Sunderland 0-0

Independent:

Sunderland 0 Chelsea 0

Blues make it 20 unbeaten this season but extremely lucky to come away with a goalless draw

Michael Walker

Chelsea remain unbeaten as Sunderland were also unable to find the net, but Gus Poyet might just have set down a template others will strive to copy.  Sunderland’s plan involved intense defence – in which Lee Cattermole and John O’Shea stood out – accompanied by breakaways whenever possible. Chelsea were fluent without being brilliant and gradually their control gave way to a more even contest. Sunderland deserved their point.

An indication of the confidence bred by success could be seen in Chelsea’s consistency: for the third game running, Mourinho named the same starting XI. There would be no let up. That, certainly, is how Sunderland must have felt as Chelsea imposed themselves like a clamp on the Stadium of Light. From kick-off, the hosts were squeezed into their last third.

It was a measure of the respect Poyet’s men were giving the league leaders, but it was also because Sunderland had little alternative. With Cesc Fabregas, Matic and Oscar impeccable in possession, Sunderland had to fight for every yard. It must have felt like there was a lack of air. When they did manage to gain the ball, the lack of a release valve became apparent. Steven Fletcher, the lone striker, was back helping out. So the blue shirts came again.

For all that, Chelsea found the massed red-and-white lines too dense to split with ease. It was 13 minutes before Oscar produced their first shot on target and, though Willian hit a post four minutes later, Costel Pantilimon was not forced into a decent save until shortly after the half-hour. Pantilimon made a block with his right foot to deny Branislav Ivanovic following a superb one-touch pass from Willian.

But Sunderland held on to parity until half-time and could claim a strike of the woodwork themselves.  They had a few moments of forward momentum, mainly down the left where Connor Wickham was persistent, although it was a Lee Cattermole run down the right on 34 minutes that led to a shot from Santiago Vergini which clipped the top of Thibaut Courtois’ crossbar.

Diego Costa was quiet. For him. There was an exquisite through-ball from Fabregas that required an excellent tackle from John O’Shea on Costa, and those two then clashed on the touchline. There were excitable claims that Costa lashed out at O’Shea. Referee Kevin Friend merely had a word with both men. It was good refereeing. But Costa may have been beginning to feel some pressure building within himself. The second half started with Chelsea again imposing their play upon Sunderland in their last third, but the hosts were still holding their own.

Then 10 minutes after half-time Costa jumped with Wes Brown near the halfway line and left a trailing arm. It smacked Brown in the face. The crowd shouted for a red card, Friend brought out the yellow.

Poyet then introduced an unpredictable centre-forward of his own, Jozy Altidore, and the American earned Sunderland some territory in the Chelsea’s half and there was further home encouragement when Wickham stung the hands of Courtois from 20 yards.

Costa’s influence, apart form the odd scrape, declined to the stage where he was replaced by Loic R émy and Mourinho also sent on Didier Drogba, though it was Altidore who was the next to be closest to breaking the deadlock. That was in the 82nd minute and it was followed swiftly by another Altidore burst. This one resulted in a stabbed shot from Adam Johnson. Sunderland were finishing with energy.


Sunderland: (4-1-4-1) Pantilimon; Vergini, O’Shea, Brown, Reveilliere; Cattermole; Johnson, Larsson, Rodwell (Gomez, 62), Wickham; Fletcher (Altidore, 62).

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic; Fabregas; Willian (Schürrle, 85), Oscar (Drogba, 76), Hazard; Costa (Remy, 76).

Referee: Kevin Friend.

Man of the match: Lee Cattermole (Sunderland).

Match rating:  6/10.


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Observer:

Chelsea and José Mourinho frustrated in goalless draw with Sunderland

Louise Taylor

As the final whistle blew José Mourinho wore the contemplative frown of a man minded to cancel Christmas but it could have been much worse for the Chelsea manager.

After all, had Adam Johnson not missed a simple late chance for Sunderland his side would have lost their unbeaten Premier Leaguerecord. Similarly, standing at another angle, Kevin Friend might arguably have sent Diego Costa off after a tangle with Wes Brown.

Instead all that Chelsea sacrificed was their record of scoring in every Premier League game this season and the chance to have gone nine points – rather than a mere seven – clear at the top of the table.

Some might even argue Mourinho escaped relatively lightly against opponents who have a bit of an Indian sign over them. Inspired by Lee Cattermole’s exceptional midfield dynamism and some impressive defending on John O’Shea’s part, the Wearsiders deserved their point but may feel they should have been celebrating an unlikely hat-trick on Saturday night.

Mourinho scrapped Chelsea’s Christmas party in the wake of his side’s League Cup quarter-final defeat here a year ago and, even worse for the Portuguese, Sunderland won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in April.

Failure to exert proper revenge must have been galling but, by the time he faced the media, his technical area scowl had been replaced by an air of sanguine resignation.

“Of course this year’s party’s still on,” said the Chelsea manager. “Sunderland defended very, very well. Some people, some football Einsteins, criticise defensive teams, they say defending is a crime but I don’t, they were playing for a clean sheet, they were successful in that objective and I praise them. We tried everything to win but we couldn’t win – and don’t forget we arrived home from Schalke at 5am in midweek.”

Perhaps tiredness did catch up with his team because Chelsea began deceptively brightly with Willian, particularly, worrying Sunderland while also hitting a post with a first-half shot.

At that point Gus Poyet’s players were penned far too deep in their own half but, then, partway through the first half, came one of those moments on which matches can turn.

Liberated by Cesc Fàbregas’s defence-bisecting pass from deep, Costa advanced with menace only to be denied by O’Shea’s excellent, immaculately timed, sliding tackle.

Galvanised by that interception, Santiago Vergini cleverly deceived César Azpilicueta, enabling Jack Rodwell to test Thibaut Courtois from 30 yards. It was a routine save but marked the start of a proper contest.

Poyet could have won prizes for moaning at referees during his days as a Chelsea player, but it was his assistant Mauricio Taricco who incurred Friend’s wrath here. Taricco was ordered down the tunnel, apparently sent off after complaining, somewhat vehemently, about Friend’s decisions to Lee Mason, the fourth official.

More positively, Connor Wickham’s highly effective deployment wide on the home left was giving Bransilav Ivanovic several uncomfortable moments and when Wickham stole in front of the right-back, his resultant cross forced Courtois into an uncharacterstically awkward punch. A little later Vergini met Cattermole’s deflected cross and lifted the ball imperiously over Courtois but also narrowly over the bar.

It was not Mourinho’s only cause for concern on an evening when Costa appeared lucky to escape unpunished after kicking out at O’Shea.

As if taking a growing dislike to the Ireland centre-half was not sufficient the much lauded striker could arguably count himself fortunate not to be sent off after appearing to accidentally on purpose catch Brown in the mouth with a flailing, non-leading arm as the pair challenged for a header.

To considerable local chagrin, Costa was merely booked – and, under the totting up rule, will consequently be suspended for Chelsea’s midweek game against Tottenham. “I don’t know,” said Mourinho when asked if he should have been dismissed. “I’ve been told he was unlucky to get a yellow.”

Desperate to change the direction the game was taking, he subsequently replaced Costa and Oscar with Didier Drogba and Loïc Rémy but still the excellent Cattermole- (Roy Hodgson surely has to issue him an England summons) - kept destroying their previously assured passing rhythm.

When Jozy Altidore’s cross was deflected to Johnson’s feet, time momentarily stood still. It was a highly inviting chance but the winger, on his weaker foot, directed the ensuing shot fractionally the wrong side of a post before covering his face with his hands.

Not that his manager was overly dismayed at the end of an evening that left John Terry bristling with barely concealed aggression. “We need to be pleased with a point,” said Poyet. “We’ve stopped Chelsea scoring for the first time this season. It would have taken something very special from them to beat us.”


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Telegraph:

Sunderland 0 Chelsea 0: Jose Mourinho's team made to look ordinary by dogged Sunderland

Luke Edwards


For the first time this season Chelseadid not look invincible, they looked ordinary. Sunderland offered a timely reminder league titles are never won in the winter.

Chelsea looked tired after the Champions League thrashing of Schalke and they came up against a Sunderland side that got in their faces from the first whistle and did not get out of them again until they lapped up the applause of their supporters after becoming the first team to keep a clean sheet against the league leaders this season.

Chelsea remain unbeaten, but Jose Mourinho’s swaggering side will have to overcome plenty more tests like this between now and May.

“It was a tough game, difficult,” said Mourinho. “There was one team, for sure, that had spent a whole week preparing for this match and thinking only about this match. They had a clear strategy.

“Many people like to criticise defensive teams, but I don’t do that. To be a good defensive team you have to do it well and they did it very well. There are footballing Einsteins out there who don’t believe they should praise defensive teams.

“I praise them for their success in getting the clean sheet and I have no negative words for my players, because they tried everything.

“They were not successful, but at the end of the day I think a point is fair. We are mature and experienced enough to know that every match in this league is difficult and this was especially difficult.”

Indeed, while points were dropped, there are those who will argue this was actually further proof of Chelsea’s title credentials as they came away from a ferocious battle on Wearside with the hardest of earned points.

Others will see it as timely evidence that the title race is not quite the foregone conclusion Mourinho’s side made it look over the first four months of the campaign.

With a little more composure in front of goal, the Black Cats could have won the game. Adam Johnson went close twice in the second half and should have buried the first chance. Santiago Vergini also hit the crossbar in the first half, although Chelsea also hit the post with a Willian shot and Branislav Ivanovic was denied a goal by a good save from Costel Pantilimon.

“I’m realistic and I’m pleased,” said Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. “To have a chance to get something from a team like Chelsea you have to defend well and make it difficult and we did that. We were organised and we kept our shape and I’m happy with the point.”

Sunderland relish these occasions and the finished the game looking like the more likely winners. Poyet rallied against the term “nothing to lose” in his pre-match build up as it suggests losing is an acceptable outcome, but the Black Cats do seem to play better when they are free from the shackles of expectation.

They would not have survived last season without an ability to pull off shock results against the big teams and the 2-1 victory over Chelsea back in April was the springboard that launched them to safety.

Indeed, Sunderland had enjoyed back-to-back victories over Chelsea last season. Whereas most sides would have approached this fixture with sense of foreboding, there was an air of excitement at the Stadium of Light as Poyet tried to become the first manager in English football to beat Jose Mourinho three times in a row.

Sunderland were brave. The home crowd screamed for blue blood to be spilt and the players responded. Chelsea, though, have steel to go with their finesse, although Diego Costa was a little too keen to be confrontational in the heat of battle.

He was fortunate, despite Mourinho’s disdain when questioned about it in his post-match press conference, not to be shown a red card for kicking out at O’Shea following a robust tackle.

Costa did not cool down at half-time and he could have been shown a red card at the start of the second half too as he swung a forearm into the face of Wes Brown when, ostensibly competing for a header.

There may well have been a degree of provocation, verbal and physical and centre-forward like Costa, who picked up a yellow card, cannot allow themselves to be bullied, but his behaviour here was bordering on stupid.

Mourinho decided he had seen enough, replacing him with Loic Remy with 15 minutes remaining, while Didier Drogba came on for Oscar.

