Daniel Sturridge is thankful to manager Andre Villas-Boas for giving him the opportunity to prove himself at Chelsea.

The striker was on target in the Blues' 2-1 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, having served a three-game ban for a red card received at the end of last season.

"The competition for places is very tough in the squad and the manager has shown huge faith in me to put me in the team after a three-game ban, because I've been training for the last five weeks, including the international break," he told Chelsea's official website.

"It was a huge result to come away from Sunderland with three points. It's a great stadium and their fans sing very loud.

"Now we need to keep winning and put pressure on the Manchester clubs."

The London club begin their Champions League campaign at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Written by
Jack Prescott