Mourinho: Very demanding

Jose Mourinho has spoken about the importance of bringing players through to the first team from the club’s Academy, but says pressure to acquire positive results on a regular basis means opportunities to do so are limited.

So far this season the Portuguese has handed first team debuts to Dominic Solanke, Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while Izzy Brown and Nathan Ake have also been involved with the main squad.

Loftus-Cheek was also introduced as a late substitute in our Premier League draw against Manchester City in January, and Mourinho hopes to be able to call on the young midfielder on a more regular basis next season.

‘This club is very demanding, it’s not easy to play football, the pressure is big,’ said the Blues boss.

‘It’s not the same to play at a club where people just accept a so-so performance or result, or finishing fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth, that’s not the best habitat for a young player to develop.

‘For the player to play in the first team he must be ready. With the level of responsibility and pressure there is no space for a player who is not ready. For example, when did I play Dominic Solanke? I played him when we were winning 5-0 against Maribor. I cannot play Solanke against Southampton with 30 minutes to go with the score at 1-1.

‘I think Ruben will be ready next season. In pre-season he will start with us immediately and there will be matches for him to play. Next season he will be ready, also from a mental point of view.’

Mourinho also explained the reasons behind his desire to continually achieve success, and provided his thoughts on the news that Louis van Gaal, a man he worked under at Barcelona, will retire once his reign at Manchester United comes to a conclusion.

‘I have a job, I want to succeed and I try to do my best all the time,’ said the Portuguese. ‘I fight against defeat and try to win, that’s the nature of the job.

‘When you have a fantastic life, a fantastic family and a good economical situation, if you don’t have the passion for the job, a desire to do things well and get results, you have all the reasons to stop. If I want to work for another 15 to 20 years it’s because I feel that happiness, to work, to compete, to win, to lose.

‘I want to coach Portugal in a World Cup or European Championships, I would like that but if I don’t do it there is no drama. My career is beautiful, I’m happy with it and I just want to carry on and enjoy many more years.

‘Van Gaal has had a fantastic career; I know he dreamed of coaching his country at a World Cup, he did that. He coached the club of his heart, AZ Alkmaar, with great success. He coached the top team in his country, Ajax. He coached two of the best clubs in the world, Barcelona and Bayern, and was champions with both.

‘Now, finally, he’s come to a country where he’s never worked to coach one of the biggest clubs in the world. I think his career is perfect. He has a fantastic family and a beautiful house in Portugal. He loves it there; the people, the weather, the area, the food, so he deserves to stop when he wants and he thinks that will be after Man United.’

Past Sampler: Hull away

The Blues make the trip north to take on Hull City this afternoon, and the official Chelsea website brings you snippets from our five most recent away games against today's opponents...



A 2-0 win in last season’s corresponding fixture saw the Blues move to the top of the Barclays Premier League, while Petr Cech broke the record for the highest number of clean sheets kept as a Chelsea goalkeeper.

A stubborn home defence made it difficult for the Blues for long spells, with both goals coming during the second half.

Eden Hazard broke the deadlock shortly after half-time with a wonderful solo effort, before Fernando Torres wrapped up the points four minutes from time.

Hazard’s opener was described in the following way in the club’s official match report on the day:

‘David Luiz played the ball into Cole, who released Hazard with a delightful first-time back heel. The Belgian dashed in from the left-hand side of the box, feigning to shoot on a couple of occasions. He took his time before firing low and hard past McGregor, who stood no chance. Hazard's ninth Premier League goal of the season was one of his best yet, a fusion of the two he struck at Sunderland in early December.’



In 2009/10 a Chelsea side under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti came from behind to earn a point in a midweek encounter on Humberside.

It was a game we could have won, but Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was in inspired form.

The home side had taken the lead in the first half but Didier Drobga equalised after the break with a free-kick, described in the following way on Chelseafc.com.

‘Drogba placed the ball, no doubt thinking about his similar strike against the Tigers on the season's opening day. The method may have been slightly different with a slight deflection off the Hull wall, but the result was the same and Chelsea were level.’

 

A brilliant team performance allowed us to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory in 2008/09.

Frank Lampard opened the scoring inside the opening two minutes with a wonderful chip, and second-half strikes from Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda compounded the home side’s misery.

Here’s how Lampard’s strike was reported in the club’s official match report:

‘The Blues had initially attacked down the left through Ashley Cole and after Malouda had foraged in the area, McShane's hurried clearance went straight to the feet of Lamps.

‘On the left of the area from a position where normal players would have been looking to cross, he simply flighted the perfect lofted ball over a bewildered Myhill and into the far side of the net. Our vice-captain's year of the chip goes on.’



Scott Sinclair and Steve Sidwell scored their first goals for the club in a 4-0 League Cup victory away at Hull in 2007/08.