Chelsea needed their substitutes to produce something special, and Drogba went close with a sharp turn and shot before Jozy Altidore almost bundled the ball in at the other end. Johnson missed an even better one moments later, dragging a loose ball inside the area wide. He almost made amends with a run and shot but it bounced narrowly wide.



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Times:

Sunderland frustrate Chelsea in testing stalemate

Sunderland 0 Chelsea 0

George Caulkin


Whatever else this was, it was difficult to portray it as a shock. Where Chelsea are concerned, Sunderland have history, a knack of causing annoyance and disappointment, emotions which been felt scarcely under José Mourinho - and more rarely still this season - and although the latest instalment was less traumatic and dramatic than the previous two, once again, they knew they had been tested.

Such is their supremacy at the top of the table that dropping points in the Barclays Premier League for only the third time this season hardly represents a cause of Chelsea despair - Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City have all drawn at the Stadium of Light - but they have never previously failed to score. For that and for a vivid performance of energy and defiance, Sunderland should be praised.

For Chelsea, it might have been worse. In April, it was these opponents who had ended Mourinho’s sequence of 77 home league games without defeat, putting a heavy dent in their title challenge. Four months earlier, Sunderland had knocked them out of the Capital One Cup, eventually reaching Wembley, and a third thunderbolt was never entirely out of the question. Under pressure and hard-working, it was not the “perfection” which Mourinho has spoken about.

Deeper than the North Sea when the game began, Sunderland became more expansive as a niggly afternoon matured. Gustavo Poyet’s players retreated to the fringes of their own penalty area for much of the first-half and although there were moments when the policy appeared a perilous one - a shot from Oscar which was deflected and then saved, Willian’s long-range drive which Costel Pantilimon feathered onto his right post - they stuck to it with rigour.

There was a fine saving tackle from John O’Shea when Diego Costa ran onto a delicious, defence-splitting pass from Cesc Fàbregas but, for the most part, Sunderland resembled an impenetrable barrier. Lee Cattermole was inspired in front of his back-four, intercepting passes, breaking up attacks and succeeding in staying on the right side of Kevin Friend, the referee, who otherwise did little to endear himself to home supporters.

It was that kind of occasion; spiky and feisty, with lenient, if erratic, refereeing. There would be one dismissal in the 30th minute, when Mauricio Taricco, Poyet’s assistant, was dispatched to the stands for arguing with Friend and Lee Mason, the fourth official, but Costa would prove the main beneficiary, with the centre-forward fortunate to remain on the pitch after a pair of challenges on Sunderland defenders.

Shortly before the interval, Costa and O’Shea tussled near the dug-outs and although the Ireland defender merited punishment when he hooked his boot around the striker’s shin as he strained for the ball, forcing him to the ground, the reaction was unfortunate. Costa was furious, lifting both his feet towards O’Shea, who may have saved him a card by turning swiftly and trotting back to his position. No action was taken against either man.

Costa was finally cautioned - the first of the match - when he and Wes Brown jumped for a high ball and he caught the centre-half in the face with his trailing arm. The 26-year-old indicated afterwards that the action of jumping had been natural and the consequences unavoidable - not that the crowd were placated by that - but he will miss Chelsea’s home match against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

If Costa’s irritability was a result of frustration, then it was understandable. Having dominated possession, Chelsea had lost their way as a coherent force and although there would be one more excellent chance when Branislav Ivanovic drove a shot across the face of goal and Pantilimon used his legs to prod it away for a corner, they struggled to get behind Sunderland in a meaningful way.

At the other end, Sunderland were not barren. Jack Rodwell shot straight at Thibaut Courtois, Santiago Vergini found the crossbar on the half-volley when Cattermole’s effort was nicked into his path and Connor Wickham, who played with endeavour on the left - shot with power from 19 yards. Mourinho made changes, with Loïc Rémyand Didier Drogba joining the fray and the latter dragged one shot wide, but there would be two late, unconverted opportunities for Adam Johnson.

Sunderland are now unbeaten in four matches and in 13th place; in another season of high turnover and transition, they will accept that. This was committed and well-organised, both of which should be building blocks.



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Mail:

Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea: Diego Costa lucky to escape red

By Nick Harris

Sunderland could not quite put the Black Cats among the pigeons in the title race by defeating Chelsea, who emerged from this stalemate still top of the Premier League, unbeaten and on course to be ‘Invincible’ this season.

But the hosts did, with great resilience, show that the London club are not unstoppable and, in doing so, gave a glimmer of hope to challengers that the season is not blue all over just yet.

Sunderland’s manager Gus Poyet pulled no punches in his programme notes about the disparity in quality between the teams. ‘Everybody knows that Chelsea are better than us technically, physically and mentally,’ he wrote.

He added that, ‘you need to compensate for that with the team performance’.

And he knows what he is talking about. Sunderland beat Mourinho’s Chelsea in the clubs’ last two meetings. They inflicted Chelsea’s last defeat, at Stamford Bridge in the league in April and Sunderland also won the meeting before, a home game in the League Cup last December.

The visitors poured forward from the first whistle and it was clear that Poyet’s game-plan was rooted in containment and counter-attacks. The first six minutes exemplified this with Chelsea pressure then a break ending in Seb Larsson setting up Connor Wickham, whose shot was blocked. Cue the next period of pressure, with the three-man line of Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard playing behind Costa and revolving their chances. A Willian cross came pinging in. Santiago Vergini side-footed it out. Hazard shot over the bar. Oscar crossed, low and to the centre, Sunderland cleared.

Oscar then shot low from the D, the ball deflected and Costel Pantilimon dived to save. Costa ran the ball into the box and worked it to Willian, whose right-foot shot hit the post.

Occasionally Sunderland got away, Wickham smacking over the bar, Jack Rodwell shooting from distance. And then the blue waves came again.

The sturdy home defending should not have been such a shock. Take away the 8-0 drubbing by Southampton and, before Saturday, Sunderland had conceded just 11 goals - the second-lowest tally in the division.

John O’Shea’s perfectly timed tackle on Costa to cut off the clear and present danger from a beautiful through ball from Cesc Fabregas was symbolic of the defiance and application.

Again Chelsea pressed. The pre-match talk was about whether Chelsea can be invincible all season, as only Preston in 1888-89 and Arsenal in 2003-04 have ever been in England’s top division. They certainly have match-winners in all areas.

Nemanja Matic surged forward, one shot blocked and then one missed. Then Hazard, Oscar and Costa all had shots blocked. As the intensity of the occasion reached the sidelines, referee Kevin Friend sent Poyet’s assistant Mauricio Taricco to the stands. Play resumed with Chelsea right-back Branislav Ivanovic having a shot blocked by Pantilimon. And then Sunderland came the closest either side came to scoring in the first half.

Lee Cattermole fed Vergini, whose chip from inside the area clipped the bar and tipped over the top. With the home fans urging them on, Sunderland pushed on again.

The longer Chelsea went without scoring, the more Costa became frustrated and tetchy. Late in the first half, after a tangle with O’Shea, he kicked out. That he missed his target is irrelevant and he was fortunate not to be booked.

He did, however, receive a yellow card in the 55th minute for knocking Wes Brown in the face with his trailing arm while jumping.

The chances continued to be created by Chelsea and thwarted. Hazard: blocked. Fabregas: saved. Costa: blocked.

Poyet then made a double substitution to inject fresh legs into his tiring team, Jozy Altidore replacing Steve Fletcher and Jordi Gomez on for Rodwell. Sunderland pushed forward, Wickham’s shot in testing Thibaut Courtois.

Altidore also proved a handful, running at Chelsea late on and having a shot deflected into Adam Johnson’s path with six minutes left. Johnson could only hit his own effort wide of the target.

Sunderland: (4-1-4-1): Pantilimon 6; Vergini 7, Brown 6.5, O’Shea 7, Reveillere 7; Cattermole 7.5; Johnson 5, Larsson 6.5, Rodwell 6.5 (Gomez 6, 62'), Wickham 7; Fletcher 6 (Altidore 6, 62').

Subs (not used): Mannone, Bridcutt, Alvarez, Coates, Buckley.

Booked: O'Shea, Vergini, Gomez
 
Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 6.5; Fabregas 6, Matic 6.5, Willian 7 (Schurrle 85'), Oscar 5.5 (Remy 6, 76'), Hazard 6; Diego Costa 5.5 (Drogba 6, 76')

Subs (not used): Cech, Luis, Zouma, Mikel.

Booked: Costa, Matic
 
Referee: Kevin Friend

Attendance: 45,232



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Mirror:

Premier League leaders frustrated at the Stadium of Light

Colin Young

Jose Mourinho's men had a frustrating evening in the North East and had to settle for just a point after coming up against a scrappy Black Cats side

Even Jose knows there can be nights like this.

A night with the Wearside fog rolling into the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland’s battle-hardened troops prepared to scrap for every ball for 90 minutes.

It’s a night even would-be title winners need their best players at their best and as Jose knows only too well, Chelsea didn’t really turn up last night.

Diego Costa, starved of service and frustrated, lost his duel with Sunderland captain John O’Shea, and picked up a fifth league booking of the season which rules him out of the midweek clash at Spurs.

And the Spanish striker was fortunate not to be dismissed for a kick at the Irishman, and an elbow to Wes Brown’s head, deemed accidental by referee Kevin Friend.

They did make a bright start but two saves from Sunderland keeper Costel Pantilimon denied Chelsea from launching a complete onslaught in the opening 20 minutes.

The giant former Manchester City stopper, just four games into his Sunderland career as the popular Vito Mannone’s stand-in, used fingertips and feet to deny Willian and Branislav Ivanovic.

The Romanian hardly appeared to have made a touch at all to Willian’s 20-yard effort in the 16th minute, which was the visitors’ first real effort on goal.

But in fact the faintest of touches from Pantilimon’s gloves knocked the ball on to the post on the third bounce. Friend didn’t give Pantilimon the deserved credit and awarded a goal-kick.

Willian turned provider four minutes later when he clocked Ivanovic’s run into the Sunderland area but the full-back’s low drive was knocked behind by Pantilimon’s right leg.

Although the home side looked set for 90 minutes encamped in their own half, and particularly near the 18-yard line, they had their own chances too.

Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson both fired in long distance efforts which Thibaut Courtois grabbed comfortably.

But the Chelsea number one was left flailing his arms in mid-air when Lee Cattermole’s deft pass created an opening for Santiago Vergini.

North East player of the year Cattermole clipped a neat pass in front of goal, probably not expecting the Argentine defender to be Sunderland’s most advanced player, rather than strikers Connor Wickham or Steven Fletcher.

Unfortunately for the home side, it was Vergini and he turned and crashed his instinctive shot against the bar and over, failing to break his Sunderland duck in the process.

Although no doubt delighted to head into the break goalless, Sunderland and their supporters were unhappy with referee Friend as he headed for the tunnel.

The official sent off Gus Poyet’s assistant Mauricio Taricco after fourth official Lee Mason lost patience with the former Spurs midfielder following almost 20-minute of non-stop abuse and moaning.

Friend hardly helped himself with a number of strange decisions against the home side.

He also missed a blatant kick out at O’Shea from an otherwise quiet Diego Costa as the pair tangled on the ground. Costa appeared to lash out after the Irishman’s firm diving tackle, but Friend chose to reprimand both players with a lecture rather than issue any cards.

