Jose Mourinho hails his 'amazing' Chelsea side after battling away victory
Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on his "amazing" Chelsea team for beating Stoke 2-0 and pulling three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
An early header from John Terry sent Chelsea on their way to victory at the Britannia Stadium on Monday night before Cesc Fabregas sealed the points on 77 minutes after a brilliant three-man move involving Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
The result puts clear daylight between Chelsea and Manchester City and Mourinho could not speak highly enough of his squad afterwards.
"All of them were amazing," he said.
"Every one of them did their job perfectly. We made some changes to the normal way of playing, to adapt to playing in such a difficult stadium.
"It was a fantastic performance. It was one of those matches where the victory means more than just the three points. You can feel the right spirit, the right atmosphere and what the players are ready to do; to try and win the championship. I'm very pleased, as we won in one of the most difficult places to win."
The last three times Chelsea have been top on Christmas Day, they went on to win the Premier League while seven of the last 10 teams to lead the way on December 25 have reigned supreme in May.
However, Mourinho was not interested in those statistics and was more worried about a tough fixture list over Christmas that includes trips to Southampton and Tottenham.
"What we did in the past isn't important," he said.
"This season, we have been top of the league since day one and we are there because we are playing really well. We have been the best team, that's why we are top of the league. Our Christmas fixtures are more difficult than any other one.
"Three away matches at Stoke, Southampton and Tottenham, and one at home to West Ham, who are doing amazingly well."
