Man Utd 0-0

Independent:

Manchester United 0 Chelsea 0

Rooney outshines van Persie in a big player stalemate

Sam Wallace

Chelsea show steel to put goal within touch
If this was to be the first instalment in a long fight for the prizes of English football, then David Moyes v Jose Mourinho Part I will not trouble the historians of our 21st century game for too long. They came, they saw, they barely had a chance worthy of the name.

Yes, it was intriguing, never more so than in the selections of both managers: Wayne Rooney in for Manchester United; Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku both on the bench in Mourinho’s striker-less formation. There was a good deal of the simmering resentment between these two clubs boiling to the surface in the stands but for those match-defining moments? That did not take much of our time.
Moyes made good on the promise that he would select Rooney who emerged from one of the biggest sulks in modern football history to contribute a performance that while not match-winning, showed why United can hardly let him go. He looked sharp and got stronger the longer the game went on; in fact he outshone Robin Van Persie.
As for Mourinho, he as good as said he settled for a point before the game and while United had the better chances – and that was not saying much - the way in which Chelsea restricted them, led by an outstanding performance from John Terry, was a sign of their manager’s defensive organisation. Listening to Mourinho talk about his attacking players it seemed that he selected them more on the basis of what they could do defensively.
He calls them his “kids” and he said he picked Kevin De Bruyne to shut down the attacking threat from Patrice Evra. Andre Schurrle was obliged to scurry around closing down United’s defence. Mourinho conceded that with 75 minutes played he took the decision that his side could not win the game and opted against bringing on Juan Mata for that reason.
Afterwards Moyes said that his side had simply missed “the final cross or the final pass ... the moment of individual brilliance” that might have changed the game. He was right that his side were by far the more attacking, as you might expect of a United team at home. Yet for United it was a concern that Michael Carrick was composed but there were too few really telling forward passes from either him or Tom Cleverley in central midfield.
If Rooney’s inclusion was a statement about how Moyes saw the future of one of the key players at his club then equally there was one from Mourinho on the resources at his disposal. His decision to leave both Torres and Lukaku on the bench – while Demba Ba did not even travel with the squad – was a resounding judgement on his striking options.
Mourinho has said all summer that he believes in Lukaku, whom he tried to sign at Real Madrid, even if he does not think he is ready yet. As for Torres, who came on for De Bruyne on the hour, this was another low in his ever dwindling Chelsea career. The only consolation for him is that Ba is closer to the exit door 
Afterwards, Mourinho joked that Torres, should stop having his £50m transfer fee thrown at him. “If you like the numbers you have to remember he scored a goal that won the Uefa Cup [Europa League] so that means some millions. He scored a goal against Everton that puts Chelsea in the Champions League, that also means some millions. So it is not 50, maybe it is 20 now ... he did his job. I’m happy with Fernando, no problem.”
As the game opened up when legs tired there was greater potential for mistakes and it was United who offered the more. Yet it was still shots from a distance or a goalmouth scramble that saw Van Persie’s shot strike the substitute John Obi Mikel. Watching from the directors’ box, after that painful defeat to Cardiff City on Sunday, Manuel Pellegrini will not have seen anything that his Manchester City cannot live with on their good days.
As far as the intrigue went, that was happening around fringes of the game. In the first half, Mourinho waved to the United fans who goaded him, having made his entry into the stadium and then sought out both Ryan Giggs and Moyes for an embrace. The new United manager, he emerged later than the rest of his players and was treated to a warm reception from the Stretford End.
There was no doubting the warmth of the feelings from the majority of the home fans towards Rooney. In the first half he only got on the ball occasionally but he looked like the one player who might be on the same wavelength as Van Persie. On 29 minutes he took a pass from Cleverley and manoeuvred himself sharply to make room for a shot which, when it came, was weak. As the United fans began singing Rooney’s name, so too did those in the away end.
The quality, however, was low. In Mourinho’s 4-2-1-3 formation it was Andre Schurrle who had to adapt to the centre-forward’s role and, while he can cover the yards, it would be overstating the case to say that he caused United’s defence problems.
United struggled to get behind Chelsea on either wing but their biggest concern was how rarely Van Persie got the ball in promising circumstances. He managed to pick the ball up on a fast turnover of possession by United on 23 minutes and drifted left to get his shot away, but that was the wrong side of the post.
It was harder to recall a decent chance for Chelsea. Oscar had a shot on target on ten minutes and another later in the first half, neither of which caused David De Gea any problems. Martin Atkinson did his best to keep his yellow card in his pocket, excusing a challenge on Van Persie by Ashley Cole and another by Antonio Valencia on Oscar that both merited a booking. De Bruyne finally copped it for a trip on Van Persie when Atkinson felt he had no other option.
The concern for United was how few chances they created – and with a home crowd urging them to attack in the last 15 minutes they made heavy work of prising open Chelsea. One of their best chances fell to Danny Welbeck, made by Rooney’s aggression in the final third of the pitch. But when the ball was presented to the United attacker he could not keep his shot on target.
Otherwise it was very fragmented from United. Rooney looked ever stronger, sliding in to tackle Ramires on the United goalline out by the corner flag, and then emerging with the ball. He had a sharply struck shot pushed round the post by Cech with 13 minutes left. Earlier United had a debatable penalty appeal for a Frank Lampard handball rejected.
At the start of the game, Ferdinand and Terry had shaken hands – for the first time before a game since the acrimonious episode involving Ferdinad’s brother Anton. Given what was at stake in the game that was to follow it barely merited a footnote at the time. After 90 flat minutes it still feels like we are waiting for this new old rivalry, under new management, to re-ignite.

Match details
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley; Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck; Van Persie.
Substitutes not used: Anderson, Giggs, Smalling, Lindegaard (gk), Young, Kagawa, Buttner
Young/Valencia 66, Welbeck/Giggs 78

Chelsea (4-2-1-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Ramires; Oscar; De Bruyne, Hazard, Schurrle.
De Bruyne/Torres 60, Schurrle/Mikel 87, Azpilicueta/Hazard 90
Man of the match: Terry
Booked: De Bruyne, Torres

Rating: 5
Attendance: 75,032
Referee: M Atkinson

=================

Guardian:

Manchester United draw with Chelsea in frenzy of activity but no goals
Daniel Taylor at Old Trafford

Maybe the game arrived too early in the season to be a classic. José Mourinho's return to Old Trafford certainly never brought the drama that had been anticipated. No knee-slides in that crisp, dark suit and only a few sporadic moments when David Moyes's first home game as Manchester United manager looked as if it could turn into one of the nights of his life. For the most part the two men just stood there, hands in pockets, watching two teams slug it out without managing to create a single clear-cut chance.
A game played at this speed, with all the surrounding politics and intrigue, can never be described as entirely dull but the stalemate was disappointing given the weight of expectation that had accompanied the occasion. Some goalless draws have everything but a goal. This, however, was not one of them. It was the first 0-0 stalemate in 77 Premier League games at Old Trafford, stretching back to April 2009, and it will quickly be forgotten compared with some of Mourinho's previous visits.
For Chelsea, perhaps the greatest encouragement is that Mourinho's presence already appears to be having therapeutic effects on John Terry, who was superb alongside Gary Cahill at the heart of their defence. They had to be because Wayne Rooney was as prominently involved as anyone on a night when both sets of supporters could be heard serenading him. However scrambled his emotions, playing for a club he wants to leave against the team he wants to join, nobody could doubt Rooney's commitment on the night and, on this evidence, it is clear why Mourinho wants him and United will not let it happen. The sight of him chasing down Ramires in the last few minutes, filling in as a temporary left-back and then pulling off a perfectly executed sliding tackle, spoke volumes. The only downside was that his link-up play with Robin van Persie was noticeable for its absence.
Mourinho's assertion afterwards was that United's crowd had been so supportive, describing it as "very English"; his guess was that Rooney would probably now decide to stay in Manchester and, if not, should say so within the next 48 hours. He ignores the fact that United have made it absolutely clear they would never agree to sell him to a major domestic rival. Yet, whatever the reasons, it is clear why Mourinho craves another striker and has Samuel Eto'o lined up as a Plan B. Chelsea, for all their gifts, look short in attack and started this match without an orthodox centre-forward.
Their manager explained it on wanting to "go for mobility". In other words, Mourinho felt Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand might be vulnerable to the pace and movement of Andre Schürrle, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar. It all seemed a sad reflection of the decline of Fernando Torres, a player who used to terrorise Old Trafford in Liverpool's colours. Demba Ba, too, clearly has a lot to ponder after not even making the squad. But this tactic – the false No9 or call it what you will – remains the speciality of Spain and Barcelona, not Chelsea. Schürrle and De Bruyne, in particular, were only on the edges. Mourinho's first observation after the match was that the breakaway pass, when they had the chance to counter-attack, was "not the best".
The same applied to the home side. At times the game was played at a speed more reminiscent of ice hockey and that, in turn, led to carelessness when maybe it needed someone to put his foot on the ball and start orchestrating matters with a little more subtlety. The pity for Chelsea was that Juan Mata was not fully fit and started on the bench. United played with the greater sense of adventure and the more attack-minded line-up but they, too, lacked their usual composure on the ball.
Instead it was too quick to be pretty. United, on the balance of chances created, had the slight edge but neither side could put together a sustained threat to the opposition goal. Antonio Valencia did not seem to have the confidence to believe he could get past Ashley Cole. Hazard seldom explored whether he could trouble Phil Jones. Daniel Welbeck, playing on the left of United's attack, worked diligently but the composure he had shown with his two goals at Swansea was sorely lacking when he had a couple of chances inside the first 15 minutes of the second half. This, ultimately, was the disappointment for both sides: neither Petr Cech nor David de Gea had to make a save that could be rated as more than six out of 10.
United thought they might have won a second-half penalty when Tom Cleverley cracked a shot from the edge of the penalty area and it struck Frank Lampard's hand from point-blank range. Lampard had a point afterwards when he said he did not know how he could be expected to get out of the way, but so did Moyes when he called for the rule-makers to let everyone know what should be given in those circumstances. The referee, Martin Atkinson, waved away the appeals when other like-for-like offences have already been punished this season. Moyes referred specifically to the handball penalty Tottenham Hotspur won at Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
The new manager had been given a rousing welcome and can reflect on a satisfying start to his new job. Mourinho, with seven points out of nine, can do likewise. And next time these sides meet, it is safe to assume there might be a touch more drama and excitement.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2013/aug/26/jose-mourinho-david-moyes

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Telegraph:

Manchester United 0 Chelsea 0
By Henry Winter, at Old Trafford

This was a game of little creative merit, the first supposed show-piece of the new £3billion television deal that must have tempted the broadcasters to rifle through their wallet to check whether they had kept the receipt.
This game, the first goalless draw in the Premier League at Old Trafford since May 2009, deserved only a one-star rating but that one star was Wayne Rooney.
John Terry was named man of the match, and the centre-half undeniably manned the Chelsea barricades with typical organisation and obstinacy, but Rooney was a poor game’s sole redeeming feature.
He was the best striker on view, and would have scored but for Petr Cech’s agile reflexes in keeping his 200th clean sheet. Rooney was the most creative player in view, dropping off Robin van Persie, sweeping the ball wide or teeing up Danny Welbeck for a missed chance.
At one point, Rooney was even the best left-back on view, tracking back to near the corner-flag to dispossess Ramires. At the end, Jose Mourinho left Old Trafford with the point he set out for but how the Chelsea manager would have loved to have returned home with the outstanding Rooney.
Mourinho even set his team up without a centre-forward, almost advertising the vacancy to Rooney.
“Wayne Rooney, we’ll see you next week,’’ chanted the Chelsea fans who were in good humour throughout, particularly enjoying an important point at the home of one of their main rivals for the title. Chelsea’s coveting of Rooney has been one of the sagas of the summer.
This game demonstrated why Mourinho wants him, giving a cutting edge to Chelsea’s attack.
Mourinho’s selection indicated a total lack of belief in Fernando Torres, who came on only after an hour and did little, barring heading wide and collecting a caution. It showed an unwillingness to risk the promising but raw Romelu Lukaku.
It highlighted that he does not particularly rate Demba Ba, who did not even make the bench. Samuel Eto’o is a possible option but is no Rooney. It wasn’t a team-sheet from Mourinho; it was a statement.
Yet David Moyes also made a statement, reminding everyone that he does value Rooney, starting him, keeping him on for 90 minutes, knowing that a player who loves football as much as Rooney would give everything. Yet even Rooney’s formidable influence could not break down Chelsea.
Mourinho, who has yet to lose to Moyes in seven Premier League games, played cautiously, flooding midfield. It was classic Mourinho, the end justifying the means, carrying echoes of his Inter Milan side’s defensive game-plan at Camp Nou in 2010 (albeit without the errant sprinkler after the final whistle).
He even left Juan Mata, Chelsea’s best player over the past two seasons, on the bench. After Torres, Mourinho’s final two substitutions brought on John Obi Mikel and Cesar Azpilicueta to lock down the game and guarantee the point.
Manchester United fans would not have accepted such tactics. Moyes was far more adventurous, starting with Rooney and Robin van Persie with Danny Welbeck and Antonio Valencia wide. United still lack a dominant creative presence in the centre for all Michael Carrick’s occasional composed delivery.
If Mourinho left the happier, Moyes can take heart from the reality that Old Trafford preferred his more adventurous approach. The former Everton manager knows he has much to prove to United supporters but at least this indicated attack-minded tendencies in keeping with the club’s traditions.
This was the Chosen One versus the Special One, the Scot in suede shoes versus the Portuguese showman who had apparently coveted the chance to become Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor. “Jose Mourinho, you wanted this job,’’ chanted the Stretford End who unveiled a banner for Moyes.
United’s new manager had welcomed Mourinho warmly, declaring that Chelsea have appointed a “great coach” but the gloves were off. The pair were in dispute over Rooney, and now embroiled in a tense game which was a disappointing war of attrition in the first half, partly caused by Mourinho’s tactics.
Space was at a premium. The match screamed out for a leader, somebody prepared to take a risk, take opponents on. Rooney tried. Ramires and Frank Lampard, Mourinho’s central midfielders, began dropping even deeper to combat the man in the United No 10 shirt.
He started by trying to dribble Gary Cahill, drawing cheers from United fans, and immediately chants of his name from the Chelsea fans.
Chelsea, their line led by Andre Schurrle, so needed a striker of Rooney’s class. Oscar sent in a snap-shot that David de Gea held. The game then staggered back down the other end. Terry athletically intercepted a Rooney cross. Van Persie hit the side-netting.
It was not particularly appetising fare for a sold-out audience or some distinguished guests. The great and the good of the game were here, Manuel Pellegrini and Roy Hodgson swapping phone numbers, Roberto Martinez watching on, doubtless realising why United are pushing for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. The game craved a focal point, a forward.
Hernan Crespo, here on television duty, could have brought a cutting edge to his old Chelsea team. Even at 38.
The game meandered along. Tom Cleverley wafted a left-footed shot over. Rooney glided past Ivanovic and Ramires. De Bruyne was then cautioned for a challenge on Van Persie, the yellow card a slight surprise as Martin Atkinson had just allowed Valencia to get away with a nasty foul on Oscar.
Defences continued to dominate. Nemanja Vidic dispossessed Oscar with all the nonchalance of a burly policeman taking a water-pistol off a tiny kid. Carrick and Patrice Evra did combine to send Rooney across the edge of the 18-yard box, the England striker eluding Ramires again before slipping the ball into the area for Welbeck, who wasted the opportunity with a shot over.
Another England player, Cleverley, then let fly with a volley which crashed into Lampard. Cleverley appealed loudly for a penalty but Atkinson waved play on. The referee then dismissed Ashley Cole’s claim that Phil Jones had tugged his shirt as he darted past.
Rooney, inevitably, came closest to breaking the deadlock, taking a pass off Welbeck, and bringing a magnificent save from Cech.
A Van Persie volley thudded into Mikel. Still Rooney gave hope, dribbling forward, almost scoring. Mourinho departed with a smile, with catcalls from the Stretford End, but without Rooney.

=======================

Mirror:
 
Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea: Blues target Rooney proves his worth to champions even in disappointing stalemate

By David McDonnell 
  
Cheered by the Old Trafford fans and the best player on a night of few chances, it's hard to see the striker leaving now

Say what you like about Wayne Rooney, but there is no doubting his passion, commitment and professionalism.
Rooney may have become disillusioned with life at Manchester United and had his head turned by Chelsea, but that did not stop him giving his all here for his current employers.
And the unstinting support from United fans towards Rooney, reminding him he is still wanted and revered, may just have convinced the forward he would be mad to turn his back on Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho said as much after the game, admitting he was stunned by the reaction of United's fans to Rooney, having indicated his desire to leave for the second time in under three years.
Mourinho said afterwards he wanted Rooney to make it clear whether he wants to stay at United or leave, only then will Chelsea decide whether to submit a third bid, in the region of £40million, for the forward.
If Rooney is still intent on leaving United, he did not let that show in a charged display that would surely have earned him the man-of-the-match award had it not required him to speak to the Sky TV cameras afterwards.
Given the sensitivity of his current predicament, interviews with Rooney are clearly off limits, but the 27-year-old's performance was the most eloquent expression of his enduring value as a player.
Rooney's pre-season has consisted of 45 minutes in a practice match behind closed doors at United's training ground, 67 minutes for England and a 28-minute cameo role in a 4-1 win at Swansea.
As such, he was clearly not match-fit or as sharp as the other players on the field, Moyes indicating after he only expected Rooney to play 60 to 70 minutes.
But Rooney lasted the full 90 minutes and was unquestionably United's most dominant threat going forward, out-performing Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck.
Rooney was handed his first start for United since April 28 and any apprehension he may have had over his reception was eased when his name was cheered as the teams were read out prior to kick-off.
The selection of Rooney, who had recovered sufficiently from shoulder and hamstring problems to start, was a proverbial two-fingered gesture to Chelsea from Moyes, to show then up close just what they were missing out on.
The easy option for Moyes would have been to leave Rooney on the bench or out completely, given the ongoing saga with Chelsea, but his selection from the start was a masterstroke from the United boss.
Moyes banked on Rooney's professionalism and personal pride to produce his best form for United, despite his inner turmoil over his future - and so it proved.
All that was missing from Rooney's ebullient display was a goal. He had Petr Cech at full-stretch to keep out a rasping long-range effort 13 minutes from the end and tried an audacious over-head kick in added time.
United fans sang Rooney's name with gusto, their Chelsea counterparts joining in and adding "Wayne Rooney, we'll see you next week", clearly confident of getting their man, despite two failed bids.
The game produced few genuine chances in the first-half. Van Persie flashed an angled shot into the side netting in the 22nd minute, while Rooney prodded a meek shot from the edge of the area straight at Cech.
With Chelsea's players adhering to Mourinho's defensive-minded approach, it was United who did most of the pressing throughout, although they were unable to make the decisive breakthrough.
Mourinho, whose starting line-up contained no recognised striker, threw on Fernando Torres on the hour, the Chelsea manager's stated pre-match philosophy of going for "mobility", with four attacking players and no target man, not having worked in terms of yielding a goal.
United felt they should have had a penalty in the 62nd minute when a Tom Cleverley shot struck Frank Lampard's right arm, but referee Martin Atkinson saw no transgression.
Ashley Cole went to ground 10 minutes later at the other end, claiming Phil Jones had pulled at his shorts, but TV replays showed the Chelsea defender was optimistic to say the least with his appeal.
If one moment summed up Rooney the player, it came in the 75th minute when he raced back to his own touchline to dispossess Ramires with a perfectly-timed tackle, before clipping the ball forward to Van Persie.
The extraordinary show of commitment earned Rooney a deserved standing ovation from United's fans.
Such a reception may yet see Rooney have a change of heart for the second time in three years and turn his back on a fresh start, this time at Chelsea.

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Express:

Rival bosses Jose Mourinho and David Moyes draw comfort from result

THEY probably won't admit it, but neither David Moyes nor Jose Mourinho will have been too unhappy with this result.

By: Richard Tanner

At this early stage of the season, it was simply a game they didn't want to lose.
Manchester United's first goalless draw for 119 matches ensured that Moyes didn't lose his first home match as their manager, while Mourinho maintained his excellent record against them.
When they meet again at Stamford Bridge in January, the stakes will be higher, but all that can be drawn from last night's encounter is that there is little to choose between the teams and both will be challenging hard for the Premier League title.
Moyes will have been greatly encouraged though by the performance of Wayne Rooney. Despite Chelsea's persistent interest, his commitment matched his quality.
And he was cheered throughout by United fans so eager for him to stay at Old Trafford.
When he raced back to dispossess Ramires near the corner flag and then sent Robin van Persie away with a pass, the roar from the crowd was as loud as if he had scored the winner. United had more of the ball and the better chances, with Danny Welbeck missing the best of them, but Chelsea were superbly organised and resilient.
There was a minute's applause before kick-off for former United players Jack Crompton and Brian Greenhoff who passed away during the summer.
Among the crowd for an early showdown between two of last season's top three, were England boss Roy Hodgson and Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose side face United next month.
As expected, Moyes gave Rooney his first start since Chelsea won at Old Trafford on May 4, despite Chelsea apparently waiting for the game to finish before submitting a third offer.
Any fears of a negative reaction from United fans however were dispelled when his name was announced to loud cheers and chants of "Rooney, Rooney" as the players did their warm-up.
United had more possession in the early stages, but had to wait until the 23rd minute before they threatened a goal when Michael Carrick won the ball off Ramires and Van Persie's shot rattled the side netting.
Van Persie couldn't climb high enough to get any power or direction on his header from Patrice Evra as United attempted to build up some attacking momentum. Then Rooney, receiving the ball from Tom Cleverley, made room for a shot that he fired tamely straight at Petr Cech.
United were quick to close down Chelsea with some fierce tackling. After a late challenge on Oscar, Antonio Valencia received a lecture form referee Martin Atkinson.
But it was Kevin De Bruyne who picked up the first caution for a foul on Van Persie.
To add injury to insult, De Bruyne was left with blood trickling from a split lip after Van Persie attempted to fend off his challenge with his forearm.
Mourinho was furious that Valencia had escaped and De Bruyne had not and made his feelings known in his typically theatrical fashion to fourth official Mike Dean.
chelsea, manchester united, david moyes, jose mourinho, draw, tie, frank lampard, wayne rooneyBut Valencia found Lampard blocking his path

Any fears of a negative reaction from United fans however were dispelled when his name was announced to loud cheers and chants of "Rooney, Rooney" as the players did their warm-up
The two teams had shown each other too much respect in a cautious first half, but United cranked up the tempo in the second half in a bid to make the breakthrough with Welbeck heavily involved in their attacking work.
He linked well with Evra, but the United left-back was blocked as he surged into the area.
Welbeck then curled a shot high and wide and wasted the best chance of the game so far after 55 minutes, lofting his effort into the Stretford End.
United had appeals for a penalty dismissed by referee Atkinson when Cleverley's shot crashed against Frank Lampard, who was turning away from the ball.
Rooney underlined his growing confidence by spinning away from Gary Cahill to try his luck from 25 yards, but Cech fielded the shot comfortably.
Valencia had worked hard, but had blown hot and cold and Moyes decided to replace him with Ashley Young.
Cole appealed for a penalty after an excursion into United's penalty area, but he went down far too easily after brushing against Phil Jones and referee Atkinson got his second big call of the night spot on.

================

Star:

Chelsea 0 - Manchester United 0: Jose Mourinho ruins David Moyes' party

DAVID MOYES discovered last night just how tough an opponent Jose Mourinho will be as the Scot bids to retain the Premier League title for United.

