Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that midfielder Cesc Fabregas played through the pain in their 2-1 win over Liverpool earlier today, whilst also revealing that defensive-midfielder Ramires was not in 100% condition.
He has warned that Fabregas cannot join the Spanish international squad for the upcoming international break, given the fact they were not at 100% top condition.
Mourinho told reports: "No, he (Fabregas) can't go. Well he can if he wants, but he can't. I think all of (the players) them gave a great performance and had the game under control. One point at Anfield, which normally every team would accept as a fantastic result, the team didn't accept that and came out in the second-half to win the game so I'm really, really pleased."
"Every player was fantastic, but I need to tell you about Fabregas and Ramires - they both played injured. Maybe we will lose them for a match or two but they put themselves out there for the team. I think it's fair for me to give a word to Ramires and Fabregas and also to my medical department. The medical department did fantastic work on them and they were fantastic to resist the problems that they had. Fabregas is a problem for the next match because we gambled everything on a hamstring problem. Ramires has the same adductor injury - he knew it was important I started with him, and Cesc is a fantastic professional (as) he gambled."
A brave decision to start Cesc in midfield today, it paid off for Mourinho's men as they were made to work hard for a 2-1 away win over Liverpool. Having said that, Fabregas did not look 100% and you could tell every time he went for a run, although it is credible that he was desperate to play for the team through the pain. He will not feature during the international break against Belarus (Euro 2016 Qualifier) or Germany (friendly), as he recovers.