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Premier League: Jose Mourinho praises Didier Drogba and Loic Remy after win over Tottenham Hotspur

Blues manager happy with performance and display of substitute Kurt Zouma

Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Loic Remy
Image: Didier Drogba and Loic Remy both scored against Spurs.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with the displays of Didier Drogba and Loic Remy after they put Tottenham Hotspur to the sword in the absence of the suspended Diego Costa.

After a promising start from Spurs, the hosts took control of the game with two goals in five minutes from Eden Hazard and Drogba.

Substitute Remy’s second-half strike secured a comfortable 3-0 win that keeps the Blues six points clear at the top of the table and Mourinho told Sky Sports he was ‘very happy’ with the performance.

“Most important is our approach,” he said. “We don’t cry because somebody is suspended, we just try to be positive and give confidence to the players that are going to play.

Didier Drogba doubled Chelsea's lead three minutes later
Image: Didier Drogba celebrates scoring Chelsea's second.

“I didn’t want to speak about Diego not playing because I know what I have. There was no Diego but Drogba and Remy both scored. They don’t play so many minutes but when they play they are there.”

The Blues have now gone 14 matches unbeaten this season and have won seven in a row at Stamford Bridge in the league.

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Loic Remy scored Chelsea's third goal in their convincing 3-0 win over Tottenham.

They could have been in for a tougher night if Spurs had capitalised on their bright start but Mourinho was pleased with the way his team held firm.

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“We had difficult moments that weren’t our fault,” he said. “You have to give Tottenham credit, they started very well in both halves. They are a very good team, they have the principles of their game well established and it is not easy to play against them so we have to be happy.

“If they had scored when [Harry] Kane hit the bar or the chance then the game could have been different. They went for it, but after that our team was strong and defended very well.”

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Chelsea's Eden Hazard was full of praise for Didier Drogba after he replaced the suspended Diego Costa up front.

Mourinho also reserved praise for 20-year-old defender Kurt Zouma, who came on at half-time in place of Gary Cahill after he took a knock to the head.

“I kid Zouma that people look at his body and forget his age,” said the Chelsea boss. “He is a kid. He came on at half-time in a difficult situation where Tottenham are behind and trying to push and he had a fantastic 45 minutes.”

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