Petr Cech has revealed how Avram Grant's appointment as new Chelsea manager was a rallying point for the players this season.

He told the Sunday Mirror: "But Jose leaving, that was a big moment. I thought, 'How is this possible?' Under Jose we had won two titles in three years, two Carling Cups and two FA Cups. We had been twice in the semi-finals of the Champions League. It was success after success."

In the wake of Mourinho's departure and the installation of Grant as his successor, captain John Terry summoned a meeting of the players.

"We all decided that, whatever happened, we needed to pull in the same direction because we want to win things," Cech recalled. "We wanted to help ourselves, Avram and the club to keep winning, to get us back where we wanted to be.

"We needed a victory and we needed it quickly. We got it in Valencia and I feel we have turned things around."