Jose Mourinho dropped John Terry for 'tactical reasons' ahead victory over Arsenal
Kurt Zouma, playing ahead of the captain, scored Chelsea's opener
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Your support makes all the difference.John Terry was left on the Chelsea bench for tactical reasons, according to manager Jose Mourinho.
Speaking to BT Sport in his pre-match interview ahead of the lunchtime kick-off against Arsenal, the Portuguese coach confirmed that his club captain's absence was not enforced.
"John is what you like to call a technical or a tactical decision," he said.
"I have three central defenders, I trust them the same.
"But I try to read the game, I try to read the opponent, I try to predict what the opponent can be and we decided to go with Zouma and Gary."
Terry has not played since last weekend's 3-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park, having missed the 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Wednesday.
Mourinho has preferred Zouma ahead of Terry in the Premier League before this season, bringing the French youngster on for his captain at half-time against Manchester City.
Zouma, the club's fastest defender, scored the opening goal as Chelsea ran out 2-0 winners over their London rivals.
Arsenal's resolve collapsed after Gabriel was sent off for his part in a tangle with Diego Costa. Santi Carzorla also saw red late on before Eden Hazard doubled Chelsea's lead and sealed the points.
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