Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has jumped to the defence of teammates Petr Cech and Frank Lampard.

For the defeat at Manchester City, Cech allowed Carlos Tevez to score from a 25-yard free-kick and Lampard missed an 83rd-minute penalty - his first error from the spot since September 2006.

But Essien insists all the team should shoulder the blame for mistakes.

"Petr does not play on his own," said Essien.

"There are 11 players on the pitch. Everyone should take the blame, not only Petr. If we'd done our defensive work, we would not have conceded. There's no blame. We just need to do our homework well.

"Frank is a very strong guy, very strong mentally. These things happen. Anyone can miss a penalty. He's not the first and he won't be the last. He's put it behind him and is looking to the future. He's our best penalty taker at this club."