Motivation is a subject on Mason Mount’s lips as the young midfielder hopes to follow up his FA Cup success with a strong showing at Anfield on Wednesday, when Chelsea could ensure we are definitely in the Champions League next season.
If he features against Liverpool it will be his 50th Chelsea appearance, a highly impressive return in what is the 21-year-old’s first season in the senior side. He will be the first graduate of our Academy to reach such a total in the season he made his debut.Appearance 49 went well, with a goal in the 3-1 win that takes the Blues into the FA Cup final. Mount reveals that a past Wembley outing acted as motivation to help ensure a happier outcome this time.‘It is a young boy’s dream to score at Wembley,’ he begins. ‘I was lucky enough to play in the Championship play-off final but unluckily we lost that and it was a disappointing result and I kind of held that feeling of playing there and losing, knowing how it felt and I wanted to bring that into my game any time I do play there.‘When you do, it is a massive opportunity to show everyone that you are a winner and you want to win. So I am very happy to score at Wembley. Any goal I’ll take it, especially at Wembley, any way it goes in.’That play-off final came last season when a Derby County side containing Mount and Fikayo Tomori and managed by Frank Lampard lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.‘You do park it, especially when you go into a new team, coming back to Chelsea,’ Mount continues, ‘but I loved being at Derby and I wanted to get them back in the Premier League. I gave it my everything, we fell short but it is still in the back of my head. I still feel the disappointment with not winning there with Derby but to come now and win with Chelsea in the semi-final and going into the final now, we want to win the game and we want to win a trophy.’
Before the FA Cup final come Premier League games of big significance to the Blues. The first is against Liverpool who already know their final position in the table and will lift the trophy at Anfield tomorrow.‘For a team to be as dominant as they have been this season, it definitely gives you that motivation next season to match them,’ insists Mount.‘We have played them three times this season and we have definitely been competitive with them, and when you watch something like the trophy lift, it gives you that extra motivation going into next season.‘I am a winner so I don’t like watching other people win, especially other teams. You want to win with your own team so it is definitely hard to watch someone else win but they have been brilliant this season and worthy winners.‘When you watch something like that it gives you that extra motivation to want to win and that is something we want to keep doing and finish off this season in the top four and hopefully win a trophy, and then focus on next season and really try to push to win.’
Read: Mount looks ahead to two cup finals before the cup final