Jose Mourinho on Didier Drogba's performance vs. Tottenham: 'He's remarkable'

With Diego Costa suspended for Chelsea's 3-0 win over London rivals Tottenham on Wednesday, Didier Drogba did an admirable job upon being inserted into his side's starting XI, assisting the opening goal and notching the second himself.

It was arguably Drogba's best performance since he returned to Stamford Bridge following spells with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua and Turkish outfit Galatasaray, and his 67 minutes on the pitch didn't go unnoticed by manager Jose Mourinho, who heaped praise onto the Ivorian striker after the final whistle.

"He's remarkable," Mourinho said, according to the Guardian. "You know ... first of all he's a team player. He's a team player. After that, he's got one of these 'old-days' mentalities: not selfish, not vain, a humble guy who plays and fights for the team. Fantastic. 

"When he is on the bench and comes on for the last few minutes because the teams needs someone to hold the ball up or to defend set-pieces, he does that with the same enthusiasm and spirit as he does when he starts a game against Tottenham.

"[My team] played against him when I was at Real Madrid and also with Chelsea, last year, so I could feel the kind of potential he still has. I was expecting exactly this [impact]. And there was not even a doubt in my mind about a player who would not be playing every game like before [in his first eight-year spell at the club[. I knew that, from a mental point of view, he would adapt very well to this role, which is so important in the team."

Drogba, who has now registered two goals and one assist this Premier League season, will likely return to Chelsea's bench when Costa returns from his one-match ban on Saturday at Newcastle.