Grant demands respect for Chelsea

Chelsea FC manager Avram Grant insists his side deserves respect for what they have achieved since the departure of José Mourinho after sealing their place in the League Cup final with a 1-0 win over Everton FC last night.

Trophy defence
Joe Cole got the only goal at Goodison Park to ensure the holders, who defeated Arsenal FC 2-1 in last year's final, advanced 3-1 on aggregate to earn a showdown against Tottenham Hotspur FC at Wembley on 24 February. Chelsea twice won the competition under Mourinho, who was replaced by Grant in October. Many predicted the club would struggle following the talismanic Portuguese manager's departure but since then Chelsea have lost just twice in 28 matches.

'Respect'
Chelsea are through to the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League and are only four points off leaders Manchester United FC at the top of the Premier League, despite their slow start to the season. Now also back in the League Cup final, Grant called for appreciation for his side's achievements. "Everybody has to respect what Chelsea have been doing over the last few months," he said. "We are winning a lot of games, not just in the league but in the Champions League and the cups."

Absentees
Chelsea's run of success is all the remarkable given their long list of absentees. With Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, Grant's options were further restricted by injuries to Michael Ballack and Shaun Wright-Philips. Team leaders Frank Lampard and John Lampard are also sidelined, as is striker Andriy Shevchenko.

'Happy'
"It is not easy, we have been without lots of players," said Grant. "People thought we would not succeed as much as before, but we are now in a Wembley final, we are four points off top spot in the league and in the next round of the Champions League. I am happy. We are in a very good position in everything. You can see how we have fought against Everton twice and Liverpool [FC, whom the side beat 2-0 in the quarter-finals in December] in the League Cup and we are now in the final." Chelsea are back in action on Saturday when they meet Wigan Athletic FC in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Their UEFA Champions League campaign resumes away to Olympiacos CFP in the first knockout round on 19 February.