Didier Drogba, Guus Hiddink and Roman Abramovich tour the Chelsea pitch after win
Drogba was in Abramovich's box amid rumours he is to take a coaching role
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, new interim manager Guus Hiddink and club legend Didier Drogba watched the Blues beat Sunderland together.
The latter pair were guests of the billionaire Russian, watching Chelsea's first win in a month from the comfort of his private box at Stamford Bridge.
The trio also took a lap of the pitch at the end of the game, meeting with Chelsea players and staff.
Coach Steve Holland confirmed that Hiddink, who was announced as Jose Mourinho's replacement just ahead of kick-off, met with players in the dressing room after the 3-1 win.
Abramovich was at Chelsea training on Friday and spoke to the squad through a translator, where he is said to have made it clear that he didn't want to sack Mourinho.
Drogba, who won numerous trophies with the Blues in two spells, has been linked with a coaching role at the club.
The 37-year-old is under contract with the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer until December 2016 and the club moved to quickly deny that the rumour was true, stating no contact had been made by Chelsea.
Chelsea took just five minutes to open the scoring in the second post-Mourinho era, Branislav Ivanovic powering home a Willian corner.
Pedro, who has been in and out of the side since moving from Barcelona, then latched onto a loose ball to smash home the second and score his first goal since August.
Oscar enjoyed his best game in weeks, capping his performance with a penalty to seal the points before Fabio Borini scored a consolation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments