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Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro thankful for support after Jose Mourinho jibe

Chelsea's first-team doctor Eva Carneiro has expressed her gratitude for the support she has received in the wake of criticism from manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho expressed his disappointment with his own medical staff after Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Swansea on Saturday.

Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn came on the pitch in stoppage time to treat Eden Hazard while Chelsea were trying to see out the game.

The medical staff's decision to run out to Hazard meant the midfielder had to go the sidelines, temporarily reducing Chelsea to nine players while Swansea pushed forward.

"I wasn't happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game," Mourinho said.

"If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem. I was sure that Eden didn't have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired.

"My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter-attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn't have enough players left."

Writing on Facebook, Carneiro posted: "I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated."

Meanwhile, former Premier League physio Brian Morris, who has worked at QPR and Arsenal, has voiced his support for Carneiro, who joined Chelsea in 2009.

He said in the Daily Mirror: "You would be a bit unhappy if the manager had a go at his own medical staff.

"This lady has taken some stick before, but whenever I've seen her she seems to be nothing other than professional. She appears very attentive.

"A physio's job is very difficult -- you are often piggy in the middle between the players and the manager.

"People are watching the game for excitement, but you are watching it in a different way and often seeing how players react after a tackle rather than following the ball. You have a forensic eye.

"You have to remain calm and level headed, even if the people around you are feeling the tension and stress of a game.

"When a player goes down you are trying to ascertain the severity of the problem. If they are not moving it sends out warning bells, but if they are rolling around it is probably not that serious.

"Sometimes if you didn't go on to the field you would end up getting a rollicking from the manager, and, in my opinion, injuries are more important than the game. They should take precedent."