London: It was a classic free-kick. Thirtyfive-year-old Frank Lampard, on the verge of retirement, struck a ferocious shot, that swerved in mid-air and deceived the rival goalkeeper as Chelsea crushed Hull City 2-0 today.
Lampard had earlier taken a penalty kick which was saved by Hull goalkeepr Allan McGregor.
It was Lampard's 204th goal for Chelsea, a club record - two more than the man he overtook in May, Bobby Tambling.
The stunning goal was also a justification of the one-year contract extension offered to him after Chelsea's Europa League triumph at the end of last season.
Though Mourinho made it clear to Chelsea's old guard that their starting places were not guaranteed this season, Lampard looks just as much an indispensable part of the team as he did a decade ago.
With a perfect start at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea scored first in the 13th minute when De Bruyne, taking a pass from Hazard, turned and wrongfooted rivals' defence and send a neat pass to Oscar, who scored the first goal.
Chelsea made it 2-0 in the 25th minute. Torres diving through the air fell on the ground creating a free-kick opportunity from 30 yards for Lampard.
The rivals' wall was poor, and that gave an opening space for Lampard to score the goal from a superb free-kick.
