Essien back with a bang for Blues
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Chelsea have been cheered by the news that midfielder Michael Essien made a successful return to action with the club’s reserves on Monday night.
The Ghanaian star has not played for The Blues since sustaining a cruciate ligament injury and undergoing surgery following a World Cup qualifier against Libya in September.
After spending six months on the sidelines the former Lyon midfielder has now signalled his availability to manager Guus Hiddink by appearing for the club’s second string.
Essien played the full 90 minutes of a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa and scored the final goal of the game at Villa Park.
Monday’s game was also notable for the return of Ricardo Carvalho who played for an hour with no complications.
The Portugal international has not played for the West London side for five weeks due to a hamstring problem.