Jose Mourinho gushes over “big” Thibaut Courtois

Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaurt Courtois for the way in which he responded to his first-half mistake in this afternoon’s 3-2 win at Hull City.

The Belgian was culpable for Hull’s equaliser with a rare error after a calamitous touch from a Branislav Ivanovic back pass helped Abel Hernandez complete Hull’s comeback on 28 minutes.

However, Courtois made amends for his blip with a series of impressive second-half saves – including three in quick succession – to frustrate the hosts before Loic Remy snatched a 77th-minute winner.

“Thibaut Courtois is a big player,” a relieved Mourinho, who saw his side restore their six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, told BBC Sport at full time.

“He made a mistake but the important thing was to be there in the second half for the team and he was.”

The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes when Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ran amok early on at the KC Stadium.

Ahmed Elmohamady threw the Tigers a lifeline on 27 minutes, before Hernandez levelled up 76 seconds later, but Courtois’s second-half heroics denied the hosts.

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