There was no risk of an upset from the moment Sinclair fired us in front nine minutes before half-time. Salomon Kalou extended our lead prior to Sidwell’s strike, and the Ivorian made it 4-0 with his second of the night late on.

Sinclair’s goal was described on Chelseafc.com in the following way.

‘Within seconds however, the Blues did take the lead and what a fine strike and a fine moment it was for Scott Sinclair, sweeping in Wright-Phillips's cross that had threaded a way through a crowd with a sweet connection for his first Chelsea goal.’





Gustavo Poyet scored a hat-trick as the Blues cruised into the fourth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a 6-1 victory at Hull in 1999/2000.

It was a dominant Chelsea display and we never looked back after Poyet had opened the scoring after just nine minutes.

Chris Sutton and Roberto Di Matteo were also on target, while Hull defender Mike Edwards put through his own net for the hosts.

Sutton’s goal made it 2-0 on the day, and here’s how it was described in Onside, the club’s official publication at the time.

‘Sutton dived backwards to twist and head Harley’s whipped cross back over Bracey into the far corner. Harley had started the move , heading a cross-field ball into Di Matteo, who found Zola, and Zola slipped the still running Harley through along the left touchline.’

Crystal Palace ticket news update

As the selection of any live TV matches to be played in May has not yet been announced, and consequently changes in dates or kick-off times are not yet known, tickets for the home match against Crystal Palace currently scheduled for Saturday 2 May will not go on sale on Monday 23 March as originally planned.

We will confirm the ticket information for this match once the May kick-off times and dates have been confirmed by the Premier League.

Mourinho: Good feeling

Jose Mourinho praised the performance of your computer after a hard fought 3-2 away win against Hull City, a victory that gives us six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The Blues took the lead in a minute courtesy of a stunning strike Eden Hazard and it was better to come when Diego Costa scored his 20th goal of the season to make it 2-0 soon after.

Two goals in the space of a minute, however, marked by Ahmed Al-Muhammadi and Abel Hernandez, viewed Casco restore parity, and always going to have a second half of the screen encouraged to return to London with three points.

We reacted well after the break and was facing a large part of the medium with the winner coming in the 77th minute that Loic Remy substitute, with his first touch after coming scored the decisive goal and feel that Mourinho won with merit.

"We let go the initiative, but we played fantastic with the ball from the first minute of football," said the head of the blue. "When at halftime was 2-2 and want to win the game, the most important thing is to play as we did from the beginning, that's what I said to the players. No analysis of sensor data and error. We had to return playing football we have lost in the last 15 minutes the first time.

"From the first minute of the second half, we turn to the quality of football, the creation and movement. Sooner or later, the goal was to come.

"In the second half we played was a difficult situation in the rest when Thibaut had to make three stops in the second. After that we created and tested everything, so I think we deserved.

"If we win the game after the way we played, we had the same feeling Southampton. Today, gaining what we deserve and it's a good feeling."

Mourinho acknowledged Hull’s second goal was a collective mistake defensively
‘If we tell our goalkeeper every time he has a back pass to kick it in the stands the second goal wouldn’t happen but we don’t do that. He tried to play, lost the rebound, the defenders didn’t open a passing line to play from the back and it’s a goal. Everybody was unhappy. It was just a question of stability, emotional control and playing.’

He explained why Diego Costa was taken off late on
‘It’s a hamstring injury. When a striker is playing, the team needs a goal to win the game and he says it’s over for him, it’s over. He tried to play the Champions League final with Atletico and was injured, he has that fragility, we know his hamstring is not a strong one. He works hard in the week to compensate for the weakness he has there but the injury can come. We have Remy and Drogba, we never cry about injured players so let’s move on.’

Mourinho praised the impact of Remy
"Every time he plays he is there. Probably deserves more than what I gave you. Sometimes a coach can feel that owes something to a player and Rémy, which is the case. I think I have something every time you play, gives us much, I'm very happy for him because he deserves it. "

The Portuguese remains confident his team can go on to win the title
"It is expected that the race for the title to be higher in normal Chelsea should have eight, ten or twelve points we have, but football is unpredictable. The reality is that we have a lead of six points better than we had in the throughout season. The maximum distance we had was eight points, but at that time we had 20 games to play. we now have a lead of six points with a game that could help us or not. I'm pretty confident, I believe in my players, I think we can do it, but I know it's hard. "

No FA charge for Ivanovic

Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic will not face any further action in relation to an incident involving Everton’s James McCarthy during the match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Branislav Ivanovic: Won't face any punishment from the FA

However both clubs have been charged for failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour.

