Chelsea defend 'honest' Gallas

Moyes's U-turn appears to vindicate the strong stance taken by Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke, who summed up the anger felt by Gallas's team-mates. He said: "There is no way William would go down unless there had been significant contact. He has a lump on the back of his head and you don't get that unless there had been contact. He is a very honest player. There is no way he would go down to get another player into trouble."

However, if Gallas left Merseyside bemused by the controversy, another Chelsea player returned to London with his head high. Joe Cole, it seems, has at last found in Jose Mourinho a manager who trusts him. Claudio Ranieri clearly did not while England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has his suspicions about Cole.

Cole was involved in so much at Goodison that it was hard to see why anyone ever had reservations about his talents. "Last year was difficult for me," he admitted. "I didn't have the chances I should have had at times. But that's in the past and maybe it is good for me to go through that.

"At Everton, I was involved in the game and enjoyed it. I love playing and if I was to get a run I would be more than happy. At Chelsea, the focus is on nailing down a first-team place. If you take away the keeper [Peter Cech] there are only three players who have got that. The other 17 or 18 are trying to perform when we get the chance."

The long-term injury to Arjen Robben has prompted Mouirnho to devise a strategy with one, Damien Duff, rather than two wingers and Cole could be a beneficiary.

"My form this year has been good," he said. "I have scored some important goals and contributed to the team. I like playing under Jose. He makes football simple."