Hiddink hails amazing Drogba

The Ivorian has responded to Hiddink's arrival and even Arsene Wenger was forced to acknowledge the impact he made at Wembley, far beyond the 84th-minute winner that booked an FA Cup final appearance against either Manchester United or Everton on May 30.

And Hiddink weighed in with a special tribute of his own, saying: "It is amazing. Didier Drogba is playing a lot of games, every three or four days, and he is producing all the time."

He added: "You do not just judge a striker by his goals. He can do a lot of other things for the team.

"But now Didier is scoring decisive goals in almost every game."

Far from the sullen, moody star Hiddink might have expected when he arrived to rescue the Blues from their alarming slump in February, Drogba presented a positive image.

Like most of the Chelsea players, he responded to the arrival of Hiddink on a short-term agreement with Russia, and the results are startling.

"I had no single criticism about his attitude from the first day I came," said Hiddink.

"What we made very clear was that we didn't want to give ourselves excuses but sometimes you have to do less to be more productive.

"Drogba was in a position of not playing frequently. It was logical that he would not be smiling every day. But you have to make a commitment to the team and that is exactly what he has done."