The flashpoint occurred in the 86th minute following the dismissal of Gareth Barry as players from both sides confronted each other. Ivanovic grabbed McCarthy around the neck before appearing to move his head towards him; the Everton man was booked his part in the fracas but Ivanovic was not.

In Premier League matches, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel of former elite referees will be asked by the Football Association to review it and advise what, if any, action they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.

For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence; in this instance, the panel did not believe the conduct was worthy of a dismissal.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to discuss the issue after his side’s 1-0 win, threatening to walk out of his press conference when asked about Ivanovic's role.

"I'm concerned with my reaction, because one more question (and) I leave,” he said. "And after that, you are not happy. The next question for that story, I have to go."

However, Everton boss Roberto Martinez was more forthcoming, stressing that he felt Ivanovic should have been sent off.

He said: "If you look at the images, Ivanovic's behaviour is wrong. That shouldn't be allowed. He grabs James McCarthy around his neck in a very forceful manner, then he puts his head against him when James McCarthy never reacted one single bit. If you want to be on top of the laws, that's a red card. We got nothing out of that moment."

Meanwhile both Chelsea and Everton have been have until 6pm on Tuesday 17 February 2015 to respond to the charge of failing to control their players.

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No FA charge for Ivanovic

Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic will not face any further action in relation to an incident involving Everton’s James McCarthy during the match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Branislav Ivanovic: Won't face any punishment from the FA

However both clubs have been charged for failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour.

The flashpoint occurred in the 86th minute following the dismissal of Gareth Barry as players from both sides confronted each other. Ivanovic grabbed McCarthy around the neck before appearing to move his head towards him; the Everton man was booked his part in the fracas but Ivanovic was not.

In Premier League matches, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel of former elite referees will be asked by the Football Association to review it and advise what, if any, action they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.

For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence; in this instance, the panel did not believe the conduct was worthy of a dismissal.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to discuss the issue after his side’s 1-0 win, threatening to walk out of his press conference when asked about Ivanovic's role.

"I'm concerned with my reaction, because one more question (and) I leave,” he said. "And after that, you are not happy. The next question for that story, I have to go."

However, Everton boss Roberto Martinez was more forthcoming, stressing that he felt Ivanovic should have been sent off.

He said: "If you look at the images, Ivanovic's behaviour is wrong. That shouldn't be allowed. He grabs James McCarthy around his neck in a very forceful manner, then he puts his head against him when James McCarthy never reacted one single bit. If you want to be on top of the laws, that's a red card. We got nothing out of that moment."

Meanwhile both Chelsea and Everton have been have until 6pm on Tuesday 17 February 2015 to respond to the charge of failing to control their players.

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Hazard signs new Chelsea deal

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has signed new five-and-a-half year contract to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2021.

Eden Hazard: New deal keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2021

The Belgian has scored 43 goals and contributed 46 assists in 147 appearances for Chelsea since joining from French side Lille for £32m in 2012.

Hazard was named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the last two years and lifted Chelsea’s Player of the Year accolade last season.

The 24-year-old has started every league game for this season and is the club’s second highest scorer, with 13 goals in all competitions.

"I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea," Hazard said. "Since I came here in 2012 I have always felt good and the club has been very supportive to me.

"The manager has helped me improve a lot, the fans have been fantastic and I have an amazing understanding with my team-mates.

"I always try to give pleasure to the supporters with my style of play and it is nice to know they appreciate my work.

"I hope we can repay that support by winning lots of trophies, beginning with the Capital One Cup at Wembley, and after that, we can push hard towards the end of the season."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho added: "I am very happy that Eden has signed a new contract. It shows he believes in the club’s coaching staff and players to help him become the best player in the world.

"He is already a top player and his evolution has been fantastic. He is still very young and he can become the best."

Hazard has completed more dribbles and suffered more fouls than any other player in the Premier League this season.

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Kane and Pochettino nominated

The nominees for the Premier League Player of the Month and Manager of the Month awards have been announced.

Harry Kane: The Spurs striker has been hard to ignore this year

Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle, Chelsea's Brazilian goalscorer Oscar, Southampton defender Jose Fonte, Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Arsenal's Santi Cazorla are the six players vying for January honours.

Kane's headline-grabbing performances for Spurs have been hard to ignore and the 21-year-old now looks well on his way to a call-up to the senior England squad. The striker scored five goals through the month and did not shirk from hard work, playing 357 minutes in January.

Oscar came to the fore when Chelsea were on the attack, the attacking midfielder scoring three goals and adding two assists.

Gayle has played no small part in Palace's improving form and has thrived since Alan Pardew's arrival, scoring a memorable last-gasp winner against Burnley at Turf Moor.

Southampton rely heavily on centre-back Fonte and the Saints skipper rarely has a bad game. He was outstanding in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at St Mary's and was a towering presence in the famous 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Cool-headed Can has calmness beyond his 21 years, and Liverpool has benefited from the German's versatility across midfield in the past month. 

