Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas hails Jose Mourinho masterclass in victory over Manchester United

Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas has hailed manager Jose Mourinho's decision to deploy Kurt Zouma in the middle of the park in the 1-0 victory over Manchester United, which left the Blues 10 points clear at the top of the table ahead of the visit to Arsenal.

After Marouane Fellaini destroyed Manchester City's defence during the Manchester derby in the previous week, Mourinho opted to bolster his midfield with centre-back Zouma playing alongside Nemanja Matic, while Cesc Fabregas occupied the number 10 role.

And his decision was vindicated as Zouma blocked Fellaini's aerial power, while Eden Hazard's first-half goal gave the Blues three more points in their race to the Premier League title.

Fabregas claimed Mourinho proved once again "why he is who he is and has won what he has won".

"We had to put someone on [Marouane] Fellaini, especially for the long balls, so yes our style changed. I thought Zouma did extremely well," he said.

"I think his future is as a centre-back but he can do the job very well in central midfield when it's needed. He played very well against Spurs in the final of the Capital One Cup, he played well against West Ham away and again this weekend. He's a top, top boy. He wants to learn, he wants to play.

"If I played there normally, I would struggle a bit more to deal with long balls and the physical aspect of the game. That's why Mourinho is who he is and has won what he has won. The plan worked very well."

Fabregas expressed his delight with the victory but pointed out the "massive" importance of the game against Arsenal on 26 April, which marks his return to the Emirates Stadium.

"It's massive. We are level on games now, we are 10 points in front and we don't want to give them hope to put pressure on us. We have to put in a good performance because we know the Emirates is always a difficult place to go," Fabregas said.

Should the Blues secure the victory in the north London derby and in the following game against Leicester City, they will be crowned Champions with four games remaining.

But after failing to win the title during his time at Arsenal, Fabregas wants to complete the job as soon as possible.

He said: "We just want to win it. The sooner, the better. We want to give satisfaction to the supporters. It's been five years for them without winning the Premier League title; for me it's been 27 years, so I'd love to win it as soon as possible.'