If selected against Arsenal this afternoon, Michael Essien will be making his 100th appearance in the Premier League.

A player renowned for his quiet nature and fondness for sleep, it is little surprise that the Ghanaian was hesitant to pick out too many of his favourite moments in league action since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

The one that will most fans will remember is the late equaliser he scored against the Gunners back in December 2006. Playing at right-back and with the clock ticking towards a first home defeat in nearly three years, Essien ran onto Frank Lampard's layoff and thumped the ball into the far corner from 30 yards.

It was a goal to rival Wednesday night's effort against Barcelona, a 25-yard volley that crashed in off the crossbar off his supposedly weaker left foot. A nominee for Goal of the Season, the strike is probably now unlikely to be so fondly remembered after Barça's late equaliser.

Essien was naturally pleased with the strike, and explained why he had run over to John Mikel Obi to celebrate.

'I ran to Mikel because he told me I would score when we were having lunch. I said if I did I would run over to him and hug him.

'I think it was a good goal, but in the end we didn't get what we deserved and everybody was disappointed. That's part of the game and we have to live with it now. We need to look forward,' stressed the midfielder.

'Arsenal is going to be another good game, we are looking forward to it and everybody will be excited to play again after Barcelona. We need a strong mentality after that and we will try to win. Both teams will be the same and it should be good.'

Since returning from injury in March, Essien has been a vital and highly used member of the team. Asked whether so many minutes in such a short time has left him tired, he responded:

'I still feel fresh, I rested a lot when I had the injury, so now I feel fresh and have plenty in my legs. The knee is fine and I've not had any problems with it.

'Now it's nice to make 100 in the league, it has taken a bit longer than I expected after my injury, but it is good.'

In total, Essien has 158 Chelsea appearances, 99 in the league, and has scored 17 goals.


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