The mood of home supporters did not improve before the hour when Friend did show his first card of the night.

They still felt Costa escaped a red card for elbowing Wes Brown although the Spanish striker appeared to catch the veteran centre-back with his flailing arm accidentally.

For all he was gaining the attention of home fans for the wrong reasons, Diego Costa struggled to make any in-roads on the Sunderland goal, mainly due to the attention of former Manchester United title winning pair Brown and O’Shea.

The visitors’ second half efforts came from Gary Cahill, who headed straight at Pantilimon, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic who shot straight at the Sunderland keeper from distance.

The best effort came from Willian, their best player on the night, who found a little space but hit his rising shot behind.

And for all Chelsea’s dominance Sunderland could and should have won it five minutes from time but Adam Johnson mis-hit his bouncing shot from the edge of the area following Jozy Altidore’s bustling endeavours, and it flew wide.

A few minutes later, with Chelsea in disarray, Johnson was much nearer from much further away. But his shot hit the turf, beat Courtois and also flew wide as it ended goalless.

Ratings

•Sunderland: Pantilimon 7, Vergini 7, O’Shea 8, Brown 7, Reveillere 6, Cattermole 7, Johnson 6, Larsson 6, Rodwell 5 (Gomez 63, 6), Wickham 5, Fletcher 5 (Altidore 63, 5).
•Booked: O’Shea.

•Chelsea: Courtois 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6, Matic 7, Fabregas 6, Hazard 6, Oscar 6 (Drogba 77, 6), Willian 8, Diego Costa 6 (Remy 77, 6).
•Booked: Diego Costa.

Referee: Kevin Friend. Busy night for Friend who sent off Mauricio Taricco and could easily have done the same to Diego Costa. Twice.

Colin Young's Verdict

Although Chelsea never looked in any trouble against a determined Sunderland side,they didn’t play well enough to claim all three points either. Too many players off form for Mourinho’s liking, the same can’t be said of a Sunderland who need to replicate this performance against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Man of the Match: John O’Shea


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Express:

Sunderland 0 - Chelsea 0:

Blues fail to break down Black Cats as Costa escapes red card

Clive Hetherington


Sunderland boss Poyet was chasing a third successive win in all competitions against his old club - and he came desperately close.

Only Manchester City and Man United had denied Jose Mourinho's side victory in the league this season before this game.

But it's now 13 league matches unbeaten from the start of the season for the leaders - and 20 without defeat in all this term.

Chelsea lost to Sunderland here in the Capital One Cup and at Stamford Bridge, where the Black Cats inflicted the only home Premier League defeat Mourinho has suffered.

It is almost a year since Chelsea won 4-3 on Wearside in the league and they sounded an early warning to Sunderland with Tuesday's emphatic 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.

Mourinho kept faith with the line-up he sent out for that encounter, but former Chelsea star Poyet resisted the temptation to name an unchanged side for the first time this term, dropping midfielder Jordi Gomez to the bench in favour of Jack Rodwell.

Chelsea were quick to settle into their passing game, but Connor Wickham threatened for Sunderland with an ambitious, curling effort that was high and wide.

The visitors, though, continued to dominate possession in the early stages. Eden Hazard fired wide before Oscar forced keeper Costel Pantilimon to save low to his left.

Black Cats skipper John O'Shea made a magnificent, last-ditch tackle to deny Diego Costa as the Spain frontman attempted to make the most of Cesc Fabregas' superb delivery.

Rodwell drove from distance, but straight down the throat of keeper Thibaut Courtois, as Sunderland returned the pressure.

Courtois had to stretch to palm away Wickham's left-wing cross before Adam Johnson was penalised for handball as he saw a shot blocked. Referee Kevin Friend then marched over to the home dugout on the half-hour to send Sunderland No 2 Mauricio Taricco to the stand.

The incident had echoes of Chelsea assistant coach Rui Faria's furious banishment by Mike Dean when the sides met at Chelsea last season.

Pantilimon did well to save with a foot from Branislav Ivanovic before Sunderland hit the woodwork themselves. Lee Cattermole's ball was deflected to right-back Santiago Vergini, who lifted it on to the bar.

There was a flashpoint just before the break when Friend spoke to Costa and O'Shea after the Chelsea man kicked out at the Sunderland centre-back as they tangled on the ground.

Costa was booked on 54 minutes for flooring Wes Brown with a flailing arm that caught the Sunderland defender full in the face.

The home fans were baying for a red card, but the yellow is enough to rule him out of Wednesday's home game with Tottenham.

O'Shea was cautioned in his running battle with Costa, who reacted and was immediately brought off by Mourinho.

Sunderland sub Jozy Altidore forced Courtois to save with a leg in a desperate 82nd-minute goalmouth scramble before Johnson scuffed a shot wide three minutes later.

And Johnson then came agonisingly close when he drove narrowly wide in a rousing finale.


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Star:

Sunderland 0 - Chelsea 0: Gus Poyet's men frustrate Blues at the Stadium of Light

Clive Hetherington

The Sunderland boss was chasing a third successive win in all competitions against his old club – and he came desperately close.

Only Manchester City and Man United had denied Jose Mourinho’s side victory in the league this season before this game.

But it is now 13 league matches unbeaten from the start of the season for the leaders – and 20 without defeat in all this term.

Chelsea had plenty of problems with Sunderland last season, losing to them here in the Capital One Cup and at Stamford Bridge, where the Black Cats inflicted the only home Premier League defeat Mourinho has ever suffered.

That dealt a crushing blow to the Blues’ title bid but a revamped Chelsea are in the mood to make up for the dissappointment of the last campaign this time around.

The visitors dominated the possession in the early stages. Eden Hazard fired wide before Oscar forced keeper Costel Pantilimon to save low to his left.

But Sunderland escaped on 17 minutes when Willian’s shot appeared to be touched on to a post by Pantilimon – with no corner given.

Black Cats skipper John O’Shea made a magnificent last-ditch tackle to deny Diego Costa as the Spain frontman attempted to make the most of Cesc Fabregas’ superb delivery.

Referee Kevin Friend then marched over to the home dugout on the half-hour to send Sunderland No.2 Mauricio Taricco to the stand.

Pantilimon did well to save with a foot from Branislav Ivanovic before Sunderland hit the woodwork themselves. Lee Cattermole’s ball was deflected to right-back Santiago Vergini, who lifted it on to the bar.

There was a flashpoint just before the break when Friend spoke toCosta and O’Shea after the Chelsea man kicked out at the Sunderland centre-back as they tangled on the ground.

Early in the second half, Willian shifted the ball swiftly on the right to buy himself room for a shot which flew wide of the near post.

Costa was booked on 54 minutes for flooring Wes Brown with a flailing arm that caught the defender full in the face.The home fans were baying for a red card, but the yellow is enough to rule him out of Wednesday’s home game with Tottenham.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said: “I didn’t see it. But the referee was close and he had a very good performance throughout. If I see the incident on television I might have a better opinion.

“It’s a point. It was a difficult match. Only one team tried to win from the beginning, the other team didn’t. They defended a lot and they defended well. Defending a lot and well is not a crime. It is a strategy and it was successful for them. We were a bit tired towards the end and we left a bit of space.

"But I’ve got nothing negative to say about my team. It’s not easy to play here and not easy to play against a side which has had all week to prepare. My players tried everything to win but we couldn’t.”

O’Shea was cautioned in his running battle with Costa who reacted and was immediately brought off by Mourinho.

Sunderland’s inspiring skipper, Lee Cattermole, said: “All season we have been in control of our game.

“The media has been negative to us but other than the heavy defeat at Southampton and the Arsenal game, we’ve been solid.

“If we could turn a few draws into wins we’d be much higher in the table.”


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

Schalke 5-0

Independent:


Chelsea stroll into next round after destroying sorry Schalke
 
Schalke 0 Chelsea 5

Glenn Moore  


Sixteen minutes into this match, the Chelsea fans broke into a chant of ‘There’s only one Di Matteo’, in honour of the man who wore No 16 with distinction in their midfield, then coached the club to its 2012 Champions League triumph.

The chant, which seemed to have been retired since Jose Mourinho replaced Roberto Di Matteo’s successor, Rafa Benitez, as Chelsea manager, was the Italian’s only good moment of a dreadful night.

Even then, any happiness will have been tempered as the Schalke team he now coaches were 1-0 down to Chelsea and looking in danger of being overwhelmed. Chelsea, who had taken the lead in the second minute through John Terry, settled for five goals. With the others scored by Willian, Didier Drogba, Ramires and an own goal, their only disappointment was that Diego Costa failed to break his Champions League duck for the club.

Goals, though, will surely come given his ability and the number of chances Chelsea are currently creating. Costa may, though, have to wait until the knockout matches in the spring as there is no need to play him against Sporting next month, as this win secured Chelsea top spot in group G.

Didier Drogba and Willian bagged a goal each Didier Drogba and Willian bagged a goal each  It also underlined their status as the only English side capable of preventing Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich winning the competition this season.

Mourinho, eager to ease the pressure of fixtures next month by qualifying for the last 16 early, selected his strongest side, unchanged one from the team that extended their unbeaten start to the season to 18 games by beating West Brom on Saturday.

The only survivor from the Chelsea XI that started the Champions League final under Di Matteo was Gary Cahill (though, but for suspension, Terry and Branislav Ivanovic would have played in Munich).

Mourinho was reluctant to talk about Di Matteo’s ‘history’ with Chelsea before the match, but he has history of his own at this ground. The Aufshalke Arena was where he won his first Champions League, masterminding Porto’s 3-0 win. He has been back since, most recently last season when Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win.  

Within two minutes, this tie seemed destined to go the same way as Chelsea swept into the lead. With right-back Atsuto Uchida caught upfield, Chelsea counter-attacked through Oscar who released Costa. He broke forward, cut inside his marker, and brought a fine, low save from Ralf Fährmann.

Roberto Di Matteo's Schalke were humiliated by the club he used to play for and manage Roberto Di Matteo's Schalke were humiliated by the club he used to play for and manage  Chelsea were not to be denied for long, though, as the resulting corner was delivered by Cesc Fabregas onto the brow of Terry, who headed powerfully home. At 86 seconds, it was Chelsea’s fastest Champions League goal.

It was also the perfect riposte from his team for the embarrassment Mourinho endured before kick-off. Doubtless seeking to make a point – as there is little he does unplanned – he perched at the top of the tunnel in full view of the banks of photographers to wait for Di Matteo. The players came past, the mascots came past, the various staff came out, the mascots came back. Mourinho waited, and waited. Finally Di Matteo emerged, the pair exchanged the most perfunctory of handshakes and Mourinho stalked off to the bench. On the pitch, it was Di Matteo’s team being embarrassed.

Branislav Ivanovic and Costa both had opportunities to double Chelsea’s lead before, in a rare spell of possession, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting chanced a shot that looped up off Cahill and onto the bar. It was a freak effort, but enough to bring Mourinho to his feet berating his team, pulling Oscar and Fabregas aside for instructions.

They clearly paid heed and in the 29th minute, Chelsea conjured a beautiful goal. A series of swift passes involving several players ended with Willian driving a low shot straight through Fährmann.

