Man Utd 3-1

 Independent:

Chelsea 3 Manchester United 1
Samuel Eto'o's hat-trick gives Jose Mourinho his 100th Premier League victory and creates more misery for David Moyes
Sam Wallace

Even Jose Mourinho, the man with a word or a gesture for every occasion, did not know where to look as Nemanja Vidic trudged in despair to the touchline after his red card in the closing stages of yet another Manchester United defeat.
The defending champions of England have become the embarrassing relative in the Premier League family; consistently letting themselves down on the big occasions, presiding over a shocking slide in standards and all of a sudden, the subject of pity rather than envy. Their rivals might even feel sorry for them if they were not so busy beating them.
Mourinho, a man given to mercilessly wringing out the last drop of advantage, did not bother to push Phil Dowd hard when it came to a foul worthy of a red card by Rafael Da Silva in the last few moments. All great generals have the knack of knowing when an opponent has been defeated and it certainly seemed that way with Mourinho, who was more disposed to sympathy towards United in his post-match press conference.
He threw some scraps United’s way: they had been the better team in the first 20 minutes of the game – that was true – and that Rafael’s reckless lunge at Gary Cahill was just a mark of frustration. There is no mileage in trying to psyche out a club that are 14 points off the top of the Premier League when he has much more serious rivals to contemplate.
This is where the United of 2014 currently rank in the concerns of the leading teams of the day. With four defeats in five in January, they are an after-thought. Mourinho delivered the bad news that the title race is now over for United with as much compassion as he could muster and a preface of “I am sure David won’t mind me saying ...” His logic was that while one of the top three could possibly blow up, not all of them would.
It was left to David Moyes to put a brave face on it all and talk about the scope of the “challenge” facing United. He blamed defeat on the “terrible defending” for the two set-pieces that led to the second and third goals of the hat-trick for Samuel Eto’o. But it is easier to reduce defeats like these to the details – the runner not tracked, the tackle missed – and ignore the bigger picture.
That picture is that once the effort of the opening stages was expended by United they never looked like finding a way back in. Without Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie there is not that critical force which will place an opponent of the calibre of Chelsea under the kind of pressure that can break them. United pulled one back through the substitute Javier Hernandez but what they had was never going to be enough.
There were some good performances in the United team, from Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj. Unfortunately for United, these are interesting little guitar solos compared to the might and discipline of Mourinho’s orchestra. This Chelsea team has the nous to dig in when the pressure is on, and the awareness to exploit the weaknesses of an opponent when the opportunity arises.
It was a great afternoon for Eto’o on the occasion of Mourinho’s 100th career Premier League win. His first goal came after an innocuous header away by Jonny Evans. On the right side, Eto’o seemed unsure where to go at first but when Phil Jones bought his dummy so easily he headed for goal and got a shot off as Michael Carrick came over to cover. The ball flicked up off the United midfielder and beat David De Gea at his far post.
Carrick had been one of the prime movers in a positive start for United. It was his ball out left to Ashley Young that created a chance within two minutes. Young exchanged passes with Welbeck on the left side of the area but, with a sight of goal, he could not get the ball past Petr Cech.
In those early stages United looked like a team responding to the demands of their manager to take charge of the game. Carrick stroked the ball around in the centre of midfield, Januzaj would later tie David Luiz up in knots and then slot the ball perfectly across the penalty area where, typically for United, no-one was waiting.
There was more misfortune later in the first half for United when Cesar Azpilicueta took away Welbeck’s standing foot as the forward was in the act of shooting. To Welbeck’s credit he managed to get a shot away and Moyes said later that a penalty on that occasion would have been “soft”.
The second Chelsea goal just before half-time was the first of those abject defensive episodes. Welbeck’s clearance from a corner fell to Ramires who pushed the ball out to Gary Cahill on the right and his cross was turned in relatively easily by Eto’o. The cameras picked out Rafael’s meander away from the left side he should have been defending, but in truth the whole United defence was woefully ineffective.
At that point it became critical for Moyes. Four minutes after half-time, Cahill won a header unopposed which De Gea just about saved with his elbow. With Valencia preoccupied with trying to wrestle Eto’o out of contention, the Chelsea striker prodded the ball into the goal.
The afternoon had begun with United fans baiting Mourinho over missing out on succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson; to which he responded with a cursory wave. By the end it was all about Moyes and the Chelsea fans who sang “we want you to stay”. As his team regrouped after the third goal they looked crushed. Patrice Evra hobbled off. The game was up.
Mourinho later acknowledged that United fought back bravely. Hernandez poked in Jones’ shot after excellent work from Welbeck. There was tiredness in Chelsea’s legs and Mourinho opted to send on the giant Nemanja Matic to shore up a five-man midfield. In the meantime, Fernando Torres, another substitute, sustained a knee ligament injury that could rule him out for a month.
The red card for Vidic for his tackle on Eden Hazard in the closing stages and Rafael’s subsequent rush of blood just added to the theme of raggedness about United. They need Rooney and Van Persie back as soon as possible but when it comes to making good, that really is only the start.

