We're better than last season, insists Mourinho

JOSE MOURINHO warned Chelsea's title rivals that his side can match their record-breaking defensive exploits of last season after keeping their fourth consecutive clean sheet.

Chelsea may have struggled to overcome Wigan in their opening game, but they have since beaten Arsenal, West Brom and now Spurs without letting in a single goal.

Indeed, despite having set a new league record of just 15 league goals conceded and 25 Premiership clean sheets last season, they are already ahead of schedule. By this stage last season, Chelsea had let in one goal and the Blues are now just one clean sheet - with their next game at home to bottom-placed Sunderland - from matching Manchester United's record of five consecutive blanks at the start of the 1997-98 season.

Mourinho declared: "Wigan hit the post once but there were no saves. Against Arsenal, we had to make one save. Against West Brom, no saves. Against Tottenham, just one save needed again. Our goalkeepers are fantastic but the reality is that the team is very solid defensively. I like players to express what they have inside, but you must play with a defensive organisation.

"One day we will have to concede goals but the smell is that we will be like last season, with not many goals conceded, as the team is very solid defensively.

"Michael Essien is a complete midfield player and can play one game every day, he's so strong. Hernan Crespo is a different player to Didier Drogba, while Asier del Horno has been brilliant in these four matches, so I think we have a better team than last season."

Against Tottenham, the home side's early pressure evaporated when Mido was sent off after on 24 minutes for a forearm blow into del Horno, while Essien was only booked for bringing down Edgar Davids, as John Terry was just covering.

Although Terry wasted a header, del Horno was on target just before the break from Frank Lampard's corner, while Damien Duff made it 2-0 in the second-half with a fortuitous mishit.

However, the key to Chelsea's remorseless drive towards victory was that, even with a one-man advantage, they did not extend themselves or take any risks.

"We didn't attack much but I didn't want to," explained Mourinho. "I just wanted to control the game and wait for the chances. When Martin Jol tried defender Michael Dawson at centre-forward, he opened the door for us to score another goal.

"We had massive control. Our midfield triangle is playing very safe and very intelligently. I don't remember Petr Cech making any more than that one save from Michael Carrick."

The irony is that it was the Chelsea boss who accused Tottenham of 'parking a bus' in front of their goal at Stamford Bridge last season in grinding out a goalless draw.

This time around, Spurs, tried to take the game to their visitors, only for Mido's dismissal to "kill the game off" for them, with the Egypt international even having been assigned to mark goalscorer del Horno at corners.

His absence cost Tottenham dearly, as will his automatic three-match ban.