If the goalkeeper was unhappy with that, his hapless defenders were faring no better. Having earlier rescued a poor back-pass by Benedikt Höwedes, Fährmann had to come flying from his goal again as Marco Höge left another pass short. Costa got there first but stumbled as he went past the keeper, possibly clipped by Fährmann. To the Spanish international’s credit, he kept his feet but by the time he had the ball under control, Schalke were able to clear.

Once again, the reprieve was brief. Two minutes before the break, Fährmann saved again from Costa but Jan Kirchoff, under no real pressure, headed Fabregas’ corner into his own net. Unsurprisingly, the half-time whistle was greeted with boos by the home support.

Chelsea were content to sit back in the second period, conserve energy and look to hit Schalke on the break. Costa, Willian and Oscar all had chances but improved defending – and some poor judgement in possession – meant Schalke survived further punishment until the 76th minute. Then Schalke’s high line was caught out again this time by a Fabregas pass to Willian. The Brazilian drew Fährmann before squaring for Drogba – the hero of 2012 – to tap in. Then, little over a minute later, Drogba turned provider, chipping a cross over Fährmann that Ramires headed in at the far post.

André Schürrle and Edin Hazard could have added a sixth in the closing stages but Chelsea fans did not appear to mind their failure to do so, perhaps they felt Di Matteo had suffered enough.



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


Guardian:

Dominant Chelsea make short work of Schalke in five-goal rout

Schalke 0 Chelsea 5

Dominic Fifield at the Veltins-Arena

Roberto Di Matteo had been right to suppose sentimentality would go ignored against the team he had guided to Champions League success two years ago. All that awaited him here was abject humiliation. The travelling fans chorused the Italian’s name from afar almost in sympathy, but he could only watch helplessly as his recently-adopted Schalke team were ruthlessly put to the sword. Chelsea appear unstoppable.

This resounding win, described by José Mourinho as the club’s most impressive away from home, secured top spot in Group G and passage into the knockout phase, but it also sent a powerful message to the other contenders for the trophy. The west London club are now unbeaten in 19 games this season, and 21 stretching back to last April. When they click, as is fast becoming the norm, they are untouchable. The final game of the section, at home to Sporting Lisbon while others home and abroad fret over their destiny, has become an opportunity to rest legs ahead of the Christmas clutter. They have created their own breathing space.

Mourinho justifiably spoke of qualities that, in the past, have not instantly sprung to mind when describing teams he has managed. He pointed to “something quite new in Chelsea’s football: this happiness, this flair, this beauty”. “I don’t remember Chelsea playing in this way away from home,” he said. “Obviously, [there have been] great victories away from home with me, with Roberto, even … I don’t remember … even with other managers. But this was very impressive. Very complete.”

Was there any consolation he could offer his hosts? “The best comfort they can have is that they lost to the best team, a team who put in a perfect performance. It was not their fault. It was our fault.”

It is Chelsea’s balance which sets them apart. They appear to have the perfect blend: there is strength and physical presence, skill and creation, lightening pace and a streetwise edge if required. They converted five of the eight attempts they had on target, dominated possession and imposed their class when the mood took them. They were ahead after 86 seconds, out of sight by the interval. Just as Schalke thought they might escape with some dignity, the visiting substitutes roused themselves to score twice in two minutes late on. A five-goal thrashing almost felt inadequate.

Di Matteo took over as manager of the Bundesliga side last month and this was no way for the Italian to renew acquaintance with the club for whom he had excelled as a player and subsequently steered to a first Champions League title, as interim manager in 2012. The visiting fans granted him his 16th-minute applause, as they had to mark his shirt number in the immediate aftermath of his sacking two years ago, but everything else about this was as brutal as that dismissal.

Cesc Fàbregas, who dictated the visitors’ rhythm alongside the leggy and dominant Nemanja Matic, had delivered both the first-half corners from which Chelsea scored. John Terry rose above Benedikt Höwedes to convert the club’s fastest Champions League goal, rendering Ralf Fährmann’s even-earlier save to deny Diego Costa all rather meaningless. The goalkeeper’s display rather disintegrated thereafter.

It was Fàbregas’s wicked delivery again on the stroke of half-time which saw a panicked Jan Kirchhoff head the ball into his own goal. The home support had already resorted to booing their own by then, so dismayed had they been the team’s inferiority even if Chelsea’s second – a well-worked team move even Barcelona in their pomp might have cherished – had actually provoked appreciative applause. That move started inside their own half, all intricate passes and darts upfield, with at least 24 touches bypassing flustered opponents before Willian spied space to collect and dispatch a low shot inside Fährmann’s near post in the 29th minute.

The goalkeeper should have done better with the finish, but Schalke’s players had all been left dizzied and disorientated as those in yellow poured forward. Di Matteo could only wince at the mismatch this had become, complaining that his players were “not aggressive enough” and “allowed Chelsea too much space to play”. His own team struck the bar when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s shot deflected off Gary Cahill’s ankle on to the woodwork, but that was exceptional. The home manager even felt compelled to apologise for his team’s performance, which summed it up.

They wilted again once exhaustion kicked in. Fàbregas’s diagonal pass was all it took to liberate Willian, who squared for the substitute Didier Drogba to tap in his 50th European goal with 14 minutes left. Two minutes later the veteran – summoned when Costa took a knock, though the Spain forward will be fit to face Sunderland on Saturday – was crossing for Ramires to head into a gaping net to complete the thrashing.

“For this team to be as good or better than other Chelsea teams, they need to win,” added Mourinho. “At this moment: zero titles. We have to try and win things so this team goes down in Chelsea’s history as a brilliant team who won something.”


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


Telegraph:


Schalke 0 Chelsea 5

John Terry and Didier Drogba roll back the years with ruthless victory
Jose Mourinho's side stroll into knockout stages
     
By  Matt Law


Top of the Premier League, unbeaten in all competitions and safely into the knockout stages of the Champions League as Group G winners. Chelsea continue to make light work of what has been such a difficult season for so many of their rivals.

The bad news for Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Europe’s best teams is that Chelsea are getting even better. Even when top scorer Diego Costa was withdrawn in the thrashing of Schalke with a slight knock, his replacement Didier Drogba scored one goal and set up another.

Jose Mourinho’s team had been superb in the first half of their Premier League victory over West Bromwich Albion, but they were even better against Schalke and their old player and manager Roberto Di Matteo.

From taking the lead in just the second minute, Chelsea completely outplayed their German opponents with Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Eden Hazard all at their best.

Fabregas was particularly impressive from the middle of the park and had a hand in all three of Chelsea’s first-half goals. The fact Arsene Wenger did not want him back at Arsenal may well constitute a sackable offence in itself.

Clearly wanting to wrap up qualification from Group G before a busy December, Mourinho unsurprisingly fielded his strongest side and was richly rewarded.

Costa was put through on goal by Oscar in the opening 90 seconds, but Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann made a good save. From the resulting corner, Chelsea took the lead as a Fabregas delivery was headed into the net by captain John Terry.

The visitors should have given themselves a two-goal cushion just three minutes later, as another Fabregas corner fell invitingly to Branislav Ivanovic but the defender volleyed wastefully over the crossbar.

Chelsea were cutting though their opponents with ease and Costa caused more problems for the Schalke defence, but could not pick out a team-mate after charging into the penalty area.

The second goal was not long in coming, as Willian combined superbly with Eden Hazard to extend Chelsea’s lead just before the half-an-hour mark. Fabregas passed to Willian, who flicked the ball to Hazard and he played it straight into the path of the Brazilian who beat Fahrmann with a low shot.

Fahrmann may well be disappointed he did not keep Willian’s effort out, but the goal was a joy from a Chelsea perspective.

Costa seemed certain to add his name to the scorehseet when he rounded Fahrmann, who had rushed from his goal, but the striker slipped at the vital moment and was closed down.

Fabregas then found Oscar with a wonderful ball over the top of the defence and the midfielder’s volley was palmed out by Fahrmann. The Spaniard took the corner and Jan Kirchhoff comically headed into his own net to effectively hand Chelsea their passage into the knockout stages.

The only scare Mourinho’s men had suffered in the first half, was when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting tried his luck from 25 yards. The forward’s shot deflected off Gary Cahill and looped over Thibaut Courtois, but the ball rebounded back to safety off the crossbar.

Despite spending the majority of the opening period clapping the performance of the current Chelsea stars, the travelling supporters did not forget Di Matteo.

Di Matteo was Chelsea’s man for the big occasion as both a player and a manager. The former midfielder scored what was the fastest ever FA Cup final goal for Chelsea and netted the last FA Cup-winning goal at the old Wembley. He was also on target in the 1998 League Cup final.

As caretaker manager, Di Matteo won the FA Cup and, most famously, the Champions League with a penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich.

He was sacked six months later, despite being handed a two-year permanent contract, and was harshly airbrushed from Chelsea’s Champions League history as the club replaced his image on a wall at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans have been far more appreciative of Di Matteo’s contribution to the club and applauded in the 16th minute of matches following his dismissal to mark his old shirt number.

The supporters in Gelsenkirchen continued that tradition by singing ‘one Di Matteo in the 16th minute and received a wave of acknowledgement from the 44-year-old.

Di Matteo’s evening went from bad to worse after the break and Chelsea almost scored another brilliant goal with an hour gone. Willian linked up well with Hazard again and drilled in a cross that Ivanovic volleyed wide.

Shortly afterwards, Costa looked uncomfortable when he tried to beat Fahrmann from close range and appeared to signal to the bench that he needed to come off. Mourinho responded by sending on Drogba and Costa walked straight down the tunnel for treatment, although the Brazilian is expected to be fit to face Sunderland at the weekend.

The change did not knock Chelsea out of their stride, as Drogba tapped in a fourth goal in the 76th minute and then turned creator moments later for another substitute, Ramires, to head in a fifth.

It all seems a little bit too easy for Mourinho and his men right now.


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

Times:

José Mourinho puts Roberto Di Matteo in his place as Chelsea turn on style

Matt Hughes Deputy Football Correspondent, Gelsenkirchen

Schalke 0 Chelsea 5


Roberto Di Matteo remains a Chelsea legend, but there is only one Special One. José Mourinho had appeared determined all week to make a point to the man who has achieved the only thing the Portuguese has not at Stamford Bridge and his players obliged with a thumping win to confirm their qualification for the round of 16 as group winners.

Not for Chelsea the nervy last match that awaits Manchester City, Liverpool and possibly even Arsenal, although Mourinho’s side will have to beat far better teams than sorry Schalke before they get really excited about winning this competition again. Like many a much hyped title fight this clash between two Chelsea heavyweights was a total mismatch.

The west London side were simply too good, with their passing in particular being too quick, too incisive and too relentless, although in fairness to Schalke their performance would have been too good for most opponents. Bizarrely, the only thing Mourinho could quibble about afterwards was the quality of finishing. Had Diego Costa brought his shooting boots Chelsea would have threatened double figures.

Costa still played like a man possessed, as he always seems to, although for once it was left to others to grab the glory. John Terry set the tone for the evening by heading Chelsea in front after just 76 seconds before Willian and an own goal from Jan Kirchhoff wrapped the game up before half-time.