By David Woods

Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, ChelseaAn all-star display couldn't ensure any thrills in the rivals clash
For all his talk promising free-flowing, adventurous football, this was a stark reminder of how Mourinho can be the ultimate party-pooper by making teams tougher to beat than a hard boiled egg.
Do not forget in his first season with the Blues – when they won the title in 2004-5 – Chelsea conceded just 15 goals.
This was a game where Mourinho set out first and foremost not to lose.
It was not exactly “parking the bus” – the famous criticism the Portuguese coach once made of a Tottenham team who drew 0-0 at Stamford Bridge.
But it was a million miles away from cavalier stuff, with Mourinho keeping ­playmaker Juan Mata on the bench and starting with young, fit and ready to run and run Andre Schurrle as his solitary man up front.
It was a case of ‘Schurrle you can’t be serious’ when the team was revealed.
But Mourinho has already instilled a defensive discipline in his team, with each and every player knowing last night that they had never to forget their duty to make sure it was always a thick blue line United had to breach. It was not pretty, but it sure was effective as United were involved in a 0-0 for the first time since they went to Newcastle in April 2011.
Mourinho’s penultimate substitution saw holding midfielder John Obi Mikkel come on for an exhausted Schurrle in the 87th minute, and the Nigerian almost immediately got his body in the way of a Robin van Persie volley.
In stoppage time he sent on right-back Cesar Azpilicueta for Eden Hazard. ‘The Special One’ was certainly taking no chances.
Before kick-off Moyes received a rapturous welcome on his Old Trafford debut.
But just like his predecessor and fellow Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson, he discovered Mourinho is the master when it comes to denying the opposition.
David Moyes' first match at home provided no real dramaDavid Moyes' first match at home provided no real drama
In March, Mourinho’s Real Madrid ensured no fairytale ending to Fergie’s amazing career by dumping United out of the Champions League.
Sadly in this encounter, there was no wizard like Cristiano Ronaldo. Even the sub-plot involving Chelsea’s United target Wayne Rooney could not add any real thrills to this encounter as Mourinho’s tactics thwarted the champions.
Rooney played well without being sensational, forcing Petr Cech into his one and only serious save in the 77th minute, when he made the Czech keeper dive full length to his right to keep out a 25-yard right-foot cracker.
Chelsea’s best chances fell to Oscar, the player who marked the start of the new Mourinho era by scoring the first goal of his second coming, against Hull nine days ago.
But the Brazilian shot twice straight at David De Gea and also screwed another half-chance wide, by connecting with the wrong side of his right boot.
For United, Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley failed to make any great connections with other attempts.
At half-time the only real talking point was the fact John Terry and Rio ­­Ferdinand HAD shaken hands, having seemingly put the Anton Ferdinand race storm incident behind them at last.
But overall there was a lack of excitement in a game which was supposed to signal the Premier League season catching alight.
In truth, it was as flat as the Old ­Trafford pitch.
The Theatre of Dreams was more like the Theatre of Yawns and although the second half was better, it was no spectacle.
Fernando Torres did came on for Chelsea just after the hour, but he never threatened and always seems now to be on the verge of losing control of the ball if he runs at defenders.
Hazard was on target from nearly 30 yards but, once again, his shot proved no challenge for De Gea.
But Gary Cahill did produce a decent strike from 35 yards to force De Gea to spring to his left and collect.
There were a couple of shouts in the second half for penalties – for a Frank Lampard handball and a supposed pullback of Ashley Cole by Phil Jones.
But there was to be no drama and no delight for either set of fans as the game drew to a close.
Mourinho is a winner and will do pretty much whatever it takes to stay at the top.
And this draw will send out a grim warning that anyone wanting to beat his Chelsea will have to do it the hard way.

Aston Villa 2-1

Independent:
Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1
Blues top as Branislav Ivanovic escapes red card to deny Villa
Sam Wallace
 
There were times when maintaining Chelsea's unbeaten home league record during his first spell at Stamford Bridge was as easy for Jose Mourinho as walking his Yorkshire terrier around Holland Park. Tonight was a reminder that in the Premier League of 2013, life will be different.

Chelsea are top of the league with six points from their first two games in the space of four days, which is a position that Mourinho will not want to concede easily, especially come the game at Old Trafford on Monday. But they were made to work damn hard for it tonight by a fine Aston Villa performance that stretched Chelsea all the way and might even have merited more.
The winning goal was headed past Brad Guzan by Branislav Ivanovic on 73 minutes, a fine finish, albeit with a touch of offside about it. Yet minutes earlier, the Chelsea right-back had caught Christian Benteke, Villa’s goalscorer, with a flailing elbow. It was by no means a clear-cut red card but may have earned a dismissal from some referees.
Extensive petitioning by John Terry and Frank Lampard followed and referee Kevin Friend opted to show Ivanovic the yellow rather than the red. When the ball struck Terry’s raised arm in the penalty area in injury-time at the end of the game, Friend did not react and the Villa bench were incensed.
For Lambert there were no doubts. “We have been ‘done’ by two big decisions”, said the Villa manager. On Saturday it could be said that he benefited from the performance of Anthony Taylor in the win over Arsenal but this is the Premier League and life moves on quickly. Tonight Villa left London convinced that with a different referee they might still be unbeaten.
Upon such decisions are games decided and this was a real beauty; it shaped up to be a hard night for Villa at first but this young team held their own in impressive style. Three academy graduates in the starting XI; three more signed from Football League clubs. Paul Lambert’s team are maturing nicely.
As for Mourinho, after the blitz of Hull in the first half on Sunday, this was the dogfight that tested his team’s mettle. Afterwards he blamed himself for not making more changes from the Sunday's side – he made only two – but praised the resilience of his team. Certainly, in the difficult moments they dug out a result and they relied heavily upon Petr Cech when the pressure was intense.
“The team fought very hard and sometimes you have to win because you play fantastic football, “Mourinho said. “Sometimes when you don’t do that you have to play based on other things and tonight other things gave us the game.” Against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday, Mourinho’s side will have to be more polished, and they will also have to demonstrate the fight they showed against Villa.
At times in the first half, certainly in the opening stages, Villa struggled to contain a Chelsea side that looked determined to build on the solid work of their first half performance against Hull City on Sunday. In those opening stages of the game, Chelsea worked their opponents hard all over the pitch. It was relentless and Villa did well to stay in touch.
They could not prevent the breakthrough, an own goal by Antonio Luna on six minutes after Oscar’s pass into the left channel unzipped the Villa defence and let Eden Hazard in on goal. His shot was actually well-saved by Guzan but the goalkeeper succeeded only in pushing it against Luna, running towards his own goal, from where it was deflected into the net.
Weaker teams would have allowed themselves to be steam-rollered. With Juan Mata back in the team the three little maestros at Chelsea’s creative heart last season were re-united. And they passed the ball beautifully at times but the problem was Demba Ba, who took Fernando Torres’ place. Ba scarcely made an impression on Villa’s defence which had to be reshuffled when Ciaran Clark picked up a bad cut to his head and Jores Okore was sent on to replace him.
For the whole of that first half, Lambert’s young team worked the full press on Chelsea. It is hard going to shut down a team as sharp as this one but they made an excellent job of it. As for Chelsea, they tried to get Ba into the game with the long balls over the top hit by Terry or Gary Cahill. But Ba is no Didier Drogba and he could not make it stick.
As for Villa, they had two good chances and they took the second. The first fell to Andreas Weimann who did not get a clean connection on a header at the back post when Luna had got free down the left and crossed for him. It was the first time that Ivanovic had let anyone in behind him but when he did for the second time, Villa scored.
Gabby Agbonlahor, who worked hard all half without much chance to run with the ball, saw his chance to take on the Serb. A frustrating player at times, Agbonlahor only has three England caps but on his day he can take on the best of them. Having got behind Ivanovic he found Benteke with a fabulous cut-back. The Villa centre-forward needed one touch to take the ball onto his left and another to sweep it past Cech and in off the post.
In the absence of any deal for Wayne Rooney on the horizon, Benteke looks exactly the kind of striker that Mourinho could do with. Less so, Ba whose distinctly unimpressive evening came to a close on 64 minutes when he was replaced by Romelu Lukaku, a change that might have been made much earlier. Later, when Mourinho was asked about Benteke he described him as ‘a great player for a certain style of football’, which is no compliment at all.
Mourinho also substituted Mata and introduced Andre Schurrle. By that point there was a case for saying that Villa were on top. They had certainly created the better chances at that point. Agbonlahor had curled a Matt Lowton pass across goal just over. Weimann should have done better with a back-post volley from Benteke’s cross.
There are never more than a few chances to put Chelsea away when they are at home and those passed Villa by. Then came a game-changing two minutes when Ivanovic first caught Benteke with an elbow and was only booked by referee Friend. Then, within two minutes, the Serbian was the most decisive when Lampard struck a free-kick into the box and it was the Chelsea right-back who connected with a powerful header past Guzan. He looked offside when the ball was struck.
The Terry handball, and a fine save from Cech from Weimann followed. Chelsea had hung on which, on a difficult night, is a sign of a team who, whatever the circumstances, will not give up the fight easily.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Mata (Schurrle, 65), Oscar (Van Ginkel , 84), Hazard; Ba (Lukaku, 65). Substitutes not used Schwarzer (gk), Mikel, Schurrle, De Bruyne, Azpilicueta.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark (Okore, 43), Luna; El Ahmadi (Tonev, 82), Westwood, Delph; Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor. Substitutes not used Steer (gk), Bennett, Bacuna, Helenius, Stylla.

Referee K Friend (Leciestershire)
Man of the match Delph
Match rating 8

==================

Guardian:
Chelsea go top but Branislav Ivanovic's winner has Aston Villa raging

Chelsea 2
Antonio Luna 6 o.g.,
Branislav Ivanovic 73
 
Aston Villa 1
Christian Benteke 45 +2:49
 
Amy Lawrence at Stamford Bridge

There could have been red cards, instead there were scarlet faces. José Mourinho and Paul Lambert threatened to overheat as tempers flared and controversy swirled around Chelsea's match-winner, Branislav Ivanovic.
The Serbian defender tilted an intriguing contest towards the blue corner with a solid header in the 73rd minute. The fact that he courted dismissal on either side of the goal as he challenged Christian Benteke – first with an arm in the face and then with a high kick – left Villa cursing.
Lambert was unequivocal in his view that the referee had cost his team not once, but twice, as Chelsea also benefited from a benevolent nod from the official in stoppage time, after John Terry's raised arm met Fabian Delph's cross. "It's easy to sit here with sour grapes. We've been done by two big decisions," he said. " They are game-changers."
Naturally Mourinho disagreed, welcoming the referee's interpretation of events wholly. He even went so far as to come over almost nostalgic at the sight of Lambert's explosive touchline theatrics. "Paul has a certain type of personality – he reminds me of myself 10 years ago when I was complaining every decision, when I wanted to coach my team and at the same time have a whistle at my lips. He's a young manager, very intelligent, he will change."
Some sympathy for Lambert was understandable, as Villa played energetically and broke dangerously enough to merit more reward than the moral satisfaction to have improved enormously on their last showing here, which ended in a club record 8-0 nightmare.
The expectancy of home dominance is part of life under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and all went according to plan early on. Chelsea eased into the lead in the seventh minute. Oscar's vision split Villa open – his superb pass took three opposition players out of the game – enabling Eden Hazard to pelt into the box. The Belgian's cross was tricky for Brad Guzan, who could only palm the ball straight into the chest of the onrushing Antonio Luna.
Once they were in front Chelsea looked in the mood to suffocate Villa with endless, mesmerising possession. It was pedestrian and soporific, as they mustered a few half-chances but nothing else of note in the first period to test Guzan seriously.
For all Mourinho's talk pre-match about his wish to see more "intensity" from his team, and a hunger to "destroy" teams, Chelsea played the first half as if they were content to pootle along in first gear.
Villa found a Mourinho-drilled Chelsea a tougher nut to crack than a shaky Arsenal, so eking a path back into the game was a tougher challenge than they had last weekend, when they also needed to recover from an early setback. But recover they did.
Undaunted, they chipped away patiently and slowly began to drag some of the initiative away from Chelsea. The equaliser came in first-half stoppage time, as their two most influential attacking figures combined again. Gabriel Agbonlahor was able to dart away down the left flank, and his pass fell to Villa's master marksman. Christian Benteke cushioned the ball with his right foot and placed it with his left. Petr Cech, seeking his 200th clean sheet for Chelsea, would have to wait.
Chelsea trod a thin line as they probed in search of some end product. On the hour Agbonlahor took aim with a wonderful chance on the break. His curling shot arced just over the crossbar. Then Andreas Weimann connected fiercely with Benteke's cross and Cech pulled off a vital save. It was a head-in-hands moment for the watching Lambert, who sensed another improbable mission days after the opening day win across London.
Mourinho acted, withdrawing Demba Ba and Juan Mata – neither of whom looked to have done much to endear himself to the new coach – and passing the baton to the trickery of André Schürrle and the hulking brawn of Romelu Lukaku, who showed his potential when he grazed the side-netting.
With 20 minutes to go fortune turned Chelsea's way. Ivanovic took a huge risk as he caught Benteke in the face with a raised arm. Lambert fumed on the touchline but the referee chose yellow instead of red.
A couple of minutes later Lampard swung in a free-kick and – inevitably – the name on the shirt of the man who thundered in to plant a bullet header past Guzan was none other than … Ivanovic.
Chelsea still needed Cech to protect the win courtesy of another fine save with his legs from Weimann's effort. It was hard luck for Villa while Chelsea amble on, not entirely convincingly but with six points to take into the match at Old Trafford.
A brighter Chelsea with more attacking force will need to be in action then.

