"I've seen a lot of people play five across the midfield against Chelsea and they just never seem to get out of their own half," he said.
"It's difficult because their central defenders are very dominant so it's hard to get out of your own half.
"I thought if we were going to have a go at this we might as well have a go with the three strikers and at least try and put Chelsea on the back foot if we possibly could.
"The three forwards worked very hard and held the ball up as best they could against some of the best defenders in the Premiership - it was very encouraging.
"I thought the lads showed a lot of character to stick with it and they pushed Chelsea right to the finish.
"We weren't annihilated thank goodness, and I'd like to see the second time Geoff Horsfield put the ball in the back of the net because it looked a good goal to me.
"Chelsea missed a few chances, especially Drogba, but for me the player that caused us most problems was Duff.
"If we'd had a player like Duff we might have put Chelsea on the back foot. We struggled to contain him and that was the difference.
"But the encouraging thing was the way the lads showed great character. They're a good set of lads and are sticking with it.
"They're putting in reasonable performances and that gives us a chance for the rest of the season."