Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez denies making excuses for Fernando Torres. Torres' poor performance in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Swansea City was explained by a stomach bug, with Demba Ba's minor hamstring injury preventing the introduction of the £7million signing from Newcastle until the final 10 minutes.

The Spaniard said: "I was surprised the other day when I spoke about Fernando's problems with his stomach (and that) we couldn't play Demba Ba because he had a niggle.

"Afterwards it was said I was making excuses, but I wasn't making excuses.

"I am still being criticised for making the decision to play Fernando Torres instead of Demba Ba, who was a big risk if he got injured.

"If you know Demba Ba could be injured, it is my job as manager to make this decision.

"He scored two against Southampton (in the FA Cup) but couldn't play the next game against Swansea because of a niggle.

"If we can continue winning games, it's not a case of I can't win."