Frank Lampard believed his Chelsea side produced 'something special' to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
Goals from Willian and Ross Barkley saw Liverpool fall to a second defeat in four days and while the Reds produced another off-night, Chelsea put on one of their most dominant displays since Lampard's arrival.
For Lampard, his young side - which included 18-year-old midfielder Billy Gilmour - beat the 'best team in the land' due to their 'focus', 'determination' and 'quality'.
'Really proud because they're [Liverpool] the best team in the land,' Lampard said in victory, which sealed a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
'Them and Man City have proven that in the last two years. But what they're doing this year in the league is incredible. So for us to put in the effort, the focus, the determination, the quality that we've put into the game was something special tonight. And it was a one-off.
'We know very well that there's a lot of work to do and there's a long way to go to get to where we want to but you have to celebrate those moments.
'Especially when you get that second because you know how dangerous Liverpool are in the last minutes so to go two-up was great.'
Liverpool made a brighter start in the opening exchanges but Chelsea soon found their rhythm, largely due to the performance of Gilmour, and they took the lead fortuitously through Willian after 13 minutes.
The Brazilian fired a fizzing strike straight at Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian and he could only fumble it into his own net.
Former Everton midfielder doubled Chelsea's lead in the second-half after breaking from inside his own half to score a brilliant goal that left the Liverpool defence dazed.
But it was Scottish teenager Gilmour who won the plaudits and took the Man of the Match award as Lampard could not help but single him out in his post-match remarks.
'What an incredible performance for a young player against the best team,' he said.
'When things are happening quickly around you and he was a calm head in that first five, 10 minutes. Straight away, you could see he had quality on the ball and wants to get the ball.
'He's a throwback to the days of midfielders I grew up. And people will say can you put your foot in? Yes. Can you make angles to always get the ball? Yes. Can you play the right pass and pick the simple one at the right time? Yes. And he's got all that.
'People might look at him and see that he's quite slight in his way but he's huge in personality. Huge. So I'm absolutely delighted for him.
'He deserves everything. He deserves man of the match, he deserves people talking about him. I'm delighted for him and his family because it's a big day for them.'
SOURCE: UK DAILYMAIL
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