Frank Lampard started off 2015 the same way he ended 2014: Playing the unlikely hero for Manchester City.
The 36-year-old midfielder came off the bench in the second half and scored on a pinpoint header off a cross from defender Gaël Clichy in the 73rd minute that pushed Manchester City to a wild 3-2 win over visiting Sunderland.
The goal was Lampard’s seventh in 18 appearances in all competitions since joining Manchester City in August. He deftly steered his wide-open header to the far post for the winner and the final of a combined five goals scored between the two clubs in a 16-minute span after a scoreless first half.
MLS expansion club New York City FC announced on Wednesday that Lampard will remain with Manchester City through the end of the club's current season, allowing for Lampard to participate in Manchester City's English Premier League and UEFA Champions League campaigns.
Lampard will join NYCFC "once his commitment ends in England," NYCFC Director of Football Claudio Reyna said in Wednesday's club statement. "[He] will be available to play on arrival as a permanent member of the squad, given he will come to us having played at the highest level."
