Chelsea 2 Fulham 0: Mikel happy with three points & rare goal

John Obi Mikel played down the significance of his long-awaited goal after Chelsea ended their winless streak with victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Oscar gave the Blues a second-half lead when the Brazilian pounced on rebound from Andre Schürrle’s shot and swept it past Cottagers goalkeeper David Stockdale.

Chelsea were on a three-game losing run ahead of Saturday’s clash, and it was the unlikely figure of Mikel who sealed three points as he met John Terry’s header in the 83rd minute.

The Nigeria international had failed to score in 258 previous games for the Blues before his strike in the west London derby, and the midfielder revealed his team-mates had been teasing him about his poor goal record.

“It was good but I think today’s game was all about winning,” Mikel told Sky Sports.

“We’ve lost three games in a row and the most important thing was to to win.

“My goal is just a bonus. I am pretty happy, it has been a long time. The guys have been saying you score for the national team and not for Chelsea.”

He continued: “We know our fans have been disappointed about a few performances coming into this game. So, we wanted to give them something they can cheer about. We’re pretty happy today.”

Oscar added: “I’m very happy [with the result]. It was a very important win.”