=======================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1

By Henry Winter, Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho’s love-in with Chelsea continues after a second date at the Bridge but he did need a couple of winks from Lady Luck.
Two poor pieces of officiating by the referee, Kevin Friend, understandably enraged the visitors, Aston Villa. Branislav Ivanovic should have been dismissed for an elbow a minute before heading the winner. John Terry should have been punished for a handball in the last minute.
An animated Paul Lambert went in to see the referee afterwards. The Football Association’s newly tweaked retrospective disciplinary process may be scrutinised after this, especially the Ivanovic decision, although it would be a surprise if the FA acted.
It was a pity that the focus should inevitably be on some hapless refereeing as this was a really good game, particularly in the second half when Villa showed why they have grown so much under Lambert, why Mourinho’s barbs about Villa’s “didn’t play a lot’’ style afterwards were a nonsense (and will have Barcelona fans reminding him of Inter Milan’s visit to the Nou Camp in 2010).
Fabian Delph, arguably man of the match along with Petr Cech, was a nimble, ball-playing presence in midfield, eclipsing Frank Lampard.
Gabby Agbonlahor is enjoying a fine calendar year, Andi Weimann hardly lacks technique while Christian Benteke is the type of prolific frontman Chelsea crave — and why they are going back in for Wayne Rooney on Tuesday.
Mourinho also noted Lambert’s disputing of every decision. Mr Pot? Please meet Mr Kettle.
Lambert handled Mourinho’s jibes well, focusing on praising his players. Rightly so. With a fraction of Chelsea’s budget, Villa look a force. Four days after winning at Arsenal, Villa really rattled Chelsea . But for Friend’s mistakes and Cech’s shot-stopping, Villa could have won here.
There must be a concern for Mourinho over how Chelsea tailed off, as against Hull City on Sunday, although they perked up when Romelu Lukaku came on to replace the disappointing Demba Ba.
Lukaku has to start. He offers more energy, focus and a goal threat than Ba or Fernando Torres currently. The past two games confirm why Mourinho still pursues Rooney.
For all these issues, Chelsea are top with six points and the club are united under Mourinho.
Chelsea’s returning idol wrote emotionally in his programme notes about the “unique” and “fantastic” reception the fans had given him before the Hull game, a match attended by his family who saw exactly why he “wanted to come back”.
On Wednesday night, the romance rolled on, particularly when Chelsea fans savoured the build-up to their sixth-minute goal.
It was the speed and accuracy of Chelsea’s one-touch passing that unhinged Villa’s defence.
Ashley Cole started the move, tucked in on the left, drilling the ball quickly to Lampard, who turned it immediately on to Oscar. The Brazilian was starting in the centre of Chelsea’s creative trident, although occasionally switching with the right-sided Juan Mata. Oscar picked out Eden Hazard, infiltrating in from the left.
The Belgian tried to work the ball around Brad Guzan, but the American parried the ball out. Unfortunately for Villa, the ball cannoned into Antonio Luna and back in past Guzan.
Villa rallied midway through the first half. Lambert has them playing with belief, their 4-3-3 system both compact and bold. Gone are the nerves of last season, the thumpings as experienced against Chelsea .
Karim El Ahmadi sent a shot wide while Benteke kept trying to get past Terry but the Chelsea captain was equal to the heavyweight task for 44 minutes. Terry’s enduring determination was shown when throwing himself in ahead of Benteke, then El Ahmadi. It made his later lapse so strange.
Chelsea almost added a second when Mata, Hazard and Lampard set up Oscar, whose shot went wide. Ciaran Clark then departed, his forehead accidentally sliced open by the studs of Ba. Jores Okore, a Chelsea fan who turned down the club, came on at centre-half and eventually settled well alongside Ron Vlaar.
Villa equalised just before the break, Agbonlahor getting the better of Ivanovic and cutting the ball back to Benteke, who finally had escaped Terry. Benteke controlled Agbonlahor’s pass instantly, then swept it left-footed past Cech.
The second half was a mix of flair and brimstone. Agbonlahor curled a shot over. Weimann was denied at the near post by Cech.
Controversy then gate-crashed the Bridge. Ivanovic jumped aggressively at Benteke, catching the striker in the neck with his elbow. Friend deemed it worthy only of a yellow, a lucky escape.
Chelsea fans thought back to Benteke’s elbow on César Azpilicueta last May, the Belgian receiving only a yellow (although later dismissed for placing his studs in Terry’s chest).
Shortly afterwards, Ivanovic leapt to head in Lampard’s free-kick, further sending Villa into meltdown. Lambert and Mourinho exchanged contrasting views.
The temperature was really rising now. Benteke tried to wreak some retribution, flying into Ivanovic as they contested an aerial ball. As Ivanovic fell, he flicked out a foot and caught Benteke, who was bemused when Friend then cautioned him.
Villa had been expecting justice to prevail and for Ivanovic finally to receive his marching orders, this time with a second yellow. They shook their heads in disbelief when it was Benteke who was punished.
Lambert was livid. Mourinho was calmer, chatting with the fourth official, Stuart Attwell. He blew out his cheeks as Villa kept pressing. Only a wonderful save with his feet by Cech denied Weimann.
In the final minute, Agbonlahor headed down Delph’s free-kick, Terry clearly handled, Friend waved play on and Villa’s frustration was complete.
They returned north fuelled with indignation but also surely buoyed by a realisation that they can live with the big teams. Chelsea need to sustain their excellence over 90 minutes, particularly with Monday’s trip to Old Trafford pending.

================

Mail:

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1:

Rattled Mourinho and Lambert square up on touchline as Ivanovic header wins it for Blues (but should Serb have seen red?)

By Neil Ashton

Jose Mourinho’s truce with the Barclays Premier League lasted just one game. This didn’t quite reach the depths of his poke in Tito Vilanova’s eye when in charge of Real Madrid but it was close enough for discomfort.
First the Chelsea boss was shaken by Christian Benteke’s equaliser and he then steamed into Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert.
Mourinho knows Chelsea got lucky. They won this re-arranged fixture when Branislav Ivanovic, who could easily have been sent off for elbowing Benteke, powered the winner beyond Brad Guzan.
By then Stamford Bridge had been treated to Mourinho’s full repertoire: flailing arms, three touchline rows with a purple-faced Lambert and countless run-ins with fourth official Stuart Attwell.
‘Paul has a certain personality on the touchline and a certain way of behaving with comments,’ claimed Mourinho. ‘He reminds me of me ten years ago, but with experience he will change.’
It was vintage Mourinho, spiky and unabridged. He doesn’t care who he upsets, so long as his team are winning. Even Rui Faria, Mourinho’s faithful assistant, jumped off the bench to confront Lambert during another ugly touchline exchange.
Villa should have had two penalties, decisions scandalously overlooked by referee Kevin Friend who failed to spot the nudge on Andreas Weimann, or John Terry’s handball in the closing minutes.
‘We’ve been done by two big decisions,’ claimed Lambert. ‘Ivanovic should have been sent off.’
Mourinho responded, labelling Villa a physical, long-ball team who constantly boot balls up to Benteke. It was unfair and inaccurate.
Lambert and Villa deserve sympathy, heading back to Birmingham without a point when they might have won all three.
When two teams play like this, with exuberance and energy, taking on lung-busting runs and responding to the demands of their passionate fans, you don’t want the game to end.
At times Stamford Bridge was caught in a trance, mesmerised by Eden Hazard’s ability to pick out Juan Mata with a fading 40-yard crossfield pass.
Chelsea went ahead through the sweetest of moves involving Frank Lampard, Oscar and Hazard, who was denied the credit for the goal when Antonio Luna deflected the ball beyond Guzan.
There was the effort of Gabby Agbonlahor down the left for Villa, providing the outlet that earned his team two penalties at Arsenal on Saturday. He provided the killer pass, an angled cut-back into the path of Benteke to score Villa’s equaliser at the end of the first half. This is the Agbonlahor of 2006, the man who nearly earned a move to Chelsea under Mourinho first time around. He was awesome.
Under Lambert he has remodelled his game, a real team player as Villa respond to their manager’s intensity and enthusiasm on the touchline.
The equaliser provoked some intense celebrations from Lambert and his coaching staff. Mourinho was in the technical area, the knot on his tie slipping further down his shirt as the game wore on.
He has put himself under this pressure, demanding the killer touch from his team ahead of Monday’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
There will be rotation, as Fernando Torres discovered when he didn’t even make the bench after starting Sunday’s opener against Hull.
Demba Ba got his chance, but Chelsea are a striker light. The Senegal forward is good, just not good enough for a club with Premier League and Champions League aspirations.
In another era it would be easy to conclude that Ba was picked as a message to Abramovich, a reminder that they need another forward before the transfer window closes. They will be back for Wayne Rooney, with one last attempt after Monday’s clash at Old Trafford.
Ba was eventually replaced by Romelu Lukaku and it wasn’t a moment too soon for Chelsea’s increasingly restless fans. By then Agbonlahor could have put Villa in front with a swirling effort on the hour and a Weimann volley went wide of Cech’s post.
‘Come on Chelsea’ the home fans shouted as Ron Vlaar and Jores Okore - who came on after Ciaran Clark went off with a head injury - stopped almost everything. They were unlucky to be beaten in the air by Ivanovic, scoring with a header to prompt another icy glare towards Lambert from Mourinho.
Two games into his return to Chelsea, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 8, Cole 6, Ramires 6, Lampard 6, Oscar 6 (Van Ginkel 84min), Mata 6 (Schurrle 65), Hazard 7, Ba 4 (Lukaku 65).

Subs: Mikel, De Bruyne, Schwarzer, Azpilicueta.
Booked: Ivanovic

Goal: Luna (og) 7, Ivanovic 73.

Aston Villa: Guzan 6, Lowton 6, Vlaar 7, Clark 6 (Okore 43), Luna 7, El Ahmadi 7 (Tonev 82), Westwood 7, Delph 7, Weimann 6, Benteke 7, Agbonlahor 7.

Subs: Bennt, Bacuna, Helenius, Steer, Sylla.

