Branislav Ivanovic has revealed his delight for Fernando Torres after the Spaniard struck his first Premier League goal since September in Chelsea's win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Serbian international hailed the recent performances of the striker and says that his team-mates never doubted his quality.
He told reporters: "It was an important goal for him. Fernando has been going well and playing well all over the pitch," he said.
"He's been doing everything for the team and I think he deserved that goal. He is a great player. Of course he has felt the pressure and so it was important for us to support him.
"We know how good he is. We've seen that every day in training. But at the same time, for him to score a goal was very important.
"But for us, we know how much he has given us. He doesn't just play for himself but he plays for the team.
"After the game, he didn't really say anything. But I went up to him and said: 'Thank you for the two assists!"'
The Blues face Benfica on Wednesday night in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie and hold a 1-0 aggregate lead.
Despite holding a crucial away goal, Ivanovic feels people’s low expectations of Chelsea in the competition could work in their favour.
"If people think like that it can be good for us because we will feel less pressure, which in games like this can be very important," he said.
"But we have to go game by game and prepare everything. We will see how we go.
"In truth, the story before the game is not that important. What matters is the story of the game, the matches themselves, and we have to be focused on that.
"Wednesday is a huge game for us. It is a big opportunity and a big chance. We got a great result in Lisbon but it is not over because they don't have anything to lose.
"We have to be careful and ready for what we need to do."
