Demba Ba has been handed his chance at Chelsea after Jose Mourinho confirmed Fernando Torres suffered knee ligament damage in the win over Manchester United.

Torres was a second-half substitute in the 3-1 win over the champions at Stamford Bridge but sustained the injury shortly after replacing hat-trick hero Samuel Eto'o.

Blues manager Mourinho says the Spanish striker is facing weeks on the sidelines and will now bring Ba, who was not in the squad against United, out of the cold.

“It's the lateral ligament in his knee,” Mourinho said of Torres' injury.

“It's time for Demba. Demba had a fantastic week and it was very difficult for me to leave him out of selection because he worked very, very well.”

Ba has struggled to break into the Blues side under Mourinho, playing understudy to Torres and Eto'o but could feature in next weekend's FA Cup clash with Stoke.

The Senegalese forward has netted three times in 14 appearances for Chelsea this season.