Basle 0-1

Independent:

Basel 1 Chelsea 0 Woeful Chelsea qualify the hard way and must improve
Saves from Petr Cech keep the score down against Basel as Jose Mourinho’s team struggle to get one shot on target
By SIMON JOHNSON

Chelsea secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League despite slumping to a shock defeat in Switzerland, but Europe’s elite will have little to worry about in the new year’s knockout phase after this woeful display.

Mohammed Salah netted the winner Basel deserved three minutes from time to send the home fans into delirium and leave Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho questioning whether his players have the strength to cope with the winter period after all.
They have progressed with a game to spare in fortunate fashion because Schalke only drew against Steaua Bucharest and still trail Chelsea by a point, while Basel remain two behind.
Chelsea’s closest rivals play each other in the final group game so Mourinho’s side can’t be caught by both, although they will need to win at home against Steaua to guarantee top spot.
John Obi Mikel boasted confidently 24 hours earlier that the “real Chelsea are back,” but they actually look to have taken another step backwards in what is proving to be a season of inconsistency.
They have suffered the ignominy of losing to Basel home and away now, although the result was not surprising because they struggled from the outset.
Given Mourinho’s comments on the eve of the match, much attention was paid to the 11 players he believed strong enough to survive the challenge Basel posed.
Ashley Cole and Juan Mata were left on the bench for the fourth game in a row, but Willian was given a chance to impress instead of Eden Hazard, who was among the substitutes.
The build-up had also seen a lot of discussion about how Mourinho had given his head a close shave, but in the opening stages it was his team’s turn to have a few themselves.
In complete contrast to the fast, dynamic start they made at West Ham just three days ago, Chelsea were sluggish and allowed Basel to seize the initiative from the outset.
As the home side forced seven corners inside the first quarter, Mourinho’s men didn’t have look like a side trying to avenge the shock 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge in September or get the win needed to secure progression to the last 16 as group winners.
Mourinho used the same 4-3-3 formation as he did on Saturday, but Basel exploited the gaps on the flanks time and time again and could have had the three points wrapped by half-time but for keeper Petr Cech.
He made his first save inside three minutes when Marco Streller escaped his markers at the near post – in a similar fashion to the way he scored the winner two months ago in London – to flick on Taulant Xhaka’s free-kick.
He also had to be alert to palm Fabian Frei’s effort to safety before midfielder John Obi Mikel cleared off the line from Ivan Ivanov.
However, their luckiest escape came when referee Stephane Lannoy declined to give a penalty even though Frank Lampard clearly handled Xhaka’s cross.
The conditions were a lot colder than when these two sides last played at St Jakob-Park in April and Chelsea won 2-1 in their Europa League semi-final first leg.
Mourinho’s icy breath was clearly visible as he stood on the touchline, yet there was no doubt he was getting hot under the collar as his players carelessly gave the ball away time and time again.
One rare attack saw Samuel Eto’o just fail to get on the end of a great cross from Branislav Ivanovic, but that was virtually the only threat they posed in the first half.
In contrast, Mohamed Saleh, who was terrorising Chelsea on the right flank yet again, brought another fine save out of Cech. To make matters worse, Eto’o was carried off on a stretcher just before the break after falling awkwardly under Serey Die’s fair challenge. Fernando Torres, who has been out for three weeks with a knee problem of his own, came on to replace him.
Mourinho walked down the tunnel prematurely to clearly give his players the harsh half-time words they deserved – but they didn’t have the desired effect.
Oscar was the next to feel the manager’s wrath as Chelsea’s anaemic display continued and he was replaced 11 minutes after the restart by Hazard.
The hour mark came and went with Chelsea still to have a shot on goal.
Technically their barren streak finally came to an end in the 64th minute when Ivanovic’s flick from a Lampard free-kick was blocked six yards out, but it hardly caused a stir among their frozen travelling support.
Cech was the only Chelsea player to come out of the match with real credit. But the team needs more than that if they are to progress through the knockout stages. They still have an awful lot of improving to do.

