Essien Is Still My Man – Mourinho

Jose Mourinho defended Michael Essien after the Ghanaian’s howler gifted Southampton an early lead in Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.

Essien’s wayward back pass allowed Jay Rodriguez to put the visitors in front just 13 seconds into the match and put Mourinho’s home unbeaten run in the Premier League under threat.

But Chelsea rallied after the break and goals from Gary Cahill, John Terry and Demba Ba ensured no more ground was lost on league leaders Arsenal.

After the match, Mourinho insisted he was pleased with Essien’s performance, despite replacing him with Ba after just 45 minutes.

“Everybody makes a mistake,” Mourinho told reporters. “Strikers they miss goals, goalkeepers make mistakes and midfielders lose the ball, especially when they try to play, and he tried to play. He had a very normal performance. He played the same way Mikel plays or when Luiz plays in midfield.

“He played his part in the stability of the team, but one yellow card for 45 minutes is a long time. I had to take one (of him or Ramires off). But he’s my man, he’s a Chelsea man and it’s no problem.”

Mourinho also paid tribute to the way his Chelsea side reacted to the early setback and exploited his tactical shift to a more orthodox 4-4-2 to turn the game on its head.