Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho explained hooking Oscar at halftime of their win over Stoke City.

Mourinho had to answer questions about his three midfielders after the hard-fought 2-1 home win over Stoke.

Asked whether Oscar is struggling, as he was substituted at half-time, Mourinho said: "No, I don't think he had a bad performance, I just think he was not good enough, which is a huge difference.

"For me football is not just mathematics. When some people write that Fabregas drops his level because the number of assists are not the same, the number of assists are probably not the same because the player that he assists does not score.

"Matic, he was suspended, and after the suspension he was injured celebrating in the final, so he went back and he was not in the best condition.

"I always think stability is very important in a team, and it's not in April that you are going to make important changes."