There was much else about Chelsea to admire, from the constant harrying of Nemanja Matic in midfield and exquisite passing of Cesc Fàbregas alongside him, to the speed and directness of Eden Hazard and Willian on the flanks, whose irrepressible running created more than enough opportunities for Costa to score his first Champions League goal for the club.

There seems to be something special developing at the heart of the Chelsea midfield, with Matic and Fàbregas forming a perfect marriage of hulking piano mover and virtuoso concert soloist. The Spaniard’s set-piece delivery was responsible for two of the goals, taking his tally of assists to 12 for the season and putting Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in a single campaign in his sights already.

Chelsea’s immediate reward is a stress-free final group game against Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge next month and the promise of a winnable round-of-16 tie next year, but Mourinho also took immense personal satisfaction from this emphatic victory.

His side were clearly up for it from the outset and after Costa had missed an early chance, took the lead in the second minute, with Fàbregas’s corner finding Terry, who headed in at the back post. Fàbregas almost created yet another goal three minutes later when Gary Cahill headed down his corner, but Branislav Ivanovic could only volley over the bar.

Chelsea endured one moment of alarm when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s shot was deflected on to the bar, but Costa spurned two more chances from close range before Willian doubled the lead in the 29th minute with an outstanding team goal. The move featured 24 passes, at the end of which the Brazilian exchanged passes with Hazard before racing into the penalty area, where he beat Ralf Fährmann, the goalkeeper at his near post.

Costa should have made it three in the 41st minute, but slipped as he bore down on goal and his close-range header was saved two minutes later, but Schalke’s relief was short-lived. The mere sight of Fàbregas standing over the ball was enough to induce panic in their defence, with Kirchhoff heading another corner into his own net.

Arsenal might have thrown away a three-goal in the final half-hour of a Champions League tie this month, but there was more chance of Arsène Wenger inviting Mourinho to Christmas lunch than Chelsea suffering a similar collapse. Drogba scored the fourth from close range in the 76th minute before crossing for Ramires, his fellow substitute, to head in a fifth 70 seconds later.

Di Matteo will have enjoyed the reminder of his special status at Chelsea, provided by the visiting fans singing his name, otherwise this was a night to forget as Mourinho put him firmly in his place.


Schalke (4-2-3-1): R Fährmann — A Uchida, B Höwedes, F Santana, D Aogo — R Neustädter, J Kirchhoff (sub: C Clemens, 46min) — M Höger, K-P Boateng (sub: M Meyer, 63), E M Choupo-Moting — K-J Huntelaar. Substitutes not used: C Wetklo, M Friedrich, L Sane, C Fuchs, T Barnetta. Booked: Höger.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): T Courtois — B Ivanovic, J Terry, G Cahill, C Azpilicueta — C Fàbregas (sub: A Schürrle, 78), N Matic — Willian, Oscar (sub: Ramires, 75), E Hazard — D Costa (sub: D Drogba, 66). Substitutes not used: P Cech, F Luis, K Zouma, J Obi Mikel.

Referee: J Eriksson (Sweden).


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

Mail:

Schalke 0-5 Chelsea:

Five-star Blues down Roberto di Matteo's men as John Terry, Didier Drogba and Willian all grab goals

By Matt Barlow


Brutal, utterly brutal. If Jose Mourinho’s dismissive pre-match comments about Roberto di Matteo’s glorious achievements seemed a little unkind then this was worse, much worse.

And how Mourinho will have savoured it because here was a performance to encapsulate the point he had been trying to make.

Winning the Champions League is all very well, he seemed to say on the eve of the game, but as a manager you can fluke it with a few good players and a bit of luck.

Building a powerful team, however, one capable of dominating over time and bulldozing all before them? That is a different matter. Mourinho has the ability and he knows it. He has demonstrated it before and he is well on the way to repeating it.

Smug? Perhaps, but this Chelsea team is something to be smug about. They are clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League and into the last 16 of the Champions League as Group G winners.

Fluent and mobile, last night they tore Di Matteo’s Schalke to shreds with goals from John Terry, Willian, Didier Drogba, Ramires and an own goal — all while barely conceding a chance. ‘Very impressive, very complete,’ purred Mourinho.

‘Top quality football for 90 minutes. Very compact, very strong defensively, no mistakes. The team was so solid. Everything under control and the result is a consequence of one team that played a fantastic match.”

Within the brutality there was beauty, the manager wanted to stress. ‘The players are very serious,’ he said. ‘Everything they do with big focus and ambition, but at the same time with this component which is something new in Chelsea football: this happiness, this flair, this beauty. The way they are doing things, we are very happy.’

For Di Matteo it must have been agony. From the moment Terry opened the scoring with a back-post header from a second-minute corner, the outcome was barely in question. At 1-0 Schalke’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting hit the bar from long range but after that the Londoners stretched the lead.

Schalke were diabolical in defence, listless in attack and booed and whistled by their own fans, which only made them more anxious.

The songs of support from Chelsea’s travelling support will have done little to ease the pain and humiliation for Di Matteo against the club he served so successfully as player and manager.

‘We are sorry for this performance,’ said Di Matteo. ‘We showed them too much respect. We weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t put enough pressure on them, and they were ice cold. It was a super, clinical performance from them. We conceded too much space and they have players able to exploit that.’

By the end the Italian must have wished his technical area would open up and swallow him. Or that he had delayed his return to management until after this game.

‘The best comfort they can have is that they lost to the best team,’ said Mourinho. ‘They must be very sad with this result, but my experience tells me that when we lose against a team that is much better, then you have to accept it. It was not their fault. Move on, win the next match and keep going.’

That is the way Chelsea are going about their season.

Unbeaten for 19 games in all competitions, they have not lost since April. Next up: another former Blues favourite, Gus Poyet, at Sunderland, who will tremble if he studies this game too closely.

Chelsea’s second goal, from Willian, followed an exquisite move featuring Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas, although goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann ought to have done better with the shot.

The third crushed Schalke before the interval when Jan Kirchhoff headed into his own goal from another Fabregas corner. There was no yellow Chelsea shirt near Kirchhoff as he planted the ball into the top corner.

More jeers followed Schalke’s players down the tunnel. Di Matteo may be cherished by Chelsea fans, but he has work to do if he is to win hearts in Gelsenkirchen.

He made changes but Chelsea rolled on. Mourinho was able to take off Diego Costa, Oscar and Fabregas in the second half. Costa has a knock but is expected to be fit for Saturday’s game at Sunderland.

As the match went into the final 15 minutes, Drogba tapped in the fourth, teed up by Willian, and then set up the fifth with a cross for Ramires to score with his head.

Amid the emotion of Di Matteo and his reunion it was easy to overlook that Mourinho has his own special connection with Gelsenkirchen. It was here that he first won the Champions League with Porto, before walking out to take the job at Stamford Bridge.

Ten years on, he is building another team which seems capable of challenging for the prize.


SCHALKE (4-2-3-1): Fahrmann 4; Uchida 6, Santana 5, Neustadter 5, Howedes 5; Kirchhoff 4 (Clemens 46, 5), Hoger 6; Choupo-Moting 6.5, Boateng 4 (Meyer 64, 5), Aogo 5; Huntelaar 5. SUBS NOT USED: Wetkio, Fuchs, Friedrich, Clemens, Sane, Meyer, Barnetta.

BOOKINGS: Hoger

MANAGER: Roberto di Matteo 5.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6; Fabregas 7 (Schurrle 78, 6), Matic 7; Willian 7.5, Oscar 7 (Ramires 75, 6), Hazard 7; Costa 7 (Drogba 66, 6). SUBS NOT USED: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Ramires, Mikel.

BOOKINGS

MANAGER: Jose Mourinho 8.

MOM: Willian

REF: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) 6.


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

Express:


Schalke 0 - Chelsea 5: Blues boss Jose Mourinho in love with the beautiful game

JOSE MOURINHO hailed his side as a ‘thing of beauty’ after they demolished Schalke to book their place in the last 16.

By: Graham Read in Gelsenkirchen


Chelsea captain John Terry scored the Blues’ fastest ever Champions League goal after 86 seconds against former manager Roberto Di Matteo’s new side Schalke and the Premier League leaders scored four more to win the group.

The night began all about Di Matteo, who was facing his old club where he starred as a midfielder before leading them to Champions League glory in 2012 before he was sacked just six months after his triumph in Munich.

By full-time it was all about Mourinho and Chelsea after a sensational display that would have sent a message around Europe. Just the way the Special One likes it.

After Terry struck, Willian added a wonder strike and Jan Kirchhoff a disastrous own- goal. Didier Drogba added a simple fourth and Ramires leapt to head home the fifth.

Mourinho, whose side stretched their unbeaten run to 19 games, said: “It was a very impressive performance. We are very confident. The players are very serious.

“Everything they do with big focus and ambition, but at the same time with this component, which is something new in Chelsea football: this happiness, this flair, this beauty.

“The way they are doing things, we are very happy. We are having good results and playing really well.

“Everything was under control and the result was the consequence of one team playing a fantastic match.”

Mourinho’s team made a blistering start. Diego Costa spurned a great chance to open his Chelsea account in Europe after a minute.

But it didn’t matter as from the resulting Cesc Fabregas corner Terry got the better of Benedikt Howedes far too easily to head Chelsea in front.

Branislav Ivanovic then headed over and Oscar was denied by a last-ditch tackle as Chelsea poured forward.

They looked capable of scoring at any time and proved it in the 29th minute when Willian finished off a stunning team goal that featured more than 20 passes by firing past Ralf Fahrmann, who should have done better. After that, Schalke went to pieces. In one comical episode, Costa failed to punish Marco Hoger’s horrible backpass when he slipped over.

Again they failed to sort themselves out after a lucky escape and in the 44th minute Kirchhoff headed into his own net from a Fabregas corner.

Schalke livened up but Chelsea almost added a fine fourth when Ivanovic volleyed wide. Costa then spurned another chance before being replaced by Didier Drogba. Drogba showed him how it should be done when he tapped in Willian’s pass and the striker then crossed for Ramires to head home.

For Di Matteo it all made for a night to forget two years after his famous triumph.

“Was it my most painful defeat? Yes,” he said. “But we did play against a really great team. If you concede too much space and time to those players, they’ll exploit that.”


SCHALKE (4-2-3-1): Fahrmann; Uchida, Howedes, Santana, Aogo; Neustadter, Kirchhoff (Clemens 45); Hoger, Choupo- Moting, Boateng (Meyer 63); Huntelaar. Booked: Hoger.

CHELSEA (4-1-4-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic; Willian, Fabregas (Schurrle 78), Oscar (Ramires 75), Hazard; Costa (Drogba 66). Goals: Terry 2, Willian 29, Kirchhoff 44og, Drogba 76, Ramires 78. NEXT UP: Sunderland (a), Saturday PL.

Referee: J Eriksson (Sweden).


===========


Star:


Schalke 0 - Chelsea 5: Blues breeze into Champions League knockout stage

CHELSEA gave Roberto Di Matteo a Champions League night to remember two years ago.

By Adrian Kajumba


Last night, they gave him one he will be desperate to forget.

