Chelsea hero Joe Cole has rejected criticism of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Cole has stoutly defended Mendy after the Chelsea goalkeeper made two crucial mistakes in a 3-2 defeat against rivals West Ham.

The Senegalese goalkeeper dallied on the ball before giving away a penalty for a foul on Jarrod Bowen - scored by Manuel Lanzini - before Arthur Masuaku's unusual late attempt sailed past him to decide the game with three minutes left.

He said: "Mendy was at fault for the penalty.

"That was a freak of a goal. You can't blame him. He's been outstanding for such a long time.

"Goalkeepers are human beings, not robots. It would take something like that to beat this Chelsea team - a world-class goal or something out of the ordinary."