Booked: El Ahmadi, Westwood, Benteke

Goal: Benteke 45

Attendance: 41,527

Referee: Kevin Friend

================

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa: Cries of ref justice as returning Mourinho make it two wins from two
 
Ivanovic nets decisive goal just after red-card let-off and late Terry handball goes unpunished to leave visitors feeling robbed

Darren Lewis

Forget this idea that he returns as the Cuddly, Happy One.
Forget the idea returns to the Premier League a more calm, considered, less-confrontational boss to the one that quit these shores back in September 2007.
When the heat was on in this compelling contest all that went right out of the window.
Welcome back Jose. We thought we'd lost you.
Sparks flew on the touchline as the Chelsea boss clashed first with the fourth official then Paul Lambert with the Blues struggling to contain the Scot's tenacious Aston Villa team.
And Mourinho will be reflecting on his six Premier League points well aware that he emerged from this face-off very much the Lucky One.
Aston Villa were robbed. Pure and simple.
Referee Kevin Friend bottled it and denied them a 93rd-minute penalty when John Terry handled Gabby Agbonlahor's header.
Friend also produced a 70th-minute yellow when Villa felt, justifiably, it should have been red for a forearm smash by Branislav Ivanovic on Christian Benteke.
Minutes later, the Serb scored the winner.
Referees are living in cloud cuckoo land if they don't believe they deserve criticism for the kind of decision-making that cost Villa the points here.
Why on earth should bosses stay silent when faced with the kind of ineptitude that rendered the efforts of Lambert's men meaningless?
The Villa boss came out fighting afterwards, and rightly so.
It will be nothing short of a disgrace if Lambert is cited by the FA for speaking his mind on the issue.
Even Chelsea fans will know that the referee had a shocker.
Villa were excellent. Chelsea, not so much.
The Europa League holders had been charged by Mourinho with replicating the ruthlessness with which Manchester City dismissed Newcastle on Monday.
And when a helpless Antonio Luna turned a deflected Eden Hazard shot into his own net after just five minutes, the floodgates did indeed look set to open.
Mourinho and his men soon found, however, that this Villa vintage is nothing like the timid, relegation-haunted side eaten alive 8-0 on this same pitch last season.
They were organised, efficient and stunned the Bridge into silence when Benteke netted on the stroke of half-time.
The Belgian, who tormented Chelsea before being sent off at Villa Park in the penultimate game of last season, lasted all 90 minutes this time around.
And when his chance came, he took it with aplomb.
First, he killed a cross from Agbonlahor with his left foot in the box, then he totally ignored the advancing Terry to let fly.
The effort smacked the inside of the Cech's near post and, with the Chelsea keeper beaten, nestled in the back of the net.
What a bit of business from Lambert to keep him from the clutches of big-spending Spurs this summer.
What a bit of business to keep the free-scoring frontman committed to the cause.
Benteke has now scored 17 league goals in 2013 - three more than any other player in the Premier League.
He also looks set to fill his boots again this season.
It all made for a tense and enthralling second half.
Mourinho may be undefeated in 61 matches here at the Bridge but he has failed to win any of his last four against the Villa.
Agbonlahor and Andy Weimann could have extended that sequence but failed to find the target with good chances and the Blues' defence all over the place.
Then Chelsea got lucky. Big time.
Friend was most definitely Villa's foe when he decided to only caution Ivanovic for that challenge on Benteke.
From Frank Lampard's free-kick three minutes later, Ivanovic headed home.
Even then, Villa had chances late on to earn themselves a point.
Cech was forced into a top save from Weimann with four minutes left and did even better from Agbonlahor in added time.
As it is, the Special One lives to die another day.
On this occasion he would very much prefer to be a lucky general.

===================

Express:

Chelsea 2 - Aston Villa 1: Branislav Ivanovic has so sweet a taste for Jose Mourinho

IT WAS never going to be easy all the way. This one was a grind, a battle from start to end. But Jose Mourinho will not care – his Chelsea are top of the table.

By: Tony Banks

After the glory and glamour of their opening day victory over Hull, the Special One’s team had to work for this. And they needed their share of the luck.
An early own-goal by Antonio Luna seemed set to signal another romp – but Paul Lambert’s men hung in and levelled through the excellent Christian Benteke.
Branislav Ivanovic could have been sent off for a foul on Benteke as Chelsea struggled to contain the young Belgian.
But then Ivanovic headed home a Frank Lampard free-kick – and the Blues had edged it.
This was a game that gave them the chance to set down a marker after beating Hull by establishing an early lead in the table.
Victory would also give Mourinho’s troops the psychological advantage of a three-point lead over title rivals Manchester United when they go into Monday’s showdown at Old Trafford.
Mourinho sprang a surprise when he left Fernando Torres out of his side in favour of Demba Ba, and did not even name the Spaniard on the bench, as he also brought Juan Mata back into his side.
Villa’s last trip to Stamford Bridge, in December last year, ended in the humiliation of an 8-0 defeat – the heaviest in their history.
At that stage manager Lambert’s young side looked doomed for the drop. But a late rally from the youngsters to whom he stayed faithful staved off relegation.
Chelsea had begun against Hull with a ferocious half-hour blitz – and they were off and running again early on last night. Villa strung five men across the midfield to try to stifle Mourinho’s men, but they were undone after just seven minutes.
Lampard found Oscar, whose clever pass put Eden Hazard away behind the defence. The Belgian’s shot was pushed away by keeper Brad Guzan, but it bounced straight back into the net off the chest of luckless Luna.
Oscar fired a low shot wide and then the Brazilian cut an effort over the angle as once again Chelsea dominated possession.
Villa’s only worthwhile effort was a 30-yard-drive from Karim El Ahmadi which flew well wide. It was clear though, that this was not going to be another Hull. Villa were sitting deep and looking to catch Chelsea on the break. Mourinho’s team were finding it hard to break them down.
Ba offered more muscularity and sheer pace than Torres up front, but whether he offered the cutting edge that Mourinho is looking for to complete this team was debatable.
Jose Mourinho, Chelsea, Branislav Ivanovic, Christian Benteke, Paul Lambert, Aston VillaVan's the man: Ivanovic heads in Chelsea’s winner
This was a game that gave Chelsea the chance to set down a marker after beating Hull by establishing an early lead in the table
But in first-half injury-time, with their first serious attack, Villa were level. Gabby Agbonlahor burst down the left and crossed, and Benteke had far too much room as he took a touch and cracked his shot low into the corner off the post.
It was the first hiccup of the glorious new era. How would Mourinho and his team react? The answer was, not spectacularly.
The three wizards, Hazard, Mata and Oscar, enjoyed plenty of possession. But they kept running into blind alleys as Villa funnelled back and covered diligently. Mourinho’s team badly lacked any width.Hazard wasted a golden chance as the ball fell to him, but Villa went closer still when Luna’s ball went all the way across the area and Agbonlahor’s shot skimmed an inch over the crossbar.
Then Andreas Weimann met Luna’s cross unmarked at the far post, but Petr Cech pulled off a crucial save.
Ivanovic was lucky to stay on the field after his elbow felled Benteke. But three minutes later the big Serb broke the deadlock.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku was fouled, and when Lampard swung in a free-kick, there was Ivanovic to bullet home his header. Mourinho was then involved in a furious touchline row with Lambert after Ivanovic caught Benteke with a high kick. But it was the Belgian who was booked for dangerous play.
Twice Cech saved Chelsea as he pulled off superb blocks from Weimann and then the Blues somehow survived when John Terry appeared to handle in his own area – to Lambert’s fury.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Cole 6; Ramires 7, Lampard 6; Mata 6 (Schurrle 65, 6 ), Oscar 7 (Van Ginkel 84,6), Hazard 8; Ba 6 (Lukaku 65, 6). Booked: Ivanovic. Goals: Luna 7 og, Ivanovic 73.

Villa (4-5-1): Guzan 6; Lowton 6, Vlaar 7, Clark 6 (Okore 43, 6), Luna 6; Weimann 6, Delph 7, Westwood 6, El Ahmadi 7 (Tonev 82,6),Agbonlahor 6; Benteke 7. Booked: El Ahmadi, Westwood, Benteke, Guzan. Goal: Benteke 45.

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).

=================

Star:
Chelsea 2 - Aston Villa 1: Fury as Branislav Ivanovic escapes red card and hits winner

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC survived a red-card offence to leave Aston Villa feeling blue.

By Adrian Kajumba

The Serbian defender swung out an arm at Christian Benteke, escaped dismissal, and moments later headed home Frank Lampard's free-kick for a 72nd-minute winner.
Villa were right in the game at that point thanks to Benteke.
Just a few days after his double downed Arsenal, Big Ben was at it again in the capital.
The Belgian powerhouse bagged a brilliant first-half equaliser to wipe the smile off Jose Mourinho's face.
Mourinho's men had earlier made the perfect start to their bid to kick off their title bid with two wins out of two.
Antonio Luna's own-goal had gifted Chelsea an early lead.
But they were pegged back when Benteke struck on the stroke of half-time. Chelsea kicked off under orders from Mourinho to start destroying their
opponents after taking their foot off the gas in their 2-0 win over Hull.
That was the last thing Villa needed to hear after their traumatic visit to the Bridge last season.
Paul Lambert's youngsters were taught a lesson they would never forget when they were on the wrong end of an 8-0 Christmas stuffing.
Benteke scores his third in two games in the leagueBenteke scores his third in two games in the league

“Chelsea were rampant and Oscar went close from 25 yards as Villa were having trouble getting out of their half.”
But on the eve of Villa's Bridge return Lambert claimed the thrashing last December helped turn his boys into men.
And a return to the scene of their biggest top-flight defeat held no fears for revitalised Villa after their fine start to the campaign.
Villa piled more misery on crisis club Arsenal by humiliating them 3-1 on their own patch to suggest brighter days are ahead after their brush with relegation last season.
Mourinho also had a pre-match message for Eden Hazard, telling the flying winger that he might be a top talent but is not yet a top player.
The Special One's words sparked an immediate response from the Belgian as Chelsea burst out of the blocks.
He was in the mood from the off and played such a big part when the Blues took a seventh-minute lead.
Ashley Cole and Lampard worked the ball to Oscar on the edge of the box after Villa struggled to clear a Hazard cross.
Oscar spotted a gap in the Villa defence and threaded an inch-perfect pass through it to put Hazard in on goal.
Brad Guzan did brilliantly to parry Hazard's effort that seemed to be heading for the far corner but could only palm the ball onto unlucky left-back Luna who could do nothing as the ball deflected off him into his own net.
Chelsea were rampant and Oscar went close from 25 yards as Villa were having trouble getting out of their half.
Villa finally halted the one-way traffic after 20 minutes when they threatened for the first time.
Chelsea teammates celebrate with IvanovicChelsea teammates celebrate with Ivanovic
Chelsea switched off at a free-kick allowing Fabian Delph to set Luna free down the left.
His cross found Andreas Weimann but his poorly directed header hit Cole and Chelsea cleared.
Villa suffered another blow just before half-time when defender Ciaran Clark was forced off with a head injury and replaced by debut-making summer signing Jores Okore. Chelsea were heading towards the break on top but the half ended on a high for the visitors when Benteke hauled Villa level with a goal out of the blue.
Their looked to be little danger when Gabby Agbonlahor received the ball down the left with his route to goal blocked by Ivanovic.
Yet the in-form striker has pace to burn and put his foot on the gas to speed past the Serbian and crossed for Benteke, who took a touch to buy himself a yard away from John Terry before smashing the ball past Petr Cech.
The first-half pattern continued after the break with Chelsea asking most of the questions. But Villa only had a couple of desperate penalty appeals from Demba Ba and Juan Mata to worry about before Hazard swept an effort well wide from Ivanovic's throw in.
Villa posed problems on the break and Chelsea had two escapes. Agbonlahor curled inches over after Delph dummied Matt Lowton's pass across goal, and Cech stuck out a leg to deny Weimann with a brilliant save from close range.

CHELSEA: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Oscar, Mata, Hazard, Ba. Subs: Mikel, Schurrle, De Bruyne, van Ginkel, Lukaku, Schwarzer, Azpilicueta.
ASTON VILLA: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Luna, El Ahmadi, Westwood, Delph, Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor. Subs: Bennett, Okore, Bacuna, Helenius, Steer, Sylla, Tonev. Referee: Kevin Friend.

