Jose Mourinho has explained his reasoning behind dropping Eden Hazard for Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says his decision to drop Eden Hazard for the 2-0 win against Aston Villa was purely tactical, adding his delight after his side ended its winless run.
Diego Costa and an Alan Hutton own goal gave the Premier League champions their first win in four outings, with Mourinho having dropped Hazard, Nemanja Matic, Oscar and Gary Cahill to the bench for the clash at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho has been critical of Hazard's workrate previously in his Chelsea reign but stated the Belgian's absence from the starting XI was because of defensive requirements.