Ajax

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard hailed Christian Pulisic after he contributed an assist off the bench in the Blues' 1-0 UEFA Champions League win at Ajax on Wednesday.

"You have to give Christian huge credit because he looked so lively and the assist is just as important as the finish," Lampard said, per Reuters (via ESPN FC).

Pulisic's only start for the Blues since August came against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, but he made the difference for Chelsea alongside fellow substitute Michy Batshuayi on Wednesday.

The United States international picked out the forward after some good work on the left, and he made no mistake from just outside the six-yard box (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

Goal's Nizaar Kinsella praised the pair's contributions off the bench:

Given Chelsea spent £58 million to prise Pulisic away from Borussia Dortmund, his lack of game time this season has not gone unnoticed.

His outing on Wednesday was only his ninth in all competitions, and the 21-year-old has only been on the pitch for 501 minutes.

On Pulisic, Lampard added:

"I've tried to shut my ears to a lot of the outside talk ... I understand his quality, his young age and the fact that it's a big move for him.

"He wants to know what I want from him, what the Premier League is like and that's not always an easy ride but we've stayed calm and kept looking at the big picture."

Per football journalist Dan Levene, Lampard is pleased with the balance in his squad, too:

Pulisic has now produced five assists in his nine outings for Chelsea, an impressive return given he's only started five of those and completed 90 minutes just twice.

He's competing with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Willian and Pedro for game time, but he would have hoped to play a more significant role than he has so far at Stamford Bridge.

His impact against Ajax will do his chances of starting no harm, though. The Blues travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, and it will come as little surprise if Pulisic is in the side from the outset.

If that is the case, he'll need to continue making match-winning contributions, or he'll soon find himself on the sidelines once again.