REACTION: THEY MADE IT DIFFICULT

José Mourinho has admitted that he expected a patchy performance following the week's international exertions for many of our players, but stressed that he is happy with the three points.

'I don't like to play after national team weeks. The players go there, play, some come happy, some unhappy, some train hard, some didn't train, some travel on Thursday just to train yesterday,' he explained.

'I cannot train with the team, I cannot prepare the team. The concentration is not the same and the way we are prepared is not the same. It happens like this four out of five international weeks.

'This is the kind of week where I say the team and play the game. I normally organise my teams from the first day of the week so if next week we play a bad game and we don't get a good result I will be very frustrated because next week I will work all week for 90 minutes.

'This week I didn't work, I was just waiting for them to arrive. This week I am not frustrated because I was waiting for something like this.'

While the performance was never sparkling, it was enough to give us the win, taking us back to the top of the table, albeit after just four games of the season. The manager was dismissive of what this means for the season ahead.

'I think every big club in the Premiership is playing for that and we are no different - of course we want to be first on the last day of the season,' he said.

'To be there now means what it means, still two or three teams can also go there if they win a match in hand, so we can not say we are lonely leaders, but it's good to be there.'

He was also full of praise for our opposition, who gave us a difficult match in trying conditions.

'Portsmouth is a good team, well organised, good players, of course good manager, and they made it difficult for us,' he said.

'I think also the weather was not a help, very, very hot, surprisingly hot and I could see the first half was very difficult for the players to play intense. No pressure on the ball, people thinking slowly on the pitch, I had to shake them at half-time to improve them in the second half but at the end of the day I can say I'm happy with the points, I'm happy with the fact we are top of the league, but I want to play better,' said Mourinho.

It was Frank Lampard's third Blues goal of the season, added to the one he scored for England in midweek, and Mourinho believes the midfielder is on top form, and is mystified as to why he has his detractors.

'If he has critics I'm not one of them. He has people that support him every time, I'm one of them,' he said of the England man.

'Its not easy for a midfield player to score four in four matches and in the three matches he scored for us he gave us important points, so he's there, he is sharp, he is mentally ready, he wants to play a good season, he's a winner.'

Lampard's goal came against family, something his uncle Harry Redknapp was less than impressed with, but not totally surprised.

'We started well and had no real problems first half hour and then Frank does what he does better than anybody else. He anticipates the ball to Drogba, runs off his marker and gambles. That's what he does week in week out. That was the one time we didn't pick him off,' said the Portsmouth manager.

Redknapp was also complimentary towards Michael Essien, who filled in at right back before moving to central midfield, saying: 'Essien is fantastic, what a player, what a competitor.'

Ultimately though, the game will be remembered for Lampard's 93rd goal in a Chelsea shirt, and Mourinho will go home a happy man after our 65th undefeated home league game on the bounce.