Chelsea boss praises Drogba and Hazard

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho praised Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard following the 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

Striker Drogba, 36, had been nursing an ankle problem but played because Diego Costa and Loic Remy were both unavailable.

And he responded by scoring the opening goal, which looked to be enough to give his team all three points before Robin Van Persie equalised in the dying seconds.

“He was fantastic – especially for somebody who is only training for a week. He was not training for about a month, so I’m so happy with his performance,” Mourinho said.

Hazard, meanwhile, was excellent again. The Belgian was a constant threat to the United defence and almost scored before Drogba broke the deadlock.

Mourinho declared: “Eden had initiative and he’s getting that also in big matches – to take responsibility, to take the ball and create.

“He nearly scored a fantastic goal before we scored and I’m so happy with the kid. He’s another one who is clearly improving.”

Mourinho felt it summed up how improved his side are this season that they left Old Trafford disappointed with just a point.

A victory would have extended the Blues’ lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.

“We got the same result as last season, but if I compare what we did last season with what we did this season, it shows clearly the evolution of this team,” Mourinho explained.

“To come here and play the way we did and not to be happy with the point – because we are not – shows clearly how good we were and what we are playing in this moment.

“We are not happy with a point. This is only possible when you play so well and you feel that you are so good.”

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