Avram defends Ashley Cole

Chelsea manager Avram Grant has defended Ashley Cole after he apologised to anybody he offended after his horror tackle on Spurs defender Alan Hutton. Cole was vilified after the challenge on the full back, and Grant believes Cole's apology shows maturity.

"You need to give credit to Ashley because he behaved like a mature guy. After what he did he apologised by himself, nobody forced him too.

"You need to give credit to him about this. He made a tackle and he saw it by himself that he needed to apologise.

"If it is not the first time maybe it is a worry, but it is the first time that he did it.

"I tell my players all the time to take responsibility for what you do because there are players who made worse tackles than this and didn't get even a yellow card and didn't apologise.

"I believe in discipline and I believe you have to respect everybody and I think they (Chelsea players) do it."