Cazorla has hit new heights for Arsenal, consistently dribbling past Manchester City players in the Gunners' 2-0 away win and regularly dominating the space between the centre-forward and the midfield.

The managers to make the shortlist are Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes and Southampton’s Ronald Koeman.

Pochettino's Spurs pulled off a stunning 5-3 win over competition leaders Chelsea on New Year’s Day, whilst Koeman's Saints have maintained their unexpected push for a Champions League place.

Liverpool have also had a strong start to 2015 with Rodgers taking the Reds to three wins and a draw for the month.

Stoke boss Hughes might have suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates, but a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and strong wins against lower-ranked teams have confirmed Stoke’s mid-table position.

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Chelsea edge stormy contest

Chelsea maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Everton in a tempestuous clash at Stamford Bridge.

Willian (L): Scored winner in 89th minute to maintain Chelsea's lead

Willian broke the deadlock in the 89th minute when his smart volley from outside the penalty area deflected off Steven Naismith and sneaked past Tim Howard.

The match-winning goal came moments after Gareth Barry was sent off for a second yellow card - but in the same melee, Branislav Ivanovic avoided any sanction for an apparent attempted headbutt on James McCarthy.

Chelsea were repeatedly denied by Howard on his first appearance since picking up a calf injury on Boxing Day, but looked to have taken the lead in the second half when Nemanja Matic fired into the net from the edge of the box.

The goal was disallowed, however, after the ball bounced off Ivanovic on its way past the Everton goalkeeper and the assistant referee flagged for offside.

Everton also had chances to take the lead after the break. Romelu Lukaku connected with Bryan Oviedo’s fizzing cross from close range but Petr Cech was quick to react, saving with his feet to keep the score level.

Chelsea could have opened the scoring in the first half. Matic and Willian fired early efforts over the bar from the edge of the penalty area, before Lukaku hit back for Everton with a low drive straight at Cech.

Chelsea continued to press before the break and Eden Hazard narrowly failed to connect with Cesar Azpilicueta’s floated cross.

The Belgian then hit a powerful strike that Howard gathered at the second attempt, with Lukaku following his compatriot’s lead and testing Cech again from distance.

Everton sent on Kevin Mirallas in the closing stages and the winger immediately fired over from distance.

It was Chelsea who eventually found the breakthrough, though, with Willian beating Howard at the death to maintain the hosts' seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Player ratings

Chelsea: Cech (8), Ivanovic (7), Zouma (6), Terry (6), Azpilicueta (7), Ramires (7), Matic (8), Cuadrado (7), Willian (8), Hazard (8), Remy (7). 

Used subs: Drogba (6), Fabregas (7), Cahill (5).

Everton: Howard (8), Coleman (7), Stones (7), Jagielka (6), Oviedo (6), Besic (7), Barry (5), Lennon (5), Naismith (6), Barkley (6), Lukaku (7). 

Used subs: McCarthy (6), Mirallas (6), Gibson (6).

Man of the match: Tim Howard

See all the Premier League goals on SSNHQ from midnight - or from 6am on Good Morning Sports Fans.

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Mourinho questions FA consistency

Jose Mourinho has questioned the consistency of the Football Association's disciplinary department, suggesting had a Chelsea player used his elbow in the same way Robin van Persie did at West Ham last Sunday he would have been banned.

Jose Mourinho: Questioning consistency from the FA

The Chelsea boss was fined £25,000 last month for saying there was a "clear campaign" against Chelsea on the day Diego Costa was charged for treading on Liverpool's Emre Can.

Striker Costa was given a three-match ban, missing matches with Manchester City, Aston Villa and the final game of his suspension is against Everton on Wednesday night.

Mourinho's mood has lightened since opting out of media duties surrounding the draw with City on January 31 and he insisted he was happy in last Friday's return in front of the cameras.

But the Blues boss suggested he still thinks the FA is not being consistent.

"I was in a good mood the other day," Mourinho said.

"I needed a little bit more time to forget why my player (Costa) was suspended.

"I need a little bit more time to understand why some people are punished, others aren't. I need a little bit of time to process that.

"The same people (the FA) that suspended my player didn't want to suspend a player this weekend. And they could. This weekend a player could be suspended and he wasn't."

When asked which player he was referring to, Mourinho gestured with an elbow in a clear reference to Van Persie's challenge on West Ham defender James Tomkins in Sunday's draw.

The Van Persie incident was dealt with by the match officials at Upton Park, so there is no scope for retrospective punishment for the United striker.

"I know that if it was one of mine, I know," Mourinho added.

"Last season happened the same thing, when Ramires was suspended (for elbowing Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson).