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Guardian:

Basel defeat Chelsea but José Mourinho's team still advance to last 16

Dominic Fifield at St Jakob Park

Chelsea have qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League yet, as the locals celebrated raucously and the acrid smoke from their victory flares drifted across the turf, it was the scowl worn by José Mourinho that summed up this evening's work. A chance to win this group was passed up in Switzerland, Basel completing a deserved double over the Europa League holders, even if Schalke's goalless draw in distant Bucharest edged Chelsea through regardless. In the end, they staggered on in a daze.
There was an admission from Mourinho in the aftermath that he had erred in his selection, that fatigue had undermined his team's efforts for all that Basel had been excellent to merit their win. There had been a solitary change from Saturday's powerful victory at West Ham United, and yet Chelsea had been unrecognisable. Had it not been for Petr Cech, they would have been buried by the break. As it was, Mohamed Salah's late goal, clipped over the advancing goalkeeper as the visitors' entire back-line dawdled, was all that was required to confirm the hosts' success. The winner may have been cruel on Cech, but Chelsea's collective could hardly complain.
It is the inconsistency that must infuriate the management. Where Mourinho's team had been so dominant in prevailing at Upton Park, they merely drifted here apparently unable to rouse themselves. They were devoid of rhythm and zest going forward, Uefa's statistics confirming they had not mustered a single shot on target all evening. Frank Lampard's scuffed and deflected free-kick, which was cleared away by Ivan Ivanov, was about as close as they came, though the locals were never unnerved.
This was only a second blank in 25 Champions League games, the last of which had been a year ago and that traumatic 3-0 defeat at Juventus from which Roberto Di Matteo, a European Cup winner six months previously, never recovered. They exited this competition with 10 points last term. Chelsea have progressed with nine this time, even if they must beat Steaua Bucharest next month to ensure they top a mediocre group. Bang goes any hope of using that occasion as an opportunity to rest weary limbs and allow a second-string a run-out.
December boasts nine fixtures and, on this evidence, too many of this squad will struggle to play consecutive games. "Clearly I've got signs of fatigue and players who have trouble playing two matches in a few days," said Mourinho. "That will push me for sure to make a different kind of decision. That's obvious."
Weariness, both physical and mental, clearly played some part in his team's anaemic display here but Basel were blistering in their own approach. They are a slick and impressive side when permitted to revel but, even if acknowledging they had already prevailed at Stamford Bridge in the group's opening round of fixtures, no one could have predicted the in-roads they would make here.
They hustled and bustled through central midfield and fed their free-flowing wingers and full-backs. Salah, so menacing when terrorising Ashley Cole in London, tore at Branislav Ivanovic and César Azpilicueta as he drifted from flank to flank. Valentin Stocker was a nuisance, Kay Voser and Taulant Xhaka marauding forward at will. Witnessing a display this effervescent it is mystifying to consider Basel had failed to beat Steaua, the group's whipping boys, home or away.
Cech kept them at bay for a while. His best save was from Salah, pushing away a vicious shot as he tumbled to the floor and the ball reared up from the turf. The tip behind was outstanding improvisation but merely maintained the excellence already offered to deny Fabian Frei, Xhaka and Salah from distance. When he was beaten, John Mikel Obi cleared Ivanov's toe-poke from the goal-line, but Chelsea would not survive unscathed.
The visitors had just flung on Kevin de Bruyne near the end when their rearguard switched off and allowed Salah to charge beyond Ivanovic and into the area. Cech darted from his line but the finish was crisp and accurate, over the goalkeeper and into the far corner. Basel now sit second and, should they avoid defeat against Schalke in the last game, their own interest in the competition will be prolonged into the new year.
Chelsea, of course, still aspire to regain this trophy though considerable improvement will be required to make that feasible. They had lost Samuel Eto'o to "a muscular injury" after an awkward fall just before the interval, the striker to be scanned back at Cobham with Mourinho braced for more bad news. Fabian Schär, the home captain, was rarely troubled either by the veteran or his replacement, Fernando Torres, with the composure demonstrated by Basel's young centre-half likely to have the scouts gushing over his qualities. For Chelsea, there was little here from which to draw encouragement other than progress. The booming message to be issued to the rest of Europe, that this team is back in contention, will have to wait.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2013/nov/26/chelsea-v-basel-champions-league

