Michael Essien last night demonstrated why Jose Mourinho refused to give up the fight to take him to Stamford Bridge for a club record fee of £24.4million as Chelsea cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Argentine striker Hernan Crespo - with his third in as many games – and defender Ricardo Carvalho settled the issue inside the first 15 minutes and the 2-0 win over Anderlecht in Brussels ensured Chelsea reached the next phase of the competition along with their Group G rivals Liverpool.
But it was the man Mourinho placed at the top of his wanted list last summer who stole the show with a magnificent performance in place of injured anchorman Claude Makelele.
For a manager who is reluctant to heap praise on individuals, Mourinho was positively gushing about Essien's performance.
"I think he was the best Chelsea player," said the Blues' boss. "Over the 90 minutes I think he was the best.
"I don't like to analyse football this way because I am a coach of a team, I like teams to play well or to be responsible for good things.
"But then I have to analyse individually and I think his performance was the most consistent over the 90 minutes."