"It was exactly the same thing. A Manchester City player kicked a player on the floor at Norwich and nothing happened."

That was a reference to Yaya Toure's challenge on Ricky van Wolswinkel, which went unpunished.

Mourinho refused to comment on the fact Leicester boss Nigel Pearson avoided sanction for appearing to grab Crystal Palace's James McArthur by the throat.

"I have only thoughts about myself, not about Nigel," Mourinho said.

Asked if he would have been charged had he done what Pearson did, Mourinho said: "No comments. You know."

Chelsea drew with City and secured Mourinho's first win at Villa Park last weekend in Costa's absence.

"With him could be even better," Mourinho said.

Midfielder John Obi Mikel (knee) is the only definite injury absentee for Wednesday's match, but Cesc Fabregas (hamstring) is fit again.

The Everton contest sees the return of Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge after the Belgium forward struggled to break through into Mourinho's plans and was sold last summer.

Mourinho said: "He proves every weekend that he's a good player. Nobody has doubts at Chelsea that he's a good player.

"We know Romelu is a good player. (Andre) Schurrle is a good player, (Kevin) de Bruyne is a good player, (Juan) Mata is a good player.

"They are good. We don't sell garbage. We sell top players.

"We sell top players, we get top fees. (Without) top fees we don't sell them, we keep them.

"That's football, that's life, that's market. The player wishes sometimes to be in clubs where they become clearly the first option. That's football, that's life.

"If he's happy, that's good. He wanted to play all the time."

Chelsea are seven points clear of City at the top of the standings, but Mourinho is taking nothing for granted after the holders again dropped points in drawing with Hull last weekend.

"If it was 14 points with seven matches to go, you are almost, almost, almost there," he said.

"But seven matches with 14 matches to go is a long way to go. What is seven points? It's better than zero.

"In another country I would say it's a lot. In every other country the top teams only lose points in between them. This country seven points is not a lot."

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Fabregas set to face Everton

Jose Mourinho has revealed Cesc Fabregas is likely to return in Chelsea’s home game with Everton on Wednesday.

Cesc Fabregas: Spaniard looks set to return for the game against Everton at Stam

The midfielder has missed the last two matches with a hamstring problem after limping off in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg victory over Liverpool.

Mourinho told the club’s website: "I think he plays on Wednesday because on Saturday it was a decision to protect him.

"We didn't want to risk two players at the same time.

“We risked Willian and to start two players with a risk is a big gamble," added Mourinho in reference to the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the weekend.

The Spaniard's expected return will present the manager with a dilemma because Ramires has returned to form following a season plagued by injury.

Mourinho added he is pleased to have the Brazilian back in the squad.

"The best Ramires is back and the best Ramires played against Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa," he said.

"He is a different profile of player but a fantastic player for us."

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Mourinho: Ivanovic signing key

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has claimed Branislav Ivanovic is one of the club's best ever signings after he scored the winning goal in their 2-1 victory at Aston Villa.

Branislav Ivanovic celebrates with his Chelsea team-mates

The right-back drilled home a crucial strike on Saturday at Villa Park to send Mourinho’s side seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Hull.

Ivanovic moved to Stamford Bridge from Lokomotiv Moscow for £9m in 2008 and after the Serbia international turned in another crucial display, Mourinho believes his signing has proved to be an inspired one.

"He came immediately after I left and after that he made a fantastic contribution for this club. He is a competitive animal with a big heart,” he said.

"What really matters more is what we as a club feel for him and people like John (Terry) and (Gary) Cahill, guys that without them, you cannot do anything.

“A team is an artist like (Eden) Hazard, it is a defender like Branislav. The mix and combination of talent makes a team.

"Every striker in the world would be proud to score that magnificent goal, it is an amazing goal.

“When he scores that goal and it is three or four nil it is a different feeling. He is a great guy, what he is doing for us is unbelievable."

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Mourinho: Lead means nothing

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists the Premier League title race is far from over, even though his side beat Aston Villa to extend their lead in the table.

Eden Hazard: Scored Chelsea's opener early on

Branislav Ivanovic scored a stunning winner to give the Blues a 2-1 win at Villa Park, which saw them move seven points clear thanks to Manchester City’s draw at home to Hull.

But with 14 games to go the Blues boss insists there is plenty still to play for in such an unpredictable division.

"Seven points means seven points, we have 14 matches to go," said Mourinho. "We are speaking about 42 points to play for and in 42 we have a lead of seven. I think it's nothing.

"I would say in another league – done. In the Premier League, I would say far from done because the Premier League is the only league where any team can take points from the top teams.

"You go to other leagues and the teams from the second part of the table, they play the top teams and they lose, they lose easily with big results.

