Jose Mourinho revealed the decision to start with Eden Hazard on the bench against Aston Villa was a tactical one.
The Chelsea manager opted to name Willian and Pedro in his starting line-up instead due to their willingness to help out defensively.
A first-half Diego Costa strike and an own-goal from Alan Hutton gave Chelsea a first win in three Premier League games .
"I left out Hazard because are conceding lots of goals," Mourinho said. "It was a tactical decision. We needed midfield players to be concerned with being solid.
"I continue that way [leaving Hazard out] or he comes in our direction, and tries to play that way.
"I told players this is not the moment to think about personal situation, or moan, to be selfish.
"This is a moment for the team. I asked them to look at the picture in a different way. I have to try bring results back."
The result moved Chelsea seven points away from the relegation zone and Mourinho reckons the win will begin to breed confidence throughout his squad.
The Portuguese added: "We are not the best team in the country, but we are a team with a very good manager and very good players, trying to reach a normal level.
"This was a performance to compensate for a lack of confidence and self-esteem. When confidence is not high you lose quality. We discussed that, and tactically we were very disciplined today, especially defensively. It was a great effort, and a really solid performance.
"Confidence comes with results, and results bring all the good quality that the player have to the fore. At the moment, some of my players have lost confidence but this was a great team performance with some fantastic individual performances.
"My players showed their desire, that they are together and that there were ready to fight for a crucial result. These three points were crucial for us."
