LONDON • Frank Lampard has called on the Chelsea board to back him in the transfer market after his side edged into the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win at Hull on Saturday night.

In recent weeks, the Blues manager has bemoaned his players' failure to kill off defensively minded opponents, making no secret that signings in key attacking areas would alleviate those issues.

It was almost the same story at Championship outfit Hull. The visitors were in full control thanks to Michy Batshuayi's early strike before Fikayo Tomori's header doubled the lead after half-time.

But Chelsea should have been further ahead by that point after missing several gilt-edged chances and Kamil Grosicki's late deflected free kick set up a tense finale.

Chelsea were unable to sign players last summer owing to their one-window transfer ban, so many pundits had tipped them to be among the biggest spenders this month.

However, Lampard expressed his frustration over the lack of movement at Stamford Bridge despite a reported £150 million (S$265.2 million) budget.

"It's a big test coming up for us. It's clear we've got a punishment where we couldn't bring in players and we lost one of the biggest players in our history (Eden Hazard's sale to Real Madrid)," he told BT Sport.

"We lost ground last summer so now we need to (sign players), to challenge for (the) top four. For me, it's clear.

The transfer window closes on Friday, leaving Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich with little time to satisfy his demands amid talk of a potential move for Edinson Cavani, whose deal with Paris Saint-Germain expires in the summer.

In the meantime, Lampard has promised to continue to work with his players and solve their profligacy. "We work hard in front of goal and it is not coming off for us. It is going to define you. I feel like a broken record," he added.

"My job is to work every day on the training ground with the players. Can we get better?"

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE