We demonstrated our strength

Petr, how did it feel to concede this quickly?
Naturally it’s always unfortunate, but on the other hand we did still have 90 minutes to do something about it. Ironically, I’d recalled my second Chelsea game back in 2004, also against Southampton, when Joe Cole accidentally passed the ball over to Beattie who smoothly went on to score. It was 10 seconds after kick-off that time, so I guess you could say that even football history has a way of repeating itself. Then again just like in 2004, we did rectify that mistake and ended up beating our opponent anyway.
Was it difficult, though?
We definitely had the upper hand throughout the second half, we could even have won by a larger margin had we been more diligent. It’s a crucial win, nevertheless; A lot of our competition had lost points in the last round, and we used their momentary hesitation.
Did you not feel the urge to intercept Rodriguez when he was storming toward you?
I was worried I’d be too late. There was a chance that I’d tackle him and get booked, which would only lead to a penalty kick. This way I did all I could but he didn’t lose his cool.
Did anyone reproach Essien for his error?
Not at all, we all make mistakes. He did just fine for the rest of the game. He got subbed in the second half but that was only because coach wanted to send another attacker on and alter the formation.
It was defenders Cahill and Terry who took charge of overturning the score. Isn’t that somewhat unusual?
A lot of free kicks and corners were given and they were able to use them wisely. John Terry also got to celebrate his 400th Premier League game in style. He certainly deserves some recognition for that number.
Are you glad to have used your rivals’ hesitation to your advantage?
I’m glad we did. Southampton’s one of them, as a matter of fact. If they’d won they would now be one point ahead of us. This way we’re only lagging four points behind Arsenal. Now we’ll just have to wait and see who will be able to cope better with the demanding period around Christmas and New Year’s. There will be up to ten games within three weeks.
You will face Sunderland this Wednesday. Are you looking forward to encountering Ondrej Celustka?
I hope he gets to take part because he’s only been sent on toward the end of the match lately. Playing Sunderland is never easy. On top of that, they’ve been on the rise since the appointment of their new manager. Nothing we wouldn’t be able to cope with, though.