Jose Mourinho’s brilliant Blues wrecked Di Matteo’s reunion with his former club to clinch top spot in Group G.

Captain John Terry - with a record-breaking opener - Willian, Didier Drogba, Ramires and a Jan Kirchoff own goal powered the Blues into the knockout stages.

The Blues tore shambolic Schalke to pieces as Jose Mourinho proved once again there are few better party poopers in the business.

The night began all about Di Matteo who was facing his old club, where he starred as a midfielder before leading them to Champions League glory in 2012, for the first time since he was sacked just six months after his triumph in Munich.

By full-time it was all about Mourinho and Chelsea after a sensational display that would have sent a message right around Europe. Just the way the Special One likes it.

Shell-shocked Schalke boss Di Matteo was left with nothing but a smattering of ‘one Di Matteo’ tribute chants to console himself with from the travelling fans who will never forget his contribution as player and manager.

They would certainly have sounded better than the jeers he and his side received at the end of two horrible halves.

The only time Di Matteo, who took over at Schalke last month, had anything like an edge over Mourinho was before kick-off.

No doubt unimpressed by Mourinho dismissing his Champions League triumph in the build up, the Italian made the Chelsea boss wait until the very last second for a pre-match handshake that was less than welcoming.

Mourinho’s players dished out the revenge on behalf of their boss to extend their unbeaten run since the start of the season to 19 games.

With just one minute and 26 seconds on the clock they were in front.

Diego Costa, who had a rare off night, spurned his first great chance to open his Chelsea Champions League account after a minute.

But it didn’t matter as from the resulting Cesc Fabregas corner Terry got the better of Benedikt Howedes in the air far too easily to head Chelsea in front with the club’s quickest ever Champions League goal.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a shot deflected onto the bar during a rare Schalke attack.

But Chelsea looked like scoring every time they raided forward and added a second on 29 minutes.

Willian finished off a stunning team goal that featured over 20 passes by firing past Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann, who should have done better, to make it 2-0.

After that Schalke really fell apart.

They had two huge escapes when Costa failed to punish Marco Hoger’s poor backpass and Oscar had a volley tipped wide.

But they failed to sort themselves out again and Kirchoff hoplessly headed the resulting corner into his own net a minute before half-time.

The usually deadly Costa limped off in the second half after blowing another opportunity but unluckily for Schalke his replacement Drogba was on form.

The Ivorian - scorer of the penalty that won Di Matteo the Champions League - tapped in his 50th European goal from Willian’s pass before teeing up fellow sub Ramires to nod in number five.

Schalke (4-2-3-1): Fahrmann; Uchida, Howedes, Santana, Aogo; Neustadter, Kirchhoff (Clemens 45); Hoger, Choupo-Moting, Boateng (Meyer 63); Huntelaar. Subs: Wetklo, Friedrich, Sane, Fuchs, Barnetta.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic; Willian, Fabregas (Schurrle 79), Oscar (Ramires 75), Hazard; Costa (Drogba 66). Subs: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Mikel.

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)

West Brom 2-0

Independent:

Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 0
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard help the Blues cruise to victory over 10-man Baggies
Miguel Delaney

They had been so good that the only way the opposition could get near them was through the type of abrasive challenge that saw Claudio Yacob sent off after half an hour.
If Mourinho wished for a reference-point performance for the new Chelsea, something he can always point to as an ideal to be touched, it was this first 45 minutes. This was the best football Stamford Bridge has seen for a long time. By stretching their unbeaten run to 12 since the start of the season, they also set a club record. There were reminders, too, of some of the best qualities from the title of nine years ago.
Once ahead, Chelsea closed up and dropped the intensity. It might not have been as dominating but it maintained control, and again brought up the comparisons between the sides. Mourinho once more scotched them, saying the current side has won nothing yet, but the reality is that the combination of all those qualities is likely to see them win this league rather comfortably. For the moment, it keeps them eight points clear of defending champions Manchester City.
It was also such a clear statement of intent, an illustration that more recent problems do not apply. In recent years Chelsea have struggled after international breaks, and especially struggled against West Brom, who they had only beaten once in the last six years before this game.
Mourinho’s side had banished all of that like so many of Alan Irvine’s defenders within 10 minutes. That was all it took for Costa to open the scoring. He chested Oscar’s flick beautifully before volleying past Ben Foster. Hazard’s goal was even easier, as he picked up Cesc Fabregas’ short corner to dance through and drive past Foster – one of the only West Brom players to perform at the required standard. Chelsea initially played well beyond the required standard. This is what they are capable of with Costa at full fitness and the team at full pelt.
It seemed that, with so many of Chelsea’s rivals struggling, Mourinho wanted to show they themselves would not be allowing the pace to drop; that they are prepared to streak clear. It allowed them to drop the intensity later on, but that could be the pattern of the season. Rampant start, easy end. Mourinho found it difficult to put his admiration into words. “The quality of our football was high quality, high quality,” he enthused.
“Another dimension, so well, so fast, so fluid, made the pitch very, very wide with wide people creating spaces to play inside, score two goals. We should have scored much more than that. It was fantastic.”
It was so fantastic, in fact, that West Brom’s players seemed frustrated that Yacob went in rather rashly on Costa. Given that the defender had raised two feet, Irvine offered no complaints, and wasn’t angry with the decision to send Yacob off.
Mourinho, by contrast, seemed rather annoyed with the way his team dropped off. “But I’m always annoyed,” Mourinho responded, this time with laughter. “There are a number of things that can cause that. The objective was  three points. The first half was beautiful. I am many times upset, but not today.”
He was also happy with the crowd. Mourinho had criticised them for the low volume after the 2-1 win over QPR on 1 November, but retracted those comments here. For their part, the home support made a point of being much louder. “I feel sorry for my comments a couple of weeks ago but the reality is today the difference was amazing,” he admitted. “I don’t want to speak again about it. For good or bad, because they pay me to coach, to win matches, not to be critical of the crowd.”
Irvine, meanwhile, ended up offering praise to his defence, particularly for the manner in which they shored up after the red card and prevented what could have been a massacre. “Well, it could have happened. There was no doubt about that,” he said. “This was a hard enough place to come with 11 players. Mourinho said it was magnificent from 10 and I have to agree with him from a defensive side. From attacking, we’d have wanted a lot more.”
Mourinho says that his own players are offering plenty, that he can sense their “hunger”. “I feel it. I feel pleasure in what they do. They are happy to play the way they do. But I repeat, 12 matches played. We have 26 more to play.”
If they keep playing like this, there will be very little doubt.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian (Ramires, 86), Oscar (Remy, 79), Hazard; Costa (Drogba, 84).
West Bromwich (4-4-1-1): Foster; Wisdom, Dawson, Lescott, Baird (Gamboa, 68); Dorrans (Morrison, 84), Gardner, Yacob, Brunt; Sessegnon; Berahino (Anichebe, 78).
Referee: Lee Mason.
Man of the match: Matic (Chelsea).
Match rating: 7/10.

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

Observer:

Chelsea’s Diego Costa on target again as West Brom go down to 10 men
Chelsea 2 - 0 West Brom

Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge

Matches such as this show why fears are rising that the Premier League title race could become one long Chelsea lap of honour. Their latest outing was never a contest, just a parade of power and style. They have now won 10 and drawn two of their 12 league matches this season, racking up points at an ominous rate. The other so-called title challengers need to find consistency soon or it will be too late.
As for West Bromwich Albion, they presented themselves for kick-off on time but that was pretty much all they got right in a first half when the result was effectively decided, although Ben Foster’s constant saves stopped the scoreline from testifying to the true extent of the home team’s superiority. The Baggies tightened up admirably in the second period, by which time they were down to 10 men due to the expulsion of Claudio Yacob, but that was partially because Chelsea eased off.
The hosts corralled the visitors into one end of the pitch from the opening seconds and did not relent until their opponents had abandoned all hope of winning a point. Which was around about half-time.
“The first half was brilliant, beautiful,” said José Mourinho. “Our football was high quality, another dimension. We were playing so well, so fast, so fluid. We made the pitch very wide and created spaces to play inside and scored two goals. We should have scored much more than that. It was fantastic.”
It really was. Chelsea hogged possession with purpose, probing mischievously from the outset and spreading panic amid the visitors. Yacob managed to curtail one attack in the fifth minute but was too flustered to do anything with the ball other than boot it behind for a corner. Chelseatook it short, Eden Hazard fizzed the ball across the face of goal and John Terry tried to poke it into the net, bringing the first of Foster’s many saves.
The goalkeeper was by far Albion’s busiest player, with many of the others acting like puzzled bystanders as Chelsea breezed between them. But he was helpless in the 11th minute when Oscar clipped a cross over to Diego Costa, who, as the defenders appealed justifiably for offside, killed the ball on his chest before finishing in typically deadly fashion from 12 yards.
Soon Foster had to excel again, pushing away an Oscar shot with one hand after the Brazilian had been left free on the edge of the area to receive a pull-back from Hazard. Foster had to scramble to his feet to prevent Costa from scoring on the rebound, no defender having anticipated the problem.
After Chelsea’s last Premier League home match, against QPR, Mourinho had complained that the subdued atmosphere made it seem like supporters were sleeping; here, the Albion manager, Alan Irvine, could have levelled similar complaints at his defenders in the first half. At least Chris Baird had an excuse for looking out of his depth. He was making his first Premier League start for 658 days following injury and loss of form and his rustiness was exposed by Branislav Ivanovic in the 19th minute when the Serb raced past him and crossed for Costa, who shot inches wide.
Albion were guilty of more doziness in the 25th minute, when Hazard was allowed to receive a short corner from Cesc Fàbregas and fire the ball into the net from close range, Craig Gardner’s attempted block coming too late to be successful.
The way things were unfolding made a repeat of Chelsea’s 6-0 win in 2010 a strong possibility. Especially when Yacob was sent off for what can only be described as a pogo-tackle – the midfielder jumped with two feet into a challenge with Costa and although he landed on the ball, the referee, Lee Mason, deemed it dangerous, a decision that Irvine agreed was “understandable”.
Enjoying numerical superiority on top of a lead that was palpably insurmountable, Chelsea players began to showboat, Oscar drawing another save from Foster with a backheeled shot from seven yards.
The home side should have been farther in front before the break as the Albion defence dissolved every time the hosts turned up the heat. Fàbregas prodded a pass straight through the middle of them in the 40th minute, allowing Ivanovic to rush on to it and, as Foster advanced, knock the ball sideways to Azpilicueta. The pass was fractionally too long for the Spaniard but the fact that both of Chelsea’s full-backs had got behind the defence in the box spoke volumes. Nemanja Matic enjoyed similar freedom in the opening minutes of the second period but directed a volley over the bar from 10 yards after being fed by Fàbregas.
With an important Champions League tie to play at Schalke on Tuesday, Chelsea relaxed a little, though Foster had to maintain his vigilance to thwart Hazard and Costa again. In the end Irvine could claim a degree of satisfaction from avoiding a massacre.
The supporters did their best to keep the atmosphere buzzing until full-time but Chelsea’s contentedness with their lead and Albion’s inability to do anything about it meant the game had an almost non-event feel by the end.

