REACTION: AWAY COMFORTS

Prior to Saturday's game, Chelsea's challenge at Newcastle was billed as playing the crowd just as much as the team. The visitors did well on both counts reckons Lampard.

It was Lampard who made the breakthrough early in the second half after a first 45 minutes of limited Chelsea chances and little Newcastle threat.

Florent Malouda's goal on 64 minutes all but guaranteed three points won from the Geordies who were hoping for so much more as Alan Shearer clocked on for a short management shift.

'I don't think the atmosphere was as loud as expected which was quite strange,' claimed Lampard as he spoke after the 2-0 win.

'We expected a cauldron and a real loud noise which is pretty normal up here anyway, but there wasn't too much and once we got the ball and started to move it about a bit and created a few things, it was quite comfortable.

'It was a good atmosphere but it wasn't quite as strong as I thought it would be for some reason. Maybe they didn't create that many chances nor had much pressure at certain times to really build up the atmosphere,' Lampard suggested.

'We didn't give them the chance to get too excited until late in the game when they had one or two half chances.'

It goes without saying that the opening strike is crucial in any match but never more so than in an away fixture like Saturday's

'With the atmosphere there, Newcastle would have been desperate for the first goal to get their noses in front, but the first half we were comfortable without being at our best,' the vice-captain said.

'The second half we opened up a bit, the game opened up, we started to play more football and create more chances and I think we deserved it when the goal came.

'When it opened up I tried to get forward, create a few things and I was quite fortunate for the goal that it dropped and I was in the area. It obviously bounced very nicely to me off the bar.

If he can score vital goals in away fixtures then Lampard claims to be happy with his form and it was his pass forward that supplied Malouda for the second.

'I just tried to make a few more things happen. We had 45 minutes today when we didn't really push and we did the same against Tottenham but in the second half this time we did everything right.

'The team performance was very strong second half and Malouda popped up with the second and from then on the game was very comfortable for us.'

Lampard is now just four goals away from his now customary 20 for the season and with an England goal too in the past fortnight, will be in a confident frame of mind going into the all-Barclays Premier League Champions League quarter-final.

'Against Newcastle was a confident display, we had a few players injured at the weekend and hopefully they can be fit for midweek, but our squad is pretty strong at the minute. We know how tough Liverpool is going to be, it is going to be a very tight game, both legs, and we are ready, we are in the right mood for it.'