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Telegraph:
Basle 1 Chelsea 0

By Jason Burt, St Jakob Park

This was a chop that Jose Mourinho did not expect. Having taken the clippers to his locks, with that new cropped haircut, he watched asChelsea were shorn. Cut down, in fact.
Having made a rallying cry for bravehearts for the coming intense flurry of matches, Chelsea were meek and mild and deservedly lost without registering a single shot: on or off target.
Uefa charitably claimed there was one effort — maybe a Frank Lampard free-kick that dribbled goalwards — but that was pushing it. A lot.
Chelsea were caught napping — and Mourinho let them know it.
As Mohamed Salah, a perennial thorn in Chelsea’s side, surged onto a long punt forward by Fabian Schär, scooting past Branislav Ivanovic finally to beat Petr Cech, Mourinho made a sign on the sidelines to show his team had been caught sleeping. And that was not acceptable.
Predictably, though, he did not tear into his players after the final whistle and that was probably because despite having lost twice to the Swiss champions, Chelsea, in Group E, have also now somehow already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.
They did so despite earning just nine points so far — fewer than they gained last season which sent them out of the competition.
They have not won the group yet but a home tie next month against Steaua Bucharest should see the task completed.
It was not the only saving grace. For Chelsea, also, November, which has often been such a curious month for them with bad results is over. They come out of it with two defeats, two wins and a draw in the Premier League and Europe. Hardly the stuff of champions but they have done worse at this time of year.
Mourinho knows it has been a close shave. He was restless and unhappy throughout having detected, he later said, that his players were not right, that tiredness was a factor and that, basically, he picked the wrong team.
Even so it was odd that 35-year-old Lampard, who looked more fatigued than most, played the whole game.
He did not have much positive effect. But then few Chelsea players did beyond Cech who produced a string of first-half saves to keep his team in the contest as there were problems all over the pitch. The defence struggled; the midfield was overrun; the strikeforce seemed blunted.
Chelsea also lost Samuel Eto’o to injury — pulling up with a muscle strain he later said was a precaution — but despite Mourinho’s reasoning that he did not want to change a winning team too much after the convincing victory over West Ham, he got it wrong. And he knew it.
Again Juan Mata got no minutes, an increasingly baffling situation for the Spaniard, who must surely be reassessing his future as Chelsea huffed and puffed and failed to create.
Basle were at it from the off. They forced corner after corner and chance after chance with Salah, who has now scored in his last three matches against Chelsea, at the centre of it all.
He was denied, superbly, by Cech who adjusted while falling to beat out a snapshot and the goalkeeper pushed away a drive from the edge of the penalty from the pacy winger. A last-ditch tackle by Gary Cahill also stopped a slaloming run by Salah as he prepared to pull the trigger.
There was then a clearance off the line, after Ivan Ivanov, from a corner, planted a header beyond Cech. John Obi Mikel hacked the ball away while Cech scooped out a free-kick and then, less convincingly, pushed away a deflected shot by Fabian Frei as Marco Streller lurked.
There were appeals for a penalty — as the ball bounced up and struck Lampard — and so abject were Chelsea that Mourinho did not even wait for the half-time whistle before walking down the touchline.
He had seen enough and his team did find a bit more ballast after the interval without actually threatening.
It also appeared Basle had run out of steam. After all they had thrown the kitchen sink at Chelsea and still not scored. Maybe a draw was acceptable?
But their coach, Murat Yakin, ran the changes and the spiky, aggressive Serey Die kept biting away in midfield while Schalke’s inability to beat Steaua meant hope grew inside this tight, raucous stadium.
Chances, again, finally came with a rapid break leading to the ball falling to Serey Die outside the area. His ambitious volley flew narrowly wide with Cech grasping. Earlier, Valentin Stocker had headed weakly at Cech from a free-kick but Basle did not lose belief.
The goal came in the most direct fashion — just after a Chelsea substitution — and there was, even after that, one more chance for Serey Die while Mourinho’s side failed even to find a final rally.
The manager stood motionless. His team had also been caught cold in the plummeting temperatures.