"We have 14 matches left and that’s a long way to go."

Mourinho also complemented the display from Aston Villa, who ended a run of six Premier League matches and almost 11 hours without scoring as Jores Okore netted early in the second half.

Stability

Paul Lambert’s men lie in 16th place - just two points out of the relegation zone - but the Chelsea manager, who won at Villa Park for the first time, is confident Villa will survive.

"A team with so many good players is not a team in trouble,” he added. “The teams in trouble are the ones without good players and Aston Villa’s is a squad filled with good players.

"They are a very good side, so for us to win here is very important – obviously it’s very difficult. The result says everything.

"I knew that they had a reaction and my players couldn’t cope. The good thing was that after that we had our reaction, we found our stability and we started going forwards.

"We went to try to win and, when we scored the second goal, after that I don’t remember a dangerous situation in our goal. We could control with stability."

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Mourinho calls for FFP control

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists clubs that breach Financial Fair Play regulations should be docked points and should not be champions in a thinly veiled attack on Premier League title rivals Manchester City.

Jose Mourinho: Hit FFP culprits with points

City - and Chelsea's Champions League last-16 opponents Paris St Germain - were issued heavy fines by UEFA for their outlandish spending in recent years.

Chelsea are bidding to comply with FFP and made a profit for the third successive transfer window despite signing Colombia World Cup star Juan Cuadrado on Monday's deadline day.

"I enjoy the challenge of the English competition," said Mourinho. "It's a good challenge. The only thing that it is not nice is that you compete against the ones (clubs) who don't follow the same rules.

"That's the only problem. I don't think - and it's happened before - a team can be champions when you are punished because you didn't comply with Financial Fair Play."

City were fined £49 million last May, after winning the 2013/14 title, for infringing FFP regulations, but made the biggest English outlay of the transfer window in spending £25m plus add-ons for striker Wilfried Bony.

Asked what the penalty should be, Mourinho said: "Points. Of course. I don't know (how many)."

It is not the first time the Portuguese has spoken of City's spending.

Mourinho, who spent lavishly during his first spell as Chelsea boss from June 2004 to September 2007, is happy with the transfer strategy imposed at Stamford Bridge by owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea sold Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg for a reported £8m profit, allowing them to buy Cuadrado from Fiorentina.

The sale of Ryan Bertrand to Southampton for a reported fee of £10m allowed the Blues to make a profit once again.

Mourinho, who is 18 months into a four-year contract, added: "It was explained the profile of club Mr Abramovich wants, with total, complete respect to the Financial Fair Play rules.

"Our work to keep the team strong, with possibility to compete against the ones financially more powerful or against the ones who don't care and don't respect Financial Fair Play... we had to work very, very hard.

"In my area, I tried to do that. Analysing the players we can sell and those we can buy.

"But when it goes to numbers, it goes completely out of my control. Total credit to the people who deserve credit in that area."

Mourinho refused to speak about City specifically, but did sarcastically rebuke Manuel Pellegrini for saying Diego Costa "needed to change" after the Chelsea striker was banned for three matches for stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can.

"I don't speak about Man City their players and their options," Mourinho added.

"I appreciate the lesson that Mr Pellegrini wanted to give to one of my players, but I don't want to do the same or give any kind of word about it."

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Mourinho: Cuadrado all class

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is adamant new signing Juan Cuadrado was not purchased out of transfer deadline panic.

On Monday, the Londoners allowed World Cup winner Andre Schurrle to return to Germany in a £22m move to Wolfsburg, before announcing the arrival of Colombia winger Cuadrado.

Mourinho's Premier League leaders paid Fiorentina £23.3m for the 26-year-old, but the Portuguese highlighted the one-in-one-out policy.

"I don't think it's the best thing for him that I speak about expectations," he said. "He needs his time. He is not a panic buy. It's a reaction to Schurrle's departure."

On Schurrle, he added: "We are happy with what he gave us. We are happy with the investment we made in him one-and-a-half years years ago and we are happy with the profit we did in this transfer window.

"Hopefully, we made him a better player and hopefully he can have success in the future because we like him very much."

Mourinho appeared reluctant to speak to the media at the press conference in the wake of striker Diego Costa being retrospectively suspended for a stamp on Liverpool's Emre Can.

When asked as to the availability within his squad, he answered: "Filipe (Luis) is injured and the player who is suspended is suspended."

Speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa, Mourinho was asked about his silence and replied: "Because if you want, you can make a silence very noisy. You could make noise with my silence. It depends on you (the journalists).

"If I was a journalist I could make from silence lots of words. We are one side. The other sides - it's up to them to consider whether they are title contenders or not. We consider ourselves title contenders."