======================

Birmingham Mail:
Chelsea v Aston Villa    

Gregg Evans

Villa were robbed a share of the spoils at Stamford Bridge as Branislav Ivanovic’s late second half goal secured another win for Chelsea.
The Serbian was fortunate to be on the pitch when he thundered in the winner after elbowing Christian Benteke just a minute before his 75th-minute winner.
A further blow for Villa came in stoppage time when John Terry appeared to handle Gabby Agbonalhor’s header only for referee Kevin Friend to wave play on.
It meant that Benteke’s stunning first-half strike - which levelled the scores at the break after Antonio Luna’s early own goal -eventually counted for nothing.
Just like on Saturday Villa conceded after six minutes.
Oscar split the claret and blue backline into two by playing in Eden Hazard down the right.
The Belgian cut inside and saw his shot saved by Brad Guzan but it cannoned off the head of Luna - Villa’s hero at the Emirates - and into the net.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard he could do nothing about it and was left counting his unlucky stars.
Lambert cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines.
Desperate for his side to push forward he almost played every pass, header, cross and tackle in his own mind.
But it had little effect early on.
Chelsea were dominant and looked as though they could step it up a gear if they needed to.
Ramires, Oscar and Frank Lampard dominated the midfield areas yet they didn’t create too much.
Oscar had three shots from outside the box that either went high or wide and that was about it until just before half time.
Andreas Weimann had a decent chance for the visitors when Luna found him unmarked towards the back post but Ashley Cole did well to block his header.
Villa were handicapped once again when Ciaran Clark went out with a gash to his head on 41 minutes.
It followed Nathan Baker dismissal through injury against Arsenal at the weekend and meant that Jores Okore came on for his debut.
The Danish defender’s first involvement was a foul, then he was easily turned by Demba Ba, only for the striker to shoot feebly at Brad Guzan,
What happened next was like a bolt out of the blue.
Villa ploughed forward on a rare attack with Agbonahlor down the left.
His pace and trickery caught Ivanovic off guard and one quick look up found Benteke in the box.
The bustling Belgian had no right to score from where he was, but he unleashed an unstoppable effort which
flew in via Petr Cech’s right-hand post to send Villa’s travelling army wild.
After the interval they returned with their tails up and were inspired by Lambert’s relentless energy in the dugout.
Just past the hour mark his side had two glorious chances to take the lead.
First, on 61 minutes Matt Lowton found Agbonlahor lurking outside the penalty box with no-one around him.
The in-form forward raced onto his pass and smashed a curling strike at Cech, but it went just inches over the bar.
Less than two minutes later Villa had another chance to race into the lead.
Benteke collected the ball from deep and cut inside.
He spotted Andreas Weimann at the back post and floated a delicate cross into his path.
Weimann slid and volleyed towards goal but Cech got down well to tip it around the post.
By this stage Jose Mourinho had seen enough and immediately threw on forwards Romelu Lukaku and Andre Schurrle.
It didn’t have the immediate effort but it certainly proved be a game-changing move as Chelsea found a spark.
It came after a fiery altercation with match-winner Ivanovic and Benteke.
The Serbian defender lifted his elbow towards Benteke’s head causing the Villa hitman to crumble on the floor.
Replays suggested that he was lucky to stay on the pitch as he escaped with just a yellow card - much to Lambert and the rest of the Villa team’s anger.
Within a minute, the right-back headed in Lampard’s deep free-kick at the back-post to add insult to injury.
Lukaku fired into the side-netting as the hosts found gaps in the Villa defence, but it was Villa who finished strong.
Benteke set up Weimann with a flick on, only for the forward to be denied by the Cech’s legs.
Then in stoppage time Agbonlahor’s header crashed off Terry’s hand in the penalty area but Friend waved play on and Chelsea held firm.

=========================

Hull City 2-0

Independent:

Chelsea 2 Hull City 0
Jose Mourinho victorious in first match back as Chelsea manager
By SAM WALLACE

Jose Mourinho tried hard to keep it low-key when he finally emerged from the tunnel to take his seat yesterday. The problem is that when more than 40,000 people are singing your name, some of whom are wearing masks bearing your likeness, the situation requires more than just a cursory wave.
He stood up and sat down three times, eventually blowing kisses to the Chelsea supporters and then, as the game started, he began writing notes on a pad. The love-in was clearly a source of anxiety for him on his return to Stamford Bridge as manager after almost six years away but he needed not worry. His unbeaten home record in the league was never going to be challenged yesterday.
This was a typical Mourinho victory. The high-octane, aggressive approach in the first half that yielded a penalty, missed by Frank Lampard, and then after that two goals in the first 25 minutes was just about enough to break any hopes Hull City might have nurtured of some kind of return on their day. In the second half Chelsea choked the life out the game.
In his first spell at the club, it was in this fashion that so many games were won. Often it would be a goal in either half, before a holding midfielder – often Jiri Jarosik or Tiago – was sent on to lock the door once and for all.  This time there was no sensible midfielder sent on, unless you include the six minutes that Marco Van Ginkel got at the end, but Chelsea shut the game down nonetheless.
What will be remembered was the pace and intensity with which Chelsea started the game. Reprising his excellent pre-season form, Kevin De Bruyne was selected as the No 10 between Eden Hazard and Oscar and the 22-year-old De Bruyne, making his competitive debut for Chelsea, was impressive. It was De Bruyne’s pass into Oscar on six minutes after Hazard had carried the ball from the left wing and the Brazilian scored beautifully.
Even before then, Lampard had a penalty saved by Allan McGregor after the Hull goalkeeper came out and, in trying to get the ball away from Fernando Torres, managed to punch the Chelsea man in the face. It was a strange day for McGregor. He reacted well to save the penalty but then later failed to save Lampard’s free-kick on 25 minutes which was close enough to be stopped.
There was a debate over the award of the free-kick in the first place, one which looked like it had been won by a dive by Torres when he was challenged by James Chester. From that free-kick, Lampard struck a dipping shot that had plenty of pace which McGregor flapped at and missed and the game was completely out of sight.
In those early stages, Chelsea succeeded in breaking Hull’s resistance. The attacking was relentless and there was an obvious effort to send every pass forward. Oscar looks to have come back from that long Confederations Cup summer sharp. Hazard started well. They are all clearly galvanised by the competition for places and a manager who is not prepared to accept anything but the best.
Of course, there will always be the Torres conundrum. He ran onto Ramires’ pass to win the penalty and, in the moments he got the ball, he did look like he was much less lethargic than his worst moments in a Chelsea shirt. Even so, when the three men behind him are moving the ball around as quickly as they did yesterday the expectation will be that Torres scores regularly. He struggled for a clear-cut chance yesterday although Mourinho seemed to appreciate his effort.
The Chelsea manager said that his team had simply run out of steam after their first half performance, especially his three creative players behind Torres. “We can't play that way for 90 minutes,” he said. “We had no physical energy [after half-time] to play that way.” But by then the damage was done
As for Hull, they rallied in the second half when Chelsea turned down the dial. McGregor saved well in injury-time at the end of the first half from a Branislav Ivanovic header which was so close to crossing the line that the new “goal decision system” goal-line technology was activated. The computer said ‘No’ to Ivanovic and Chelsea went in just the two goals up.
The introduction of the new signings Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore, the latter of whom is on loan, made a difference after the hour. They gave Hull a bit more stability and direction in midfield. But that had to be balanced by the options that Mourinho had at his disposal, including Andre Schurrle who narrowly missed with a shot over having come on after 69 minutes.
Hull’s best chance of the game was a Curtis Davies header in the second half that was saved by Petr Cech. Up in his executive box, Roman Abramovich gave a shy wave to the supporters when his face was beamed up on the screen. Earlier he had imparted a rare message to the fans on the cover of the programme, 29 words in all thanking them for supporting the club over his ten years in charge.
Later Mourinho said that the billionaire had been in the dressing room before the game to speak to the players, the first time that he had done so during Mourinho’s time in charge on the first day of a season. Yet the one thing that Abramovich does not appear to be able to conjure up is a deal for Wayne Rooney. It seemed when Mourinho talked around the subject of the Manchester United player after the game that the penny has dropped he will not be sold to them.
So if not Roo, then who? Romelu Lukaku was a late replacement for Torres but Mourinho still lacks that profile of striker that he outlined during the summer. That is, one to make things happen in the tight spaces rather than playing on the shoulder of the last defender and running in behind, as Torres does.
Even so, without Juan Mata and David Luiz this was an impressive start. Before the game, the Chelsea pitch announcer Neil Barnett, no stranger to controversy, had declared on the mic that he was “looking forward to introducing this manager more than I did the last one.” That was hard on Rafa Benitez, who delivered a trophy and Champions League football. But they know what they like at Chelsea.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Cole 6; Ramires 7, Lampard 7; Hazard 7, De Bruyne 8 (Schurrle 6, 69), Oscar 8 (Van Ginkel, 84); Torres 6 (Lukaku, 75).
Substitutes not used Schwarzer (gk), Essien, Mata, Ba.

Hull (4-3-3): McGregor 5; Elmehamady 5, Chester 5, Davies 5, Figueroa 5; Koren 6, Meyler 5, (Huddlestone 6, 59), Brady 6; Aluko 5 (Boyd, 78), Graham 5 (Livermore 6, 59), Sagbo 5.
Substitutes not used Harper (gk), Rosenior, Bruce, McShane.

Referee J Moss (Tyne and Wear)
Booked: Hull Meyler
Man of the match De Bruyne
Rating 6
Attendance 41,374


================

Guardian:

José Mourinho enjoys stylish return as Chelsea cruise against Hull
Daniel Taylor at Stamford Bridge

The stadium announcer cleared his throat and held up his microphone to address the stands. "I'm looking forward to introducing this manager more than the last one," he told the crowd. Stamford Bridge bellowed its approval and the new era was under way.
In the more amorous moments, it was possible to find grown men throwing rose petals to José Mourinho from the stands. Well, not quite. Yet this was an unrelenting love-in and it has been a long time since Stamford Bridge has felt such a contented place. Mourinho milked the moment with some extravagant blowing of kisses (both hands, naturally). Roman Abramovich waved to the crowd and the team played with enough panache in the first half to make sure there was never any danger the homecoming would not go to plan.
On the contrary, they are probably entitled to feel they could have marked the occasion with a proper old-fashioned thrashing given the way they pummelled their opponents in that opening period. Chelsea's pace dropped after the interval. They had started to look a little jaded before the end and, for 10 minutes or so, Hull were even emboldened enough to threaten Petr Cech's goal. Yet the damage was done inside a first half when Chelsea played some wonderful, slick football and the crowd never tired of serenading the returning hero. "The reception was amazing," Mourinho said afterwards, though he did follow that up by saying it was time the Chelsea fans started singing about the players.
Both goals arrived inside the first 25 minutes and the photographers, with their lenses permanently trained on Chelsea's dugout, would have had another of those fist-pumping celebrations if Frank Lampard had not whacked a sixth-minute penalty too close to Allan McGregor. Lampard simply shook his head clear and when there was a chance to make amends, with a free-kick closer to the centre circle than the penalty area, his shot, dipping, swerving and soaring into the top corner, demanded immediate inclusion in his portfolio of great goals.
For Hull, that was probably the first reminder of how brutal this league can be. They will not always be confronted by teams with this speed of thought and movement but there was a telling moment, just before half-time, when Mourinho became engaged in conversation with Steve Bruce and the Hull manager could be seen clasping his hands together and looking to the skies. Bruce looked as though he were praying for some kind of mercy. Afterwards he said he would like to play with 13 men next time – and had just asked Mourinho for Lampard on loan.
Oscar, in particular, shimmered with menace during that exhilarating 45-minute period, playing just behind Fernando Torres but often dropping deep, such an elusive opponent. Kevin De Bruyne slipped seamlessly into the side, Eden Hazard was a constant threat and, though Torres faded after the break, there were other moments that encouraged the sense the Mourinho effect could have therapeutic effects on his Chelsea career. Lampard, meanwhile, played with so much control and authority to remind us how preposterous it was that last season Chelsea were seriously considering not keeping him on. His free-kick came from a good 35 yards and he almost scored again from similar range with another rocket in the second half. What a wretched mistake it would have been to move him on.
Hull were obliging opponents from the moment McGregor charged off his goal-line and clattered into Torres for the early penalty. Bruce said afterwards he felt McGregor might have done better with Lampard's free-kick. Yet the Scotland international, to give him his due, did more than anyone to ensure Hull emerged with some respectability. His penalty save was impressive enough but the reflexes to claw out Branislav Ivanovic's point-blank header just before half-time might have even topped it. In between, Mourinho might have lost count of the number of other chances his team created. All this from a side with Juan Mata, their outstanding player of the last two seasons, on the bench because he is lagging a little in terms of match fitness.
No wonder Bruce was praying. "Thankfully we won't be playing Chelsea every week," he said. "What a difference to 12 months ago. The whole ground was behind them. Everybody was united. Even the owner was waving. A lot of teams would have found it difficult because they will be a force again with this manager. They were incredible in that first 25 minutes." Mourinho said he could rarely remember a better 25-minute period of attacking football.
The breakthrough came after 13 minutes. Hazard instigated the move, cutting in from the left and playing the ball into De Bruyne's feet. The debutant slipped a beautifully weighted pass into Oscar's path and the Brazilian was suddenly running through, stretching out his right boot and poking a shot beyond the oncoming McGregor.
Lampard's free-kick followed a foul from James Chester on Torres – an exaggerated tumble from Torres but a free-kick, nonetheless – and at that stage it was difficult to imagine Hull would get to the finish without more damage being inflicted. The promoted side do, however, deserve some credit for the way they settled in the second half and it needed a fine save from Cech to keep out Curtis Davies's header before all those home-made "Special One" posters came out again at the final whistle.

