The French full-back faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery earlier this week for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
But he sent his colleagues a good luck text before kick-off at Stamford Bridge and City responded in kind with a superb all-round display capped by Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant 68th minute winner.
And Delph said City were keen to repay the message of support from the popular defender, who has made a huge impact at the Club since signing from Monaco in the summer, by taking the game to Antonio Conte’s side
“That performance was for our team-mate, Benjamin,” said Delph who again deputized for Mendy in impressive style at left-back. “He sent us a message before the game and we knew we had to do it for him. That win is for you big man.
“Winning here is huge, massive. We knew coming in it would be our toughest game yet this season. We had a game plan and we stuck to it and come out for three points
“It sends out a massive message. We needed to come out on top and there’ s a massive togetherness in the team.
“We stuck to the game plan. The plan was to stop them on the counter and we did the job down to a tee, so it’s happy days
”It’s very nice but we know it’s just the beginning, it’s good to maintain the winning streak.”
The victory not only sent City back to the top of the Premier League but also rounded off a perfect September which saw them win every game across three competitions.
And goal-scorer De Bruyne, who produced a man-of-the-match display as well as scoring a stunning second-half winner, said he and his team-mates were determined to maintain that winning habit.
”We said to ourselves after first pre-season game against Manchester United in America that we wanted to lose as least as possible. The feeling is better when you win. It (September) was a very good month.
”I think it was a very technical game and a very difficult game from both sides. We had more chances. It was a nice goal… and a nice win because it’s very difficult to win here.”