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Schurrle wanted Chelsea stay

Andre Schurrle has revealed he wanted to stay at Chelsea but is looking forward to playing first-team football consistently at Wolfsburg.

The Germany international signed for a club-record fee of £24.6million on deadline day after struggling to make an impact this season under Jose Mourinho.

Schurrle said he was originally not looking to leave Chelsea but started considering an exit toward the end of the transfer window due to a lack of first-team football

He said: "I wanted to stay but the last weeks or last month I tended towards changing something because I wanted to do what is fun for me and that is to play football. I could only do it briefly at Chelsea in the past weeks.”

Despite helping Germany win the World Cup last year, Schurrle struggled for form and fitness with Mourinho opting to play Oscar, Eden Hazard and Willian just behind central striker Diego Costa.

The attacking midfielder still managed to score 14 goals in a Chelsea shirt and he has no regrets about moving there from Bayer Leverkusen for £18m in 2013.

“I think I had a good time with Chelsea,” he said. 

“My first season was very good, then there was the World Cup. I was a starter at the beginning of the season until an illness moved me behind. But the team continued to win so yes… I am still confident and know what I can do.

"I am not here in Wolfsburg to sneak over the pitch seeking my form. I am highly motivated and will try everything I can to help the team immediately.”          

Schurrle's exit from Stamford Bridge paved the way for Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado to join Chelsea and both deals couldn’t be completed until the final day of the transfer window.

“The last days were very stressful to me,” he said.

“I was on the mobile phone all the time, waiting and hoping for a call or a message saying it’s a done deal. And that I can return to Germany and go to Wolfsburg.

"Although the whole process took some time, I was sure that someday it would be successful in the end. Now I am sitting here and I am happy to be part of this team.”

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Chelsea complete Cuadrado deal

Juan Cuadrado has completed his £26.1million switch from Fiorentina to Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Juan Cuadrado: Joins Chelsea from Fiorentina

The 26-year-old Colombia forward has signed a four and half year deal and could make his Blues debut at Aston Villa this weekend.

Chelsea's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah will move in the opposite direction on loan and will be with Fiorentina until the end of the season.

Cuadrado played an eye-catching role in Colombia's run to the quarter finals at last summer's World Cup in Brazil, scoring in the 4-1 victory over Japan and contributing four assists, a tally only equalled by Germany's Toni Kroos.

He has since scored six goals in 23 appearances in Italy and the Chelsea website described their new signing as playing "predominantly behind a striker, but he is also comfortable on either flank. Pacy and agile, he is a purposeful attacking threat with an eye for the spectacular."

Cuadrado said: "I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity I’ve been given. 

"This is a great club and, honestly, it is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager believes in me. I’m happy.

"The best part about this dream is that I'm going to be part of such a big club and that's huge motivation to perform well. I'm quick and positive and I have to show that to help my team-mates.

"It's really going to be brilliant to work with one of the best coaches anywhere in the world. I'm very proud to be playing for him and think he will make me a better player.

"We are a big club so we can win important things. Playing for this team, the league championship is I think the most important thing. As for everything else, Chelsea have big players so we want to win big things.

"Best wishes to all of the Chelsea fans. I hope to perform for them in the best possible way and I hope we can achieve a lot of things together."

Cuadrado has been capped 37 times by Colombia, scoring on five occasions.

He came to prominence with Independiente Medellin in Colombia and then played for Udinese and Lecce in Italy before joining Fiorentina in July 2012.

Sky Sports expert Thierry Henry said: “I think the Chelsea fans will be delighted with this news and I can’t wait to see him in the Premier League.

“I like the fact he is not scared. He won’t shy away from anything and that is the type of player you want at your club. That’s a great move for Chelsea.”

And Jamie Redknapp added: “I think Schurrle made a reasonable impact at Chelsea but I think this guy has a little bit more about him.

“A bit more skill, he can offer shots from distance, he can dribble with the ball.”

The Cuadrado deal was completed following Chelsea's sale of Germany World Cup winner Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg and Salah will also be heading out of Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea website reported: "Mohamed Salah has today joined Fiorentina on loan until the end of the season.

"The 22-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge from FC Basel last January, making his debut a month later and going on to open his goalscoring account in the 6-0 win over Arsenal in March.

"His involvement has been limited this season and largely from the substitutes’ bench."

And Chelsea's Croatian U21 international striker Stipe Perica, who had been loaned out to NAC Breda in Holland, will be on loan with Udinese for the next 18 months.

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Matic: Remy proved his worth

Loic Remy will fill the void left by the suspended Diego Costa in Chelsea’s next two Premier League games, says Nemanja Matic.

Loic Remy celebrates scoring Chelsea's goal against Manchester City

Costa was banned for three games for treading on Emre Can as Chelsea advanced to the Capital One Cup final at Liverpool's expense midweek.

