Jose Mourinho: 'John Terry still first choice'

Jose Mourinho has said that John Terry is still his first choice defender despite being dropped for Chelsea's win over Arsenal.

Terry remained on the bench throughout the 2-0 victory after being replaced by 20-year-old Kurt Zouma.

"John Terry does not need me to speak with him. He knows what I feel," Mourinho told reporters.

"He knows the relationship, he knows he's my man. He knows that if I have to choose one out of 25 to be my man, he is the first. He knows that I care about him. He knows that nothing is at risk. He knows that my decision was only to help my team win the match.

"I thought Arsenal were coming to play a defensive game with a fast striker who gets behind people. We had to bring our defensive line up and to play against Theo Walcott the best player we have is Zouma."

The match was the first time that Terry did not start a home league game under Jose Mourinho.