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

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 0:
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard on target as Jose Mourinho's side ease to victory

By Jim White, Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho's side extend their lead at the top of the table with a comfortable victory over 10-man Baggies

Rarely can a 2-0 victory have been this comprehensive. Chelsea found this so easy, they were taking the opportunity for an extended bit of recuperation from the middle of the first half. 2-0? It could, perhaps should, have been ten.
Jose Mourinho’s intent was clear. Never mind a Champions League tie coming up on Tuesday, he was going with his best line-up. There was no rest for the leaders. You could see why. Familiarity is breeding content round Stamford Bridge. Settled, solid, comfortable, this is a team with no evident weakness. A team, moreover that knows each other’s strengths, that knows each other’s movements.
At half time, the only surprise was that Chelsea had not accumulated a cricket score. So smooth, so easy, so far in the ascendancy were they, with Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas controlling midfield, with Diego Costa a constant threat, Mourinho’s team looked as if they could win at will. It is the characteristic of champions.
Yet, as it was, they only had two goals. The first was inevitably scored by Costa. It was 12 degrees out there, yet the Spanish international was wearing gloves. What, you wondered, will he be wearing in January? But he was warmed up all right. He had already drawn a fine save from Ben Foster, when, on 11 minutes, Oscar arced a beautiful cross in behind the West Bromwich defence. Controlling the ball perfectly on his chest, he strode on and stroked the ball home.
After two more astonishing saves from the visiting keeper, Chelsea won a corner. Eden Hazard received on the edge of the box, advanced unchecked round Craig Gardner, and slipped a left foot shot under Foster. Unmoved, unsurprised, expecting it, Mourinho celebrated by writing something in his pad; a tweak, no doubt, to perfection.
On half an hour, a tough job for the visitors became impossible. Claudio Yacob was shown a straight red for a clumsy challenge on Costa. They were finding it hard enough to contain Chelsea with eleven men. With ten, there was no route back. By now their manager Alan Irvine was reduced to standing on the edge of his technical area, forlornly shouting out names: “Craig, Craig, Craig,” he went at one point. It was not entirely clear Craig Gardner could here him through the befuddlement.
West Brom’s chances were summed up by the freekick Chris Brunt fired into the top tier of the Shed midway through the second half. As the visitors demonstrated their ambition by retreating into a 4-5 formation, Chelsea were demonstrating how they can switch tactical approaches at will. One minute Hazard, Oscar and Willian were picking their way through with multiple passing moves the next someone was hoisting a long ball over the top for one of their fliers to chase. Like the apparently laser-guided long ball from Matic to set Hazard in behind the West Brom defence just before half time. Beautifully controlling, he bore down on goal, but Foster was there yet again.
In fact, here was the reason Chelsea were not in double figures: Foster may have slipped behind Fraser Forster in the race to be Joe Hart’s international deputy, but he was magnificent here. Despite his team adopting a 4-5 formation post the sending off to protect him, ably organised by a defiant Joleon Lescott, he was the busiest man on the pitch. His save on half time, flicking the ball off Cesar Azpilicueta’s toes or his reflex stop from John Terry’s header early in the second or his save at Hazard’s feet in the 72nd minute were the very models of defiance.
He barely had time to draw breath. It was not quite the same at the other end of the pitch. Thiboult Courtois didn’t touch the ball for more than half an hour in the second half. While Chelsea’s two centre backs, utterly unchallenged and with the freedom of the Bridge to exploit, had endless opportunity to instigate attacks, Gary Cahill almost matching his senior partner in the distance and accuracy of his forward promptings.
As the Chelsea attack began to lose interest in trying to break through the thick red lines of visiting defenders, the interest gradually petered out. It is generally considered necessary to have two teams involved in a match to make it gripping. For the home crowd attention could be directed into cheering Didier Drogba when he trotted out to warm up. That and chanting “we’re top of the league”. The scoreline may not have reflected their absolute supremacy, but, after this, there can be few doubting it is a position they will surely still be occupying in May.

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

Times:

Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 0: Slick Blues ease past Albion

John Aizlewood

If nothing else, this was meant to be a straightforward encounter. And so it was. Chelsea — rolling, relentless Chelsea — had not surrendered a Premier League point at home all season and had the game secured in the first 25 minutes. West Bromwich Albion — fatally flawed West Bromwich Albion — stumbled into and then out of West London still struggling to integrate the bulk of their summer signings and, after 90 minutes, struggling to mount so much as an attack.
Even history was shaking its fist at Albion. Last season’s point at Stamford Bridge remains their only one this century and when they last took full points in SW6, Tony “Bomber” Brown and Cyrille Regis thumped goals past Peter Bonetti. This Chelsea vintage have the knack of making the routine, well, routine.
For all that manager Jose Mourinho seemed to be paying lip-service in his programme notes with the unlikely notion that “West Brom will make it tough for us”, a team selection which owed nothing to chance or rotation suggested he meant every word. Consequentially, Chelsea can hardly have had a more routine afternoon.
“The first half was beautiful,” purred Mourinho. “We were so fast, so fluid, our brilliant, high-quality football was of another dimension. After that West Brom knew they could not discuss the points and they were very compact defensively.”
When Ben Foster reacted brilliantly to shove John Terry’s cute early flick around the post, business seemed to be as usual. It was and for Chelsea, business is good and they were ahead soon enough.
Unfathomably, the Albion defence stood off to allow Oscar to cross from the left. More perplexingly still, Joleon Lescott watched the cross go over him, leaving Diego Costa, Europe’s deadliest striker, all on his own, and as Albion manager Alan Irvine argued afterwards, offside in the penalty area.
With one touch, Costa controlled the ball with his chest, with another he volleyed his 11th Premier League goal past Foster. Those familiar with the Esperanto of body language might have thought the visitors had already given up. In the short-term they would have been right.
For the rest of the first half, Chelsea sizzled. On and on they pressed. Costa should have had a hat-trick in 20 minutes, being thwarted first by Foster and then by a few precious millimetres.
Eden Hazard was the cat to Andre Wisdom’s mouse and in the eye of the storm, Nemanja Matic was an oasis of tough serenity. In the wake of Mourinho’s condemnation of a crowd coasting where his team did not in the last home game against Queens Park Rangers, the decibel level was cranked up.
“I am paid to win matches not to criticise the crowd,” explained Mourinho, “so I apologise for my quotes of a fortnight ago. Today, the difference was amazing.”
After 24 minutes Chelsea were two up. Cesc Fabregas slid a short left-sided corner towards the edge of the penalty area. Untroubled by any red-shirted defender, with one touch Hazard collected and with another he fired past Foster, albeit with a slight but helpful deflection off Craig Gardner. For Chelsea’s two goals, two strikers had taken two touches each.
Could events take a worse turn for somnambulant Albion? Indeed they could and having not managed a tackle worthy of the name for 28 minutes, when Claudio Yacob did produce one in the 29th, it was a ludicrous two-footed leap at Costa and the visitors found themselves a man as well as two goals in arrears. “I’ve watched it again and it was an understandable decision,” lamented Irvine.
After that, Albion were set only on damage limitation and switched to 4-4-1, marooning the disconsolate Saido Berahino as a lone and lonely striker, but, to their credit, they avoided humiliation.
“Jose said we were magnificent with 10 men and I wouldn’t argue,” noted Irvine, “but I wanted an awful lot more in an attacking sense.
“There’s already been one 8-0 in the Premier League this season and you fear the worst, but at half-time I stressed that we needed to be more focused and stick together as a team.”
Chelsea seemed torn between cruising with an eye on Tuesday’s reunion with Schalke manager Roberto Di Matteo in Gelsenkirchen and the understanding that they had kicked off just one goal superior to Southampton and a boot-filling opportunity beckoned.
In the event, as Roman Abramovich looked on, Chelsea plumped for something in-between: complete dominance at a training session tempo with a concomitantly reduced crowd volume level, and so a picayune second half passed without incident, aside from Foster saving smartly from Hazard. It’s often said there are no easy games in the Premier League: this was.

Chelsea: Courtois 6, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6, Fabregas 7, Matic 7, Willian 6 (Ramires 86min), Oscar 7 (Remy 79min), Hazard 7, Costa 7 (Drogba 84min)
West Brom: Foster 7, Wisdom 5, Dawson 7, Lescott 6, Baird 5 (Gamboa 68min), Gardner 6, Yacob 5, Dorrans 5 (Morrison 84min), Sessegnon 6, Brunt 5, Berahino 5 (Anichebe 78min)

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

Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 West Brom: Diego Costa and Eden Hazard as deadly as ever
By Sam Cunningham

Jose Mourinho must have been taking notes when Brazil manager Dunga visited Chelsea’s Cobham training ground for lunch on Friday.
For there was certainly an air of the legendary Brazil sides about Chelsea as they took apart West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge — in the first half, at least.
Two of their starting XI were Brazilian — Oscar and Willian — and Diego Costa was born there before switching allegiances to represent Spain. All three were integral to this punishing, pin-point passing performance.
Beautiful,’ was the word used by Mourinho to sum up his side’s first- half display. ‘The quality of our football was high,’ he said. ‘We were playing so well, so fast, so fluid.
'We made the pitch very wide. We create spaces to play inside. We scored two goals, we should score much more than that. It was fantastic.’
Indeed, the great Brazil side which won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico would have been proud of a move of the highest calibre that led to the opening goal on 11 minutes.
Oscar exchanged a tidy one-two with Willian down the left-hand side and then passed the ball to Cesar Azpilicueta on the overlap.
The full-back played the ball back to Oscar who sent in a cross as nonchalantly as you like which Diego Costa controlled with his chest before finishing for his 11th Premier League goal of the campaign.
Only 25 minutes in and Chelsea were two ahead, although it could have been four or five at that point were it not for Ben Foster’s form in Albion’s goal.
A simpler move, but as equally clever as the first, doubled the lead. Oscar played a corner from the left along the ground straight to Eden Hazard, who took one touch to take the ball around Craig Gardner before burying a low finish.
Four minutes later, West Brom’s afternoon became considerably worse when Claudio Yacob was shown a straight red card by referee Lee Mason for jumping in to challenge Costa. At this point, West Brom manager Alan Irvine feared the worst.
‘There’s been an 8-0 in the league this season and when you’re 2-0 down with 10 men at Stamford Bridge with most of the game to play, you fear the worst,’ he said.
‘It was important to get my players focused and make sure we didn’t end up on the wrong end of a high score.’
But Chelsea were already running the show as if they had a man advantage before the sending off.
The Brazilian Football Confederation said ‘there was a long conversation, with an exchange of ideas about football’ when Dunga met Mourinho.
Yet Chelsea’s players were making the most complex football ideas appear simple on the pitch
Oscar struck an outside-of-the-boot curler from the edge of the box on 15 minutes, which Foster dived to keep out before smothering a Costa effort who had pounced on the rebound.
Moments later and he was at it again. Oscar, seemingly everywhere on the pitch and this time on the right, reached the byline before passing back to Branislav Ivanovic.
The full-back’s first-time cross was met by Costa, who tried to side-foot home but the ball flew across goal and went wide of a post.
Still wave after wave of blue roared towards West Brom’s goal. Hazard sent a ball over the top, which Costa managed to control only for Foster to come hurtling out to block, then react fastest to punch the ball away from Oscar’s feet.
Foster thwarted Oscar again when another Chelsea move ended with the forward taking a touch and attempting an audacious back-heel.
There were cried of ‘Ole’ from the Stamford Bridge crowd, midway through the first half, as a triangle of Cesc Fabregas, Azpilicueta and Oscar played the ball out from the left corner of their own half, with a cheeky flick from the Brazilian thrown in.
But whatever Mourinho told his players at the break reined them in and the second half was a far more solemn affair, still dominated by Chelsea. Whatever ideas he had shared the day before, this was vintage Mourinho, straight from his personal tactics book. Kill a team off then suffocate them with possession to ease to victory.
‘We decreased the intensity,’ Mourinho said. ‘It made it easier for them.’
Still their utter domination in Albion’s half allowed for breaks.
Five minutes after the restart John Terry was denied by Foster with a powerful header and on 73 minutes Fabregas threaded a pass between five players to set Hazard free inside the box. He shimmied to put the goalkeeper off, before taking a shot.
Yet again, Foster was in the way.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 7.5, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Fabregas 8.5, Matic 7.5; Willian 7 (Ramires 86), Oscar 8 (Remy 79, 6), Hazard 8; Costa 8 (Drogba 83)
Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Schurrle
Booked: Willian
Manager: Jose Mourinho 8