Man of the match Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2013/aug/18/premier-league-chelsea-hull-gallery


====================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Hull City 0
Henry Winter

This felt like a testimonial for Jose Mourinho at times rather than a contest for Premier League points. When Chelseawere awarded a penalty, one half-expected Mourinho to be invited on to do the honours. Hull City stirred only in short periods, mainly being outclassed by hosts galvanised by Mourinho’s return.
Chelsea, particularly in the first half, played with a real tempo, pressing hard, moving the ball quickly, scoring through Oscar and Frank Lampard and enjoying a highly promising display from the debut-making Kevin De Bruyne. The sun shone, the points were claimed, the fans celebrated and all seemed well at the Bridge.
This was more than a win. This was a club re-united after the divisions of last season, and occasional fractious outpourings from the terraces. This new mood was wrought by Mourinho. Chelsea fans welcomed the Happy One (the artist formerly known as the Special One) with a banner of “We are the happy ones”. Others declared him to be “one of us” and “simply the best’’. Mourinho reciprocated with a regal wave, some blown kisses and gushing programme notes to “my Blues brothers” that made Mills and Boon read like Kafka and Plath.
Conveniently forgotten in this love-in was Mourinho’s previous game here, the 1-1 Champions League draw with Rosenborg in front of a restless 27,973.
The team languished fifth in the Premier League at the time, Mourinho and Roman Abramovich had fallen out and Chelsea’s love affair with the Special One was hurtling towards divorce, the decree nisi announced on Sept 20, 2007. By “mutual consent” of course.
Other managers have come and gone, some like Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto di Matteo and Rafa Benítez delivering trophies. But the strange Benítez era of last season saw the Europa League collected but the club divided. The fans’ issues with Benítez saw them even turn briefly on their benefactor. “Roman Abramovich — is that what you want?’’ they asked at Upton Park when losing.
Now peace reigns. Chelsea fans always held a candle for Mourinho. As the memory of the dark days of 2007 faded, the candle burned brighter. His restoration to huge acclaim had them singing the name of their owner, thanking him for a remarkable decade and also for their special present. Abramovich responded with a self-conscious smile and wave. Marking his 10th anniversary, Abramovich paid tribute to the supporters in a special wrap-around cover on the programme: “We have had a great decade together and the club could not have achieved it all without you. Thanks for your support. Here’s to many more years of success.’’ Twenty-nine words. That’s an expansive, no-holds-barred interview by the usual standards of the reticent Russian.
The visiting manager, Steve Bruce, noticed Abramovich responding to the crowd and referred to Chelsea as feeling “united” again. Mourinho and his team face far tougher assignments than Bruce’s willing if outclassed Hull, but this was a good start for the hosts. Chelsea and Mourinho may have their Taylor and Burton moments but the re-marriage looks strong.
It’s not all sweetness and sunlight. A cloud, possibly blowing in from Catalonia, hangs over David Luiz’s future. Luiz was watching on, recovering from a hamstring injury, amidst increasing interest from Barcelona. The risk-taking Brazilian does not appear the type of centre-half or holding midfielder that fits the Mourinho mould. John Terry and Gary Cahill are Mourinho’s first-choice central defence. Ramires and Lampard anchored midfield (although Marco van Ginkel, a newcomer deemed suited to the defensive-midfield role, came on in an advanced position).
The conundrum that is Fernando Torres continues. His run won an early penalty (missed by Lampard) and his dive won a free-kick (definitely not missed by Lampard). Torres initially looked sharp but faded and was replaced by Romelu Lukaku. Having enjoyed such a prolific loan period at West Brom last season, Lukaku deserves a chance to prove he should be starting ahead of Torres. Mourinho’s confirmation that Chelsea will pursue Wayne Rooney until the Sept 2 transfer deadline indicated doubts over Torres. Rooney would certainly do more with all those chances presented by the quicksilver Oscar, Eden Hazard and De Bruyne, let alone Juan Mata who remained on the bench.
Bruce can only dream of such richness of resources. His Hull team were certainly not hiding here, certainly not “parking the bus”, with Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo racing forward in support of Danny Graham but they lacked a cutting edge.
Chelsea were soon in control. Allan McGregor dived to his right to save Lampard’s penalty after the keeper had charged into Torres. Chelsea soon made their chances count. De Bruyne was at the centre of much of the hosts’ best work, creating the first after 12 minutes by taking a pass from Hazard, turning and wrongfooting Hull’s defence before neatly playing in Oscar. The Brazilian stroked the ball under McGregor.
Chelsea made it 2-0 after 24 minutes. Torres patently milked a challenge from James Chester, falling to the floor, and fashioning a free-kick opportunity from 30 yards for Lampard. Hull’s wall was too poor, too easily distracted by the movement from those in blue shirts, opening space for Lampard to drill the ball in. He celebrated with a run towards the dug-out, stopping short of embracing Mourinho but clearly indicating his high regard.
Lampard almost added a third but McGregor saved well and then did brilliantly to repel Branislav Ivanovic’s header, then pushing it out as it almost fell over the line. Jon Moss, the referee, called on the goal-decision system — Hawkeye — for advice and it indicated “no goal” on the screen.
Those who want video technology introduced for other incidents will claim their case was enhanced after 62 minutes when Ivanovic was clearly pulled back and pushed over by Robbie Brady. Hull shouted for a hand-ball by Lampard as they responded briefly. Bruce had sent on Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore, but Chelsea remained in control.
The variety of Chelsea’s creative options was seen when André Schürrle came on for De Bruyne, whose contribution was noted warmly by the home fans. The game petered out but the homecoming party continued.

Money well spent?
Chelsea
Kevin De Bruyne was at the centre of many of Chelsea’s best moves, defensive midfielder Marco van Ginkel came on late in an unfavoured atatcking position while Andre Schurrle, another substitute, put a shot over the bar.
Hull City
Allan McGregor, a £1.5 million signing from Bestikas, saved Frank Lampard’s penalty and later brilliantly kept out Branislav Ivanovic’s header. Ahmed Elmohamady, who was on loan at Hull last season but joined permanently for £2 million from Sunderland in the summer, was tidy. Tom Huddlestone, a £5 million midweek signing and Jake Livermore, on loan, were lively substitutes.

================


The Times:

Oliver Kay

 It started as a love-in and ended up as a lockdown. All things considered, José Mourinho's Chelsea homecoming brought just about everything he hoped it would: a blissfully happy atmosphere, a bold and stylish first period, a professional second-half performance and, naturally, three points.
 Of course, there will be far, far tougher tests ahead, but, for Mourinho, yesterday represented a more than satisfactory opening gambit. It was always likely to be so, with Hull City nothing like equipped to spoil the party, but, even so, the afternoon lived up to the highest expectations for the supporters who went to Stamford Bridge to pay homage to their "Special One" once more.
 Gratifyingly, there was more for them to cheer than that familiar, reassuring presence on the touchline. There were goals for Oscar and Frank Lampard and an encouraging debut for Kevin De Bruyne on the right-hand side. At times in the first half, with Oscar, De Bruyne and Eden Hazard combining well, they played with what Mourinho called "beautiful quality".
 It brought a smile to Roman Abramovich's face. The Chelsea owner had returned from holiday to witness the game and to enter the dressing room to wish his team luck beforehand. "It's the fifth season I start with Chelsea and it was the first time we had Mr Abramovich in the dressing room with us before the game," Mourinho said. "To have Mr Abramovich coming from his holiday to be there with us meant a lot."
 There might be times in the future when Mourinho considers the owner's presence in the sanctuary of the dressing room to be less benign, but for now it is entirely accurate to talk of his Chelsea remarriage as being in a honeymoon stage. The challenge will be to keep the feelgood factor alive - they are at home to Aston Villa on Wednesday and away to Manchester United next Monday - and to avoid the type of angst-ridden form that in recent years has taken hold too often at the first sign of trouble.
 Remarkably, this was Chelsea's thirteenth opening-day victory in the past 15 Premier League seasons. It was never really in doubt. Oscar and Lampard scored within 25 minutes, by which time Lampard had also had a penalty saved by Allan McGregor, and at that stage Steve Bruce, the Hull manager, looked like a man who feared the worst.
 When Mourinho rewatches the game, it is those opening stages that will please him. Chelsea began superbly, as both their manager and the atmosphere demanded. It took only 13 minutes for Oscar to score the first goal of the second Mourinho era, but it could have happened even sooner.
 With five minutes gone, Fernando Torres raced into the penalty area, beat McGregor to a bouncing ball and headed it beyond the goalkeeper, whose timing was all wrong, his outstretched fist felling Torres for a penalty. It seemed like the worst possible start for the Scot on his Premier League debut, but he swiftly made amends, diving low to his right to save Lampard's kick, to raucous celebrations from the Hull supporters behind him in the Shed End.
 The penalty save only delayed the inevitable. After Hazard, Oscar and Lampard threatened in quick succession, the Hull defence's resistance was broken. Hazard cut in from the left-hand side and passed to De Bruyne, in a central position near the edge of the penalty area. Oscar timed his run well and De Bruyne threaded his pass superbly, allowing the Brazilian to slip the ball underneath McGregor to open the scoring.
 Already there was a celebratory atmosphere, but Lampard still had some frustration to work out of his system after the penalty miss. After Torres tumbled to win a free kick more than 30 yards from goal, Lampard let fly, his shot dipping and swerving and leaving McGregor to flail unconvincingly, helping the ball on its way into the net. That was Chelsea goal No 204 for Lampard. Incredible to think that the club were willing to let him go at one stage last season.
 That was the high point of Chelsea's performance. Branislav Ivanovic threatened with a header just before half-time, with the Hawk-Eye technology correctly indicating that McGregor's excellent reaction save had been made on the goalline rather than behind it. It was a strange debut for McGregor, who excelled as a shot-stopper but not as a source of comfort for his defenders.
 Hull were struggling, with Bruce looking exasperated on the touchline by his players' inability to retain possession on the rare occasions that they crossed the halfway line. It should be said that Chelsea's back four looked resolute, although they were not up against much.
 Bruce's team improved in the second half after the introductions of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore, their recruits from Tottenham Hotspur, but an injection of quality is needed, particularly in attack.
 The only slight threats to Chelsea came in the second half through a Robert Koren shot and a Curtis Davies header, but both were saved comfortably by Petr Cech. By that stage, Chelsea were in conservation mood, with Mourinho saying that De Bruyne, Oscar and Hazard were exhausted after their midweek international commitments.
 That at least gave us a look at André Schürrle, Romelu Lukaku and Marco van Ginkel - though not, interestingly, Juan Mata. Still, yesterday was all about one man. Victory over Hull City is no guarantee that the happy days are back at the Bridge for good, but Chelsea look ready and willing to ride this wave. This will do for starters.