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Mail:

Basle 1 Chelsea 0: Salah catches Jose’s men napping but ‘ridiculous’ visitors keep Champions League dream alive despite loss

By MATT BARLOW

The clock above his goal said 10.30pm when Petr Cech was finally beaten. For the second time in this European campaign, it was Mohamed Salah who punished him, racing clear behind Branislav Ivanovic to clip a shot over the diving goalkeeper.
On the touchline, Jose Mourinho spun around, put the palms of his hands together and did a little mime which made it clear he thought his team had nodded off.
‘Everybody, everybody, the goal is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous,’ said Mourinho. ‘They were sleeping. If they weren't sleeping, how could that goal go in?
‘When you are tired, you sleep. When you are tired, you think slow. It's true. When you are tired you react late. We had situations to score but had bad control, no sharpness. When the team is tired, defensive and attacking mistakes can happen, and you concede goals that you never normally concede. But Basle deserved the bonus.’
The defeat was harsh on Cech who performed brilliantly. Without him, this would have been much worse. Basle were the better team in St Jakob-Park and the Swiss champions deserved their elaborate celebrations.
Chelsea were quite awful, they did not manage a shot on goal, but somehow fly home with the consolation that they have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League thanks to Schalke's failure to beat Steaua Bucharest.
Last year, they finished third and went out of the competition with 10 points. Twelve months on and they are guaranteed to go through with just nine points, by virtue of the fact Basle and Schalke face each other in the final game and one of them must drop points.
For Chelsea, a win at home to Steaua in the final game will win the group.
Sometimes it makes no sense. Arsenal are still not safe with 12 points. This time last year Chelsea were losing 3-0 to Juventus in Turin, a defeat which cost Roberto Di Matteo his job and sent the club spiralling into the Europa League.
That defeat in Italy was the last time Chelsea failed to score in Europe, a run which froze in Switzerland's sub-zero temperatures.
Mourinho's players probably thought they had done enough to escape with a point, weathering heavy spells of pressure and were four minutes from time when Salah struck, seconds after the Chelsea manager had made a change, sending on Kevin de Bruyne for Willian.
As De Bruyne scurried across to the right wing, Salah sped onto a long pass out of defence and scored. The passionate home fans in St Jakob-Park erupted. Suddenly they too could detect the thrill of the knockout stages and lit their flares.
For Chelsea, emotions are mixed. The Europa League will not return and as such the first aim of the season has been achieved. But there remains plenty to occupy Mourinho's mind.
According to UEFA's match statistics, they had only one shot of any kind in 90 minutes, compared with 15 by the home team.
To make matters worse, Samuel Eto'o was carried off injured in the first half with a muscle injury. ‘We'll have to wait for the scans,’ said Mourinho. ‘Clearly I've got signs of fatigue and players who have trouble playing two matches in three days. We paid the price today of the international week.
‘Maybe I should have made more changes, but when the team's played so well, you want to give them more confidence, you want them to keep that going. But I could see many signs of fatigue.
‘I don't punish players when I know the reason for their performance but to use the squad and make changes when we have so many consecutive matches.’
Despite his understanding, Mourinho appeared irritated by what he saw, a few days after 10 of the same players had produced an accomplished performance at West Ham. Perhaps that victory owed as much to the quality of the opposition.
At half-time, he was on his way to the dressing room before the whistle had gone and, as he watched from the touchline, more than once he threw his arms down in exasperation as his players failed to value possession.
They made simple passing errors, which stopped them relieving pressure on their own goal and could not get Oscar on to the ball as often as they would have liked. They were better in the second half and more threatening with Eden Hazard on, but still did not trouble Basle goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The same could not be said for Cech, who made his first save within seconds of the kick-off, low at his near post from an in-swinging free-kick whipped low through a crowd of legs by Taulant Xhaka.
He pushed a low shot aside from Fabian Frei, tipped another over from Salah and John Mikel Obi hooked clear from under his own crossbar after Ivan Ivanov headed a corner towards goal.
Cech's best save of this opening spell of Basle pressure, a reaction save to deny Salah with a strong left hand to claw the ball over.
It was a more even second half but Basle summon a spirited finish. Serey Die volleyed narrowly wide before Salah caught Chelsea napping.

BASLE: Sommer 6; Voser 6, Schar 6, Ivanov 7, Xhaka 6 (Ajeti 71, 5); Elneny 6, Serey Die 7, F.Frei 7; Salah 8, Stocker 7; Streller 6.
SUBS: Vailati, D.Degen, P.Degen, Delgado, Sauro, Sio.
MANAGER: Murat Yakin 6

BOOKINGS: Xhaka, Serey Die.
CHELSEA: Cech 8; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 6; Ramires 5, Mikel 6, Lampard 5; Oscar 5 (Hazard 55), Willian 6; Eto'o 5 (Torres 41, 6).
SUBS: Schwarzer, Cole, De Bruyne, Mata, Schurrle.
MANAGER: Jose Mourinho 6

BOOKINGS: Mikel, Ramires.
MOM: Petr Cech
REFEREE: Stephane Lannoy (FRA) 6.

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Mirror:

Basel 1-0 Chelsea: Blues qualify for Champions League last 16 despite losing to Swiss bogey side
By Martin Lipton
Londoners have been beaten home and away by matchwinner Salah and co, but Steaua's draw with Schalke secures progress
So much for the "real Chelsea" being back. That didn't last very long, did it?
No wonder Jose Mourinho looked like a bear with a very sore head, his call for "brave" hearts answered by a performance of wretched timidity.
It might not have been until three minutes from time that danger-man Mohamed Salah skated through to send the Blues tumbling but nobody could say it had not been coming.
And while Mourinho described the goal as "ridiculous", accusing his side of sleeping on the job, nothing felt more silly than the fact that Chelsea have still gone through to the knock-out phase with a game to spare, despite losing twice to a side likely to end up in the Europa League.
If Upton Park on Saturday was a big step forward, this felt like two giant strides in the opposite direction.
Events in Bucharest conspired to send Mourinho's men into the last 16 yet this was the sort of display that has been a warning sign for too many Chelsea managers in the Roman Abramovich era.
Terrible passing, with even the players you can normally rely on, Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel, as guilty as the rest.
No intensity, at any point. Second best to almost every ball. Over-run out wide. Struggling through the middle. Imagination and invention in short supply.
And when the sum total of your attacking efforts, in 90 minutes, is a Lampard free-kick that didn't even reach the six-yard box, let alone force a save from the opposing keeper, the poverty of the performance cannot be denied.
Not, to be fair, that Mourinho attempted any smokescreens.
He knew how awful his side had been and did not try to hide that recognition.
Without Petr Cech, who seemed at times, especially in the first half, to be playing the Swiss champions on his own, this really would have been a bruising evening.
Cech made top-class stops to keep out Marco Streller's early header, a raking low shot from Fabian Frei and two efforts from Egyptian greyhound Salah, the second of which saw the Czech change direction to claw away while on his knees.
But Cech had to be so good because his team-mates were so, so bad.
Mourinho's frustrations at the dreadful ball retention was clearer with every passing minute, his gestures more frantic, his disbelief growing.
Quite what the Brazilian trio of Oscar, Ramires and Willian were doing - and what left Juan Mata kicking his heels on the bench, again - was hard to understand.
Yet they were not the only culpable men, Samuel Eto'o also invisible before the "muscular" injury which saw him carried off before the break.
Lampard was lucky not to concede a penalty when he batted down Taulant Xhaka's deflected cross, Mikel was in the right place to clear Ivan Ivanov's flick off the line.
Chelsea rocked, alarmingly. Mourinho heading for the dressing room before the interval whistle blew.
Only when Eden Hazard came on at the start of the second half did Chelsea have anybody willing or able to carry the ball into the Basel half.
Even so, they offered nothing, Lampard twice failing to get shots away, the Blues crowded out, snuffed out, far too easily.
It looked as if they were going to get away with it after the combative Geoffrey Serey Die's shot scraped past the post.
But then, with the final whistle closing, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were caught dozing by Fabian Schar's ball through the inside left channel.
Salah, though, was wide awake, capitalising on the blunder, waiting for Cech to commit himself and picking his spot with a beautifully clipped finish, his third goal against the Blues in the past seven months.
The news from Romania brightened a dismal night.
Chelsea, though, do not look like potential tournament winners.
Not if they play like that.

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Express:

Basle 1 Chelsea 0: Blues scrape through despite poor performance
JOSE MOURINHO was not a happy man last night even though Chelsea booked their place in the last 16.
By: Peter Edwards

This sloppy defeat means Chelsea will have to wait a week to clinch the group.
Yet they had looked nothing like group winners, let alone Champions League winners, as they failed to get a shot on target all night against the Swiss champions.
And they were punished for their lethargy in the 87th minute when Mohamed Salah latched on to a fine long ball from Fabian Schar, outpaced Branislav Ivanovic and coolly lifted the ball over Petr Cech to score.
With a jam-packed December featuring nine matches, Chelsea will now have to beat Steaua Bucharest to ensure they top the group.
Just like in September, when Chelsea slumped to a 2-1 home defeat against the same team, this was poor performance.
Chelsea were awful before and after the break, with only the excellence of keeper Cech keeping them level.
Mourinho’s men started slowly, looking a totally different outfit to the team who brushed away West Ham 3-0 at Upton Park on Saturday, despite the manager making just one change with Willian coming in for Eden Hazard.
The game was hardly under way when Gary Cahill’s miskick almost let in Marco Streller.
Then John Terry clattered Valentin Stocker and Taulant Xhaka’s driven-in free-kick deceived all but Cech, who was able to react at the last second to beat the ball away.
Cahill then had to slide in to concede a corner as Salah tried to set up Streller, his fellow goalscorer at Stamford Bridge, in the seventh minute.
Cech also had to be at his sharpest to turn round a left-foot shot from Fabian Frei after Kay Voser brushed aside Willian.
Stocker’s inswinging corner was flicked on by Ivan Ivanov but John Obi Mikel was on the line to clear.
Chelsea’s first attack in the 16th minute saw Ivanovic almost pick out Samuel Eto’o for a tap-in, but the ball was just a few inches too far in front of the striker.
Ramires lost another duel with Salah, and the winger’s shot was tipped over by Cech.
Almost immediately Basle demanded a penalty when Stocker’s ball into the box bounced up and hit Frank Lampard’s arm, but French referee Lannoy waved play-on, much to Basle’s disgust.
Cech pulled off his best save of the half in the 24th minute when he seemed to be wrong-footed by Salah’s left-foot shot into the ground, but still managed to throw up a strong left hand to palm over.
Basle were battering the Blues and impressive right-back Kay Voser just failed to pick out Salah’s darting run into the box.
Cesar Azpilicueta did well after his lapse let in Salah to take possession of Schar’s long kick downfield, with the Spaniard sliding in to force the Egyptian to shoot tamely wide.
Xhaka was first to be booked for a late challenge on Ivanovic in the 37th minute and in the 42nd minute the ineffective Eto’o had to come off on a stretcher after he appeared to be caught accidentally on the back of the leg by Serey Die.
Mourinho lost patience with Oscar in the 55th minute and sent on Hazard.
The Belgian looked a little livelier – he could hardly have been worse – but having demanded Bravehearts for this tough period ahead, Mourinho must have felt he was watching a bunch of pussycats.
With three minutes to play Chelsea were caught out and Basle almost added a second on the break in stoppage time but Sergey Die hit his volley over.

