Essien’s a clean player, says Jose

JOSE MOURINHO gave his full backing to Michael Essien after the Football Association cleared him of further punishment over his lunging tackle on Bolton’s Tal Ben Haim at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Essien received a yellow card for the challenge but the Ghanaian international escaped a three-match ban even after referee Rob Styles looked at the incident again on video.

Styles admitted he would have shown Essien a red card had he seen the tackle from another angle but the FA decided not to further punish the Chelsea player after consulting FIFA.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce was adamant Essien should have been sent off and accused the midfielder of feigning injury in order to persuade Styles not to show him the red card.

Mourinho was at pains to point out that such behaviour was completely out of character for the £24.4million summer signing from Lyon.

“Essien is a great player,” said Mourinho. “He’s a fair player with an incredible record on disciplinary issues. He is a very clean player.”

Mourinho will now focus his attention on the fact that Real Betis will provide Chelsea with a stern test of their Champions League credentials tonight.

The Londoners have racked up nine straight Barclays Premiership wins and scored nine goals in their last two league games.

They currently enjoy a nine-point advantage over their nearest rivals Tottenham at the summit while Betis, a point behind Chelsea in Group G, have so far failed to find their form in La Liga.

Just two victories all season - only one in their last five games - have left Betis struggling in mid-table. However, they arrive in London on the back of a 1-0 win against third-place Getafe.

Despite their poor start to the new season, Mourinho insists Chelsea will not underestimate their strengths.

However, in typically bullish style, Mourinho said he and his players were mentally prepared to taste defeat should the unthinkable occur.

“It is very difficult to say we are the team playing the best football in Europe,” admitted Mourinho.

“It is a question of taste but I like winning and I like to play well. I think we are winning and playing well and that’s what I like.

“But you cannot win every game or play well in every game. We are mentally very prepared to face the other side of the coin.

“So if somebody thinks the day Chelsea lose or start playing not so well, we will have a psychological negative side - I don’t think so. We are very, very well prepared for the other side of the coin.”

It was no surprise to hear Mourinho spout his admiration for the Spanish side who could, he believes, cause a real problem for both the Blues and group leaders Liverpool.

“I thought after the draw was made the group was very dangerous,” he conceded.

“Not because of Liverpool but because of Betis. They have a lot of good, experienced players playing in a league like the Spanish one. They are dangerous because they can qualify.

“Everything will be open to the end. We imagine that Betis will beat Anderlecht at home and that will give them six points. If they win one more game against us or Liverpool, it gives them nine points - a big chance to qualify. Liverpool and Chelsea are in real trouble because Real Betis are there.”

Chelsea will be without Damien Duff against Betis and Wright-Phillips is expected to retain his place.

Paulo Ferreira is also expected to return at right-back, leaving Ricardo Carvalho as the unlucky man to miss out with William Gallas and John Terry at the heart of the defence.