DISTRAUGHT Frank Lampard dashed away from a vital match last night after hearing his mother was seriously ill.

Lampard, 29, had been warming up for Chelseas game against Wigan when he was told the news about his beloved mum Pat.

The ashen-faced midfield ace, dressed in a white Chelsea polo shirt and blue tracksuit bottoms with a white training top tied around his waist, sprinted down the touchline, past some fans in their seats and out of the ground to his car.

After driving to the hospital he joined other distraught family members were at the bedside of 58-year-old Pat as she fought pneumonia.

Doctors were keeping her under observation. It was not known whether her condition was life-threatening. Lampards agent Steve Kutner said last night: It is a family matter. There is an illness in the family and thats it.

Last night sources close to the footballer told The Sun that Pat was gravely ill.

Sensitive

Lampard, who followed his father Frank Snr to West Ham before joining Chelsea, has often told of his closeness to his mum.

He once said: Im very close to Mum a real mummys boy.

Were very similar. Quite sensitive, quite shy. Whereas Dads been the big influence on my career, Mums been the one who shaped me as a person how to treat people, manners, that kind of thing.

Shes brilliant and was always there for me and my two sisters, whatever we wanted to do.

Weve only ever had one argument and that was over something stupid when I was 13. I always say I may look like my dad apart from his beard but my character comes from Mum.

Last night Chelsea, without Lampard, conceded a last-minute equaliser to draw 1-1.

The surprise result against Wigan, a team fighting relegation, put a massive dent in second-placed Chelseas hopes of catching Premier League leaders Manchester United.

Lampard who has won 60 England caps, scoring 14 goals has been a driving force behind Chelseas success since joining them in 2001, helping them to win two Premier League titles. He has scored more than 100 goals for the club from midfield, including 20 this season.