The first of the three matches was Saturday’s 1-1 draw with title rivals Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, and Frenchman Remy, deputising for the Spain international striker, scored Chelsea’s goal.

Costa will miss their forthcoming matches with Aston Villa and Everton, too, and Blues midfielder Matic insists they will not miss their top scorer if Remy plays the same way.

“Remy did a good job. He scored a goal and did exactly what the coach wanted from him,” Matic told Chelsea TV.

"He gives us more confidence now for the next game. I'm very excited for the next game, how he's going to play.

"Now people will see he's a very good player and he's going to be very important for us."

Sky Sports subscribers can sign in to watch highlights of Chelsea v Man City

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Banned Costa will not change

Chelsea striker Diego Costa insists he will not alter his aggressive style of play after serving his three-match suspension.

Diego Costa: Chelsea striker will stick with his physical approach

The 26-year-old was retrospectively given the ban this week for violent conduct after an independent regulatory commission on Friday ruled he deliberately stamped on the ankle of the Liverpool midfielder Emre Can during Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg.

Although Costa claims there was no malicious intent behind the stamp, he will take the decision in his stride but not let it affect the way he approaches the game.

No angel

"As far as what happened on Tuesday, the main thing is when I get home I can go home and I can go to sleep knowing that I've not done anything wrong, because I never meant to do that and it was not on purpose," the Spain international told the Daily Telegraph.

"You can clearly see that on the video. But it is a suspension. I have to accept that, I have to take it. Obviously I feel sad because I'm not going to be able to help the team, to play. But I have accept it and respect it.

"I'm not saying I'm an angel. I'm no angel. You can see that. But every time I play I will play the same way because that's the way I am. That's what I need to do in order to support my family. That's my bread and butter.

“Also, that's what I need to do for this club and for the fans of this club, for the supporters and for all the people involved in this club.

"On the pitch I will always be like that. That's my character and I will always compete and compete - always. I'm a different guy off the pitch, as you can see, but on the pitch I will not change.

“And I want to say this again: you can look at the video and interpret it however you want, but I know when I get home I can sleep in peace because I know I didn't mean to do it."

Contact sport

The former Atletico Madrid forward believes he is suffering because the modern game is becoming less physical.

"I'm always loyal, I always go 100 per cent, I always go on the limit but I think the people that think that I am a violent player, it's because they interpret football a different way; they see it in a different way," he added.

"Back in the old days there used to be way more contact and a lot of things that were permitted. These days everyone is looking at it and I don't think that is good for the game.

"I have a go at defenders and they have a go at me. We argue. Whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. After the game I shake hands with the defender. Job done, I go home, he goes home.

“We're all mates. It's all good. That's how I see football. That's how I play football. I'm not going to change it – football is a contact sport."

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Pellegrini: No Chelsea campaign

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has dismissed the idea that there is a ‘campaign’ against title rivals Chelsea.

Manuel Pellegrini says he thinks everything is above board in the title race

The two sides are all set to square off in a massive Premier League game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

And the match comes at the end of a week in which Jose Mourinho was fined £25,000 for comments he made after a 1-1 draw at Southampton on December 28 which suggested pressure was being put on referees to give decisions against Chelsea.

The Chelsea manager was punished for saying: “There is a campaign against Chelsea. I don’t know why there is this campaign and I do not care.

“The media, commentators, other managers are all doing it.”

However, Pellegrini said on Friday: “I hope that in the Premier League they don't have a campaign against anyone.

“I hope all is fair and the referee makes mistakes for all the teams exactly the same, that the FA make the fixtures in a fair way.

"I think it is the best league in the world and I don't think it has any strange things. After that (any sort of campaign), if you won the title, it would not be an important title, because all is arranged."

However, as is usual, Pellegrini refused to get involved in any sort of personal attack on Mourinho.

"I don't talk about Mourinho," said the Manchester City boss.

"I'm not going to help you with those things because they are not important for me. I don't want to carry on in that way.

"This profession is so difficult for a manager - we have different styles. The way I do it is the best way for me, but it's not the only way to do it.

"Maybe you think you can take advantage but for me I don't think it's the normal way or the fair way."

And Pellegrini admitted he was wrong to compare Chelsea to Stoke after a 1-1 draw with the Londoners at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

Pellegrini felt Chelsea played in a defensive fashion and compared them after the match to a Stoke team who had won at City after employing what he felt were defensive tactics.

But Pellegrini now says: “It was a mistake to compare with Stoke.

“The style of every club, it depends on how the manager wants to do it. Chelsea can play in the way they want and we are going to continue playing in the style I think is the best for this team."

See Chelsea play Manchester City live on Saturday Night Football on Sky Sports 1 from 4.45pm.

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