Source: PA
Essien boost for Blues
Michael Essien could be available for Chelsea's must-win Barclays Premier League game against Tottenham after scans showed he suffered only a minor tendon problem in Saturday's victory over West Ham.
Essien had to be helped from the field shortly before the hour mark in the Blues' 3-0 derby win at Stamford Bridge after pulling up with what appeared to be a left knee injury.
That immediately caused concern, with the midfielder having missed significant parts of the past two seasons with cartilage and ligament problems in both knees.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti attempted to play down fears of a recurrence of those issues after the game, describing the injury as "muscle" related.
Scans on Tuesday have showed the problem actually was with a tendon but the 28-year-old escaped any serious damage and will be monitored ahead of Saturday evening's match versus Spurs.
Chelsea said in a statement on their official website "Michael had a minor problem with a tendon above his knee during the West Ham game and came off as a precaution. Scans show no significant issues in that area. We will look at him over the course of this week with regards to availability for the weekend."