West Brom (4-2-3-1): Foster 8; Wisdom 6, Lescott 6, Dawson 5.5, Baird 5.5 (Gamboa 68, 5); Yacob 4, Gardner 6; Dorrans 6 (Morrison 84), Sessegnon 6, Brunt 5; Berahino 6 (Anichebe 78, 5)
Subs not used: Myhill, Ideye, McAuley, Samaras
Booked: None
Sent off: Yacob
Manager: Alan Irvine 6

Referee: Lee Mason 6.5
Man of the match: Cesc Fabregas
Attendance: 41,600

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

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 West Brom: Early Costa and Hazard strikes see off resilient 10-man Baggies

Joe Mewis
First-half strikes from Costa and Hazard were enough for Jose Mourinho's side, as Ben Foster's heroics keep the score down at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points thanks to first-half strikes from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard as the Blues saw off ten-man West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho's saw his side's unbeaten start to the Premier League season continue, but he may have hoped to have seen his side add a few more goals after the visitors played the final 60 minutes a man down following Claudio Yacob's red card.
Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas were both able to start for Jose Mourinho's side following the recent injuries that saw them miss out for Spain during the international break, with the Blues' only change from the win at Liverpool seeing Ramires included at the expense of Willian.
The visitors made four changes from the defeat to Newcastle with Claudio Yacob, Chris Baird, Craig Gardner and Stephane Sessegnon entering the fray.
It soon became apparent that the rest had done Costa's notoriously iffy hamstrings the world of good, as the Spain striker took advantage some extremely lax defending, receiving a flick from Oscar in the box before chesting it down and volleying past Ben Foster to open the scoring.
Jose Mourinho's men doubled their advantage half-way through the first half via an outrageous set piece that saw a low corner dummied into the box before Eden Hazard ghosted in to nutmeg Foster.
To compound the Baggies' misery, they were down to ten men five minutes later, when Claudio Yacob was given his marching orders for a reckless challenge on Costa.
At half-time it was looking like it was a question of how many Chelsea would score in the second half, but while the home fans waited for the floodgates to open, Baggies 'keeper Ben Foster set about having one of his best games in a West Brom shirt, pulling off numerous instinctive saves, few better than a brave smothering of Eden Hazard with 20 minutes left.
Add in a series of missed chances - Nemanja Matic was guilty of spooning an effort over the bar a minute after the break - and the Baggies were able to keep the score respectable.

Darren Lewis' full-time verdict
Chelsea record perhaps their easiest win of the season. Gone in 25 minutes. Costa and Hazard on target with Thibault Courtois seeing so little action he will not need to wash his shirt for Schalke on Tuesday night.
West Brom's Claudio Yacob made it even easier for the home side when he received a straight red card for a two-footed lunge on Costa just 28 minutes into the match.
After that Chelsea were in cruise control. They could have done with a third before half time - or maybe earlier in the second half - however. That would have enabled Jose Mourinho to rest some of his top stars for Tuesday night in the Champions League at Schalke.
But the Special One will settle for three points and Chelsea's grip on the title race being tightened even further.

Teams:
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; D Costa
Subs: Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Ramires, Schurrle, Drogba, Remy
West Brom: Foster, Wisdom, Dawson, Lescott, Yacob, Baird, Gardner, Brunt, Dorrans, Sessegnon, Berahino
Subs: Myhill, Gamboa, McAuley, Morrison, Anichebe, Samaras, Ideye

Next fixtures:
◦Chelsea: Sunderland (A), Tottenham (H), Newcastle (A)
◦West Brom: West Ham (H), Hull (A), Aston Villa (H)

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

Express:

Chelsea 2 - West Brom 0: All smiles at Stamford Bridge as Diego Costa stays on form


NO WONDER there was a smile on Jose Mourinho's face... his Chelsea side had just notched its best-ever start in the top division.
By: Colin Mafham

He admitted his players took their feet off the gas in the second half yesterday against a 10-man team that should have been dead and buried long before that.
But with a seven-point lead at the top of the table until tomorrow night at least and an unbeaten run that stretches back to April in all competitions, who's complaining?
His players had, he said, played some "brilliant, beautiful, high-quality football that was of another dimension."
And you have to ask, as it stands, who's going to live with them?
It didn't take long for that man Diego Costa to show how much of a say he in particular is going to have in the Premier League.
After spending the best part of 11 minutes backing off, West Brom paid the price for allowing Chelsea too much of the ball and the Spaniard punished them for it with another super strike and his 11th goal of a highly impressive season.
TV replays suggested he was offside, but referee Lee Mason and his assistants didn't see it that way and the Chelsea bandwagon rolled on.
If Ben Foster hadn't produced a cracking save from Oscar soon afterwards the Baggies would have been worse off rather sooner than they were.
The inevitable second came less than a quarter of an hour later, this time Eden Hazard clinically punishing the hapless visitors for failing to stop Cesc Fabregas's corner from reaching the unmarked Belgian.
Any doubts that this was well and truly over as a contest followed before even half an hour was up when Claudio Yacob was sent off for a reckless challenge on Costa.
He couldn't complain - but the visitors' fans certainly could.
They had good reason to expect more from a side that looked overawed by their hosts from the start of the match.
And let's be brutally honesty here, if it hadn't been for Foster's heroics the Albion could have been contemplating the sort of 8-0 hammering Sunderland got at Southampton . . . by the half-time whistle!
The first 45 minutes really were that one-sided.
As Albion coach Alan Irvine admitted: "There's been one 8-0 this season already and when you are two goals down, have just 10 men and there's an hour to go you fear the worst.
"But I spoke to the players at half time and the way they performed in the second half was, as Jose said, the best he'd seen a 10-man team play.
"We had a game plan that was made more difficult by the first goal, which I think was offside. But the second one I was disappointed about."
Even so, poor Foster didn't even have time to digest his half-time Bovril before he was called to the rescue again with another two timely saves from John Terry and Willian.
Apart from a herogram from his team-mates someone should at least send the match DVD to Roy Hodgson to have a look at!
Fortunately for him - and Albion - Chelsea took a leaf out of Shakespeare's book and chose some training practice rather than putting the proverbial boot in with a few more goals.
But there's no rest for the wicked, so they say - and Foster really was wicked yesterday in the best possible meaning of the word - so the keeper was called on again to deny Oscar and Chelsea for the umpteenth time.

MAN of MATCH: Ben Foster - If this superb show doesn't get him another England cap, nothing will.

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Star:

Chelsea 2 - West Brom 0: Seventh heaven for Mourinho as Costa and Hazard have boss purring
CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho claimed his side were “beautiful, just beautiful” as they opened a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.


By Tony Stenson

Diego Costa’s 11th goal of the season got them off to a flyer and ensured their best start to a campaign in top-flight football.
Eden Hazard added a second as Chelsea wasted the chance to fill their boots against a side that played with ten men from the 29th minute.
They are now unbeaten in 20 games and Mourinho, who once called Albion a “Mickey Mouse” side, looked like the cat who got the cream.
He admitted they should have scored more but blamed the international break for his side missing a host of chances.
Mourinho could not hide his delight, though, saying: “We were brilliant, beautiful, just beautiful in the first half. Our quality was high and credit to Albion for fighting back.
“We were so fast, we made the pitch look wide. How many times have I said the word beautiful about us? Not many times.
“I cannot say if this side is a great one because they haven’t won anything yet. It is about trophies but I am sure they will do that.”
It should and would have been a wider winning margin but for Mourinho’s men wasting a host of opportunities – and the bravery and skill of Albion keeper Ben Foster.
The Baggies were already under the cosh before they lost Claudio Yacob to a red card for a reckless lunge on Costa.
Then it became mission impossible.
Albion can rightly feel aggrieved as Chelsea’s first goal looked offside.
But they could not argue with the result – or Yacob’s red card. This was Chelsea in full flight – arrogant almost but showing quality and class.
How they did not score more will be one of the mysteries of the season.
Albion defended well but Chelsea should have gorged themselves on a goal feast.
Instead, they tried to walk the ball into the net.
Chelsea always seemed to have men spare, with Willian, Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Hazard in total control.
Fabregas and Willian fed the attackers and Oscar, Hazard and Costa did the rest.
Add to that a Chelsea defence that was never troubled and you had one of the most one-sided games of the season.
It was ruthless and Albion had little to offer in response except Saido Berahino’s pace.
Chelsea took the lead in controversial style with Costa’s goal, though he looked offside before striking home Oscar’s 11th-minute cross.
The striker directed an effort inches wide eight minutes later as Chelsea continued to dominate.
Foster had already denied Chelsea in the fourth minute when he stuck out a leg to push wide a flick from John Terry, who had latched on to Oscars’ cross.
And the England keeper was at the ready again in the 15th minute to pull off a great one-handed save from Oscar, then block Costa as he powered in for the rebound.
Chelsea added a second in the 24th minute when Fabregas touched a low corner to the unmarked Hazard, who jinked then dropped his shoulder before hitting the ball past Foster with his left foot.
Then it became a turkey shoot with Chelsea players lining up to score and Albion looking increasingly flustered and frustrated.
That led to Yacob’s 29th-minute dismissal for a wild challenge on Costa.
Albion, who have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1978, were totally demoralised.
Out-numbered, they left Berahino alone up front and hoped for the best.
But against Terry and Gary Cahill, it was a hopeless task as Chelsea retained complete control without adding to their lead.
Albion manager Alan Irvine said: “Chelsea are an extremely good team and in this form you would certainly make them favourites for the title.
“Jose told me we put in a magnificent performance with ten men and I cannot argue with that, or the sending off. But I also thought their first goal was offside.
“It was a great finish but I won’t blame my defenders for an incorrect decision.”
Chelsea head to Germany tomorrow to play Schalke, now managed former player and boss Roberto Di Matteo, the only coach to land the Champions League for the club.
Mourinho said: “It will be tough. A win would see us through but we could also finish second or third. We must be careful.”