Essien boost for Blues in title chase

Michael Essien could be fit for Chelsea’s vital Premier League clash with Tottenham this weekend after tests indicated a knee injury was not as serious as first thought, the club said on Tuesday.

Essien hobbled off the field at Stamford Bridge last weekend with what looked like a knee injury, sparking fears the Ghanaian midfielder had suffered a recurrence of problems which have dogged him for the past two years.

The 28-year-old has already missed large chunks of the last two league campaigns with cartilage and ligament problems in both knees.

However scan results released on Tuesday indicated that Essien’s problem was with a tendon and he had escaped serious damage, meaning he may be available for Saturday’s meeting with Spurs.

“Michael had a minor problem with a tendon above his knee during the West Ham game and came off as a precaution,” Chelsea said in a statement.

“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.”

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