=======================


Mail:

Chelsea 2 Hull 0: Oscar and Lampard make it easy for Jose as Blues beat tame Tigers
By MATT BARLOW

It started with a kiss. It ended with a hug and a custard cream. And in between, Chelsea swiftly adopted the traditional look of a Jose Mourinho team.
Three points were banked thanks to an exceptional early burst of intensity, with two goals in the first 25 minutes from Oscar and Frank Lampard before Chelsea coasted in.
There were traces of the ‘what-we-have-we-keep’ mentality and the clean-sheets on which Mourinho’s two Barclays Premier League titles were built but this was not a day to quibble about such matters.
For Chelsea, this was a day to celebrate being a happy family again, with Mum and Dad patching up their differences and heading out in public for the first time, cheered on by more than 40,000 hysterical offspring, praying they can hold it together this time.
Mourinho seemed genuinely moved by the noisy reception afforded him before the game. He blew kisses to all sides of the ground and sank into his seat until the din had subsided.
‘I’m a bit shy,’ said the manager as he gladly pocketed a handful of custard creams from the press-room steward who remembered the biscuits he liked best. It is a happy home indeed. Those who predict it will end in tears must hold their tongues for now. ‘I want them to sing about the players and the club, not Jose,’ he added. ‘I know how much they love me.’
Just 30 seconds into the game, Mourinho was on his feet, furiously scribbling notes into a miniature notepad which he slung into the crowd after the final whistle.
Steve Bruce was in no doubt the mood had worked against his Hull team and he was probably right. Those who made it interim hell for Rafa Benitez with their songs and their cardboard-and-marker-pen creations generated an altogether different atmosphere.
Fans were settling into seats 20 minutes before kick off so as not to miss the homecoming hero.
There was no ovation for Roberto di Matteo in the 16th minute but there was when Roman Abramovich’s  face was flashed onto the big screens.
He has thrown millions at this club for a decade but he has had to recall Mourinho to become truly loved. No wonder he gave a wry smile as he realised the applause was intended for him.
Chelsea swamped Hull for the opening 10 minutes without scoring. Fernando Torres won a penalty which was taken by Lampard and saved by Allan McGregor.
But belief did not waver. Had a game started this way under  Benitez — or Andre Villas-Boas or Avram Grant for that matter — the frustration might have seeped down from the high tiers at  Stamford Bridge. Mourinho  generates commitment and desire. Players sign up to the ethic and work for each other. After last time, the fans do not doubt him. They all trust their leader to supply the organisation and strategy and, in fairness, he rarely lets them down on that score.
Roared on, Chelsea kept going at Hull. Bruce’s plan to pin Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic back was overwhelmed by the sheer force of the home team.
Danny Graham became totally isolated up front for the visitors and they barely got out of their own half for 30 minutes. When they crossed halfway, Ramires would strip the ball away from them like a retriever.
Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Oscar were the key to this extended spell of pressure, with wonderful movement and urgency. The trio were all involved in the opener.
De Bruyne collected the ball from Hazard and threaded a pass into the feet of Oscar, who stabbed his shot under McGregor as the goalkeeper dashed from his line.
McGregor produced a terrific reflex save to turn a Lampard effort over but was at fault as the same player smashed a 35-yard free-kick past him 20 minutes before half time.
Torres drew the foul from James Chester. Hull boss Bruce claimed there was no contact but the free- kick was given and Lampard struck his shot well. The ball wobbled but it flew straight at McGregor, who threw up his hands, misjudged the flight and was unable to stop its route into the net.
Tempo drained away from there. McGregor saved again from Lampard and Gary Cahill fired just wide on the turn. Ivanovic thought he had scored a header in first-half stoppage time but McGregor somehow clawed it away.
There was no endless debate because the goal-line technology proved to everyone that the ball was not over the line. It had been a brilliant save to make up for earlier errors.
The second half fell flat. Mourinho claimed afterwards that Hazard, Oscar and De Bruyne were simply unable to maintain the levels of energy they had produced before the break.
They had been ‘fantastic’ he said, during a first half which he claimed was better than anything he had seen during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, but he admitted they then ‘disappeared’.

Hull will have less difficult days than this in the top flight, but they did little to help themselves, giving possession away cheaply.
Lampard had another shot saved as half-time approached and, from a corner, Ivanovic had a header blocked on the line by McGregor.
There was no reaction from referee Jonathan Moss, whose watch did not buzz - it would alert him if the ball had crossed the line - and Hull were relieved to be only two down at the interval.

=======================

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 Hull: Oscar and Frank Lampard ensure Jose Mourinho makes winning Premier League return

By Oliver Holt

Brian, the press room steward, had laid a plate of custard creams next to the microphone.
Jose Mourinho saw them when he walked in for his ­post-match conference yesterday and smiled.
He wrapped them carefully in a blue napkin, tucked them in his jacket pocket and patted Brian on the back.
It was a day for familiar comforts and reassuring rituals at Stamford Bridge on the first day of the new season in ­south-west London.
It was a day for rediscovering old habits, renewing old acquaintances and reigniting old ambitions.
“It’s like he’s come home,” goalscorer Frank Lampard said of his former manager who is now his new manager.
The crowd felt the same. All the bitter divisions of last season are forgotten and only optimism remains.
“The Special One,” a banner draped over the top tier of the Shed End said simply, “One of Us”.
That was how Mourinho portrayed himself, too, as his side swept promoted Hull City aside with dismissive ease.
One of Us. One of you. A man back among his people, returned at last from exile.
“Jose knows how much they like me and how happy they are to see me,” Mourinho said.
“From now on, I hope they bring back the players’ songs. Jose does not need it.”
The message was that this was a club where unity has been restored after the schisms of last season.
Mourinho spoke in ­reverential tones of how he and the players had been joined by owner Roman Abramovich (above) in the dressing room before the game.
It was the first time it had ever happened on the opening day in his time at the club, Mourinho pointed out as if it carried great significance.
It is early, of course, but ­Mourinho is reinventing himself at the start of his second coming in England.

He spoke in pensive tones after Chelsea’s 2-0 victory, considered and contemplative, not confrontational or brash.
He wanted to stress that Chelsea’s pursuit of Wayne Rooney would be conducted ethically.
The idea of trying to talk to the player personally to unsettle him was anathema to a club like Chelsea, he said.
Last time he was manager of Chelsea, he came at you all guns blazing. This time, he’s going to be killing you softly.
He and his team will face far sterner tests than yesterday but the early signs are encouraging for the club and their fans.

Chelsea would have gone ahead earlier if Allan McGregor had not saved Frank Lampard’s spot-kick after the keeper felled Fernando Torres.
But it only spared Hull until the 13th minute when Kevin De Bruyne, who had been preferred to Juan Mata, slipped a clever ball through to Oscar who slid his shot under McGregor.
Lampard made amends for his penalty miss with a ­stunning 25-yard free-kick midway through the half and the game was over.
Yes, it was only Hull, and yes, Chelsea were unable to ­maintain their high standard in the second half.
But there is a new feeling of togetherness at the club. That is undeniable. As is the fact that Chelsea have a squad full of talent and depth.
Mourinho’s record in home Premier League games as manager of Chelsea now stands at Played 61, Won 47, Drawn 14, Lost 0.
If he can maintain that record this season, his new, unified Chelsea will not be far from the top of the table next May.
It made for something sweet to ponder as he worked his way through those custard creams.


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Express:

Chelsea 2 - Hull 0: Frank Lampard ensures Jose Mourinho's happy return
JOSE MOURINHO enjoyed a happy return to the Premier League as his Chelsea side comfortably disposed of newly promoted Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

By: Nick Lustig

First-half goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard ensured it was an unsuccessful first game back in the top flight for Steve Bruce's players.
The Blues could have been in front within six minutes, but Lampard saw his spot-kick stopped superbly by debutant Allan McGregor.
Hull, who improved after a disappointing first 45 minutes, failed to turn decent territorial possession into significant attempts on Petr Cech's goal.
Chelsea begun the game in blistering style and were awarded a penalty after McGregor darted off his goal-line to bundle over Fernando Torres.
Jose MourinhoJose Mourinho enjoys a joke with Hull's Steve Bruce

Jose Mourinho secured victory at the first time of asking since returning to the club
However Lampard saw his well hit penalty palmed away by McGregor, who redeemed himself after his careless mistake.
The home side were soon in front thanks to great interplay between Eden Hazard and debutant Kevin De Bruyne, who released Brazilian international Oscar to poke the ball under McGregor and into the net.
Lampard nearly double Chelsea's lead only a minute later, but the Scottish number one was equal to his attempt tipping the ball over the crossbar.
But at the third attempt Chelsea's record goalscorer netted his 204th goal for the club in stunning fashion mid-way through the half.
Lampard's 30-yard free-kick gave McGregor no chance as the ball rocketed into the top corner of the net.
OscarOscar opened the scoring for the Blues
The England international continued his personal battle with the Hull goalkeeper right on half-time as he saw his fierce attempt turned around the post.
From the resulting corner Branislav Ivanovic's header was stopped on the line by McGregor clearly enough that goal-line technology was not needed to be used for the first time.
After the break Hull enjoyed much more of the possession as Mourinho's side relaxed some what.
Robert Koren's long range effort and Curtis Davies header were the closest the Tigers came to getting on the scoresheet.
In a second-half not full of chances, substitute Andre Schurrle nearly registered a third for Chelsea but his delicate chip just sailed over the bar.
However it did not matter as Mourinho secured victory at the first time of asking since returning to the club.

================

Star:

Chelsea 2 - Hull 0:
Jose Mourinho needs Wayne Rooney to complete title jigsaw

WHO needs Wayne Rooney? Chelsea, on this evidence.

By Paul Brown

Jose Mourinho’s big comeback ended up becoming a walk in the park against the ‘Hull City Tigers’ who went down to early goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard.
But where Chelsea often used to go on and rout newly-promoted teams like this, it all fizzled out quite spectacularly.
Mourinho sees Rooney as the last piece of the puzzle, and you can see why.
Neither Fernando Torres nor his late replacement Romelu Lukaku pulled up any trees at Stamford Bridge yesterday, and the future of Demba Ba remains in doubt.
But put Rooney in this team and they could walk the title. As it is, the jury’s out.
Hull never looked like being able to spoil Mourinho’s big homecoming bash, and were brought back down to earth with a bump after their promotion party. They will have better days.
Chelsea cruised to victory, despite a rare penalty miss from Lampard, and with Juan Mata left on the bench.
But this was no real test for Mourinho’s men, who still lack a goalscorer guaranteed to get 20-30 a season.
It was the first time Hull had played here since 2009, when Didier Drogba scored twice to get new boss Carlo Ancelotti off to a good start at the Bridge.
How times change. Since then, Chelsea have seen off three different managers – Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez.
Those were just flirtations, though. For Chelsea fans, Mourinho is the real thing, and the love affair was rekindled again yesterday.
The Portuguese coach had them eating out of his hand ever since his return was ­confirmed, and they were already singing his name before kick-off.

“Mourinho sees Rooney as the last piece of the puzzle, and you can see why. ”
Hull tried their best to spoil the party, but they haven’t beaten Chelsea since 1988 and didn’t look like putting up much resistance this time either.
Tigers goalkeeper Allan McGregor ­suffered a rush of blood to the head and ­presented the home side with the penalty in only the fifth minute.
He steamed out of his goal to bundle over Torres, who had his back to the target, and got a punch in the face for his trouble.
But McGregor – one of five players making their Hull debuts – redeemed himself by ­saving Lampard’s spot-kick. The England man had scored his last eight in the league.
Chelsea were ahead six minutes later, though. Eden Hazard fed impressive new signing Kevin De Bruyne, who slipped Oscar in on goal by nutmegging James Chester.
The Brazilian did the rest, poking the ball under Scotland star McGregor’s body, and Mourinho was up out of the dug-out ­punching the air in delight.
He was doing it again when McGregor flapped horribly at a swerving missile of a free-kick from Lampard in the 24th minute as Chelsea doubled their lead.
Steve Bruce looked on helplessly from the bench as his side struggled to get out of their half. Last time he was here he led Sunderland to a 3-0 win. No chance of that this time.
Branislav Ivanovic then tested the new goalline technology with a bullet header which McGregor only just kept out.
New signing Marco Van Ginkel came on as a substituteNew signing Marco Van Ginkel came on as a substitute
Things didn’t get much better for Hull at the start of the second half, so Bruce threw on new signings Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore.
But it was 63 minutes before Petr Cech had to make a serious save from a long-range effort by Robert Koren.
Referee Jonathan Moss then waved away decent Chelsea claims for a penalty when Ivanovic went down under a clumsy challenge from Robbie Brady.
Curtis Davies had a half-chance with a header which Cech held as Hull tried to rally, but Blues sub Andre Schurrle almost made it three with a deft lob.
Lampard also went close with another dipping free-kick which whistled narrowly wide.
By the end Chelsea were just playing out time and everything had gone a bit flat, but that didn’t seem to worry Mourinho.
Watching the love-in had been a bit like watching an over-enthusiastic couple who can’t stop necking in public. The kind that make you want to say “Get a room”.
But yesterday Jose and Chelsea certainly did seem to be a match made in heaven . Time will tell if it ends in tears or trophies.