Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has lavished praise on his in-form defenders after they kept another clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The Blue extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points as they kept their seventh clean sheet in 10 games.

Mourinho singled his current first-choice back four of Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta for praise, claiming that they offer a good balance for the rest of the side.

"We work, we prepare matches, we analyse opponents. You try to find the best balance," Mourinho told Sky Sports News. "Defensively you try to make a shape, you try to find a balance.

"I like Ivanovic playing right-back more than as a central defender. I like a lot the stability of Cahill and the understanding of Cahill with John. And I think at this moment Azpilicueta is unbeatable. For many, many matches I haven't seen one player beat Azpilicueta in an individual duel.

"The team is compact, we have a good balance, we are playing well defensively. We were all calm. No mistakes, no defensive mistakes. They had control of the ball and of the game but they didn't scare us. That's a good feeling."

Chelsea face Aston Villa at Villa Park next Saturday.