Basle (4-5-1): Sommer; Voser, Schar, Ivanov, Xhaka (Ajeti 71); Serey Die, Elneny, Salah, Frei, Stocker (Sauro 90); Streller (Sio 78). Booked: Xhaka, Die. Goal: Saleh 87.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Lampard; Ramires, Oscar (Hazard 55), Willian (De Bruyne 86); Eto’o (Torres 42). Booked: Ramires, Mikel.
Referee: S Lannoy (France).
NEXT UP: Chelsea – Sunday: Southampton (h) league.

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Star:

Basel 1 - Chelsea 0: Jose Mourinho's upset as Salah brings the Blues to their knees
JOSE MOURINHO was not a happy man last night as a late goal by Mohamed Salah sank his sloppy Blues.

By David Woods

The Chelsea boss had talked on the eve of this game of the need to go all out for the victory which would mean they would be certain of ­topping Group E with a game to go.
And with a jam-packed December featuring nine matches, that would allow key players a much-needed rest for the final group game against Steaua Bucharest.
But just like in September, when Chelsea slumped to a 2-1 home ­defeat, this was a Basel faulty ­performance.
They looked to be heading for an undeserved point until Salah struck in the 87th minute.
He got on the end of a long ball and left the Chelsea defence in his wake before firing home. It was no more than Basel deserved, and only the ­excellence of keeper Petr Cech had kept Mourinho’s side in the game until then.
Chelsea were dreadful, ­particularly in the first half, and ­Mourinho had almost walked the 50 yards to the dressing room in disgust before ­referee Stephane Lannoy blew his whistle for the break.

Despite his new ultra-short ­haircut Mourinho’s half-time talk was ­presumably of the hair-dryer ­variety!
Chelsea started slowly, looking a totally different outfit to the team who brushed away West Ham 3-0 at Upton Park on Saturday, despite Mourinho making just one change to his side with Willian coming in for Eden Hazard.
The game was hardly under way when Gary Cahill’s mis-kick almost let in Marco Streller.
Then John Terry clattered ­Valentin Stocker and Taulant Xhaka’s fiercely driven free-kick deceived all but Cech, who was able to react at the last ­second to beat the ball away.
Cahill then had to slide in to ­concede a corner as Salah tried to set up Streller, his fellow goal- scorer at Stamford Bridge, in the seventh minute.
Cech also had to be at his sharpest to turn round a left-foot shot from Fabian Frei after Kay Voser brushed aside Willian.
Stocker’s inswinging corner was flicked on by Ivan Ivanov, but John Obi Mikel was on the line to clear.
Chelsea’s first attack, in the 16th minute, saw Branislav Ivanovic ­almost pick out Samuel Eto’o for a tap-in, but the ball was just a few inches too far in front of the striker for him to latch on to it.
Ramires lost another duel with Salah and the winger’s shot was tipped over by Cech.
Almost immediately Basel ­demanded a penalty when Stocker’s ball into the box bounced up and hit Frank Lampard’s arm, but the referee waved play-on.

Cech pulled off his best save of the half in the 24th minute when he seemed to be wrong-footed by Salah’s left-foot shot into the ground, but he still managed to throw up a strong left hand to palm over.
Basel were the far livelier side as they battered the Blues and ­impressive right-back Kay Voser just failed to pick out speedy Salah’s darting run into the box.
Cesar Azpilicueta did well after his lapse let in Salah to take ­possession of Fabian Schar’s long kick downfield, with the Spaniard sliding in to force the Egyptian to shoot tamely wide.
In the 42nd minute the ineffective Eto’o had to come off on a stretcher after he ­appeared to be caught ­accidentally on the back of the leg by Serey Die.
Mourinho lost patience with Oscar in the 56th minute, sending on ­Hazard instead.
The Belgian looked a little livelier, but having demanded bravehearts for this tough period ahead ­Mourinho must have felt he was watching a bunch of pussycats.
And after Salah’s late strike, the Blues boss knew his less than ­purr-fect side were done for.

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