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Luiz; Willian (Matic, 85), Oscar (Mikel, 68), Hazard; Eto’o (Torres, 79).
Substitutes not used: Schwarzer (gk), Cole, Lampard, Mata.

Manchester United (4-4-1-1): De Gea; R Da Silva, Vidic, Evans, Evra (Smalling, 51); Valencia, Carrick, Jones, Young (Hernandez, 56); Januzaj; Welbeck.
Substitutes not used: Lindegaard (gk), Giggs, Cleverley, Fletcher, Kagawa.

Referee: P Dowd
Booked: Manchester United Young
Sent off: Vidic
Man of the match: Eto’o
Rating: 6/10

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Guardian:

Chelsea's Samuel Eto'o hits hat-trick as Manchester United lose Vidic
Chelsea 3 Man Utd 1

Daniel Taylor

There was a moment, before it became apparent they were about to be subjected to another considerable ordeal, when Manchester United's supporters could be heard reminding José Mourinho of the common suspicion that he had once harboured strong ambitions for David Moyes's job. The Chelsea manager responded with a smile and a little wave, then settled back to watch his team inflict another grievous setback to Moyes's first season at this level. He might as well have made a "w" for "whatever" with his fingers.
Mourinho batted away the insults with the kind of nonchalance with which his players would find a way through the opposition defence. "David Moyes, we want you to stay," Chelsea's fans piped up in response, echoing a song that has become part of the soundtrack to United's season. The champions, 14 points off the top of the Premier League, have been stranded and, from here, nobody can be sure they have the personnel to clamber into the Champions League places.
No one ever assumed it was going to be easy for Moyes but seven defeats in 22 league games still represents an ignominious haul and, for the latest, they helped to transport Samuel Eto'o back to the days when he used to menace the world's most accomplished defences. Mourinho was asked afterwards about the title race and mentioned six clubs, including Everton, Liverpool and Spurs. United were an afterthought and Moyes sounded like a man going through the motions when he insisted he would not give up.
Eto'o will prize the match ball after a hat-trick that acted as a throwback to his younger days. United, all the same, were obliging opponents. They are entitled to have grievances about Nemanja Vidic's late red card, when a booking would have been sufficient for his scything challenge on Eden Hazard, but they were also extremely fortunate Rafael da Silva did not follow him in stoppage time for his two-footed tackle on Gary Cahill. The bigger picture is that a team with their ambitions cannot defend this generously and expect to get away with it. Chelsea played with knowhow; United lacked it.
Chelsea did not even have to reach their most illuminating heights to win convincingly. Mourinho's team withstood some early pressure and there were flashes of excellence that reminded everyone why Adnan Januzaj is attracting so much acclaim, but in other departments the home side were superior. Hazard, Oscar and Willian flickered only sporadically, but this was a victory for their organisation and togetherness. Chelsea are back to within two points of the leaders, Arsenal, and have won six straight games. Mourinho is also showing, once again, his qualities as a manager of rare achievement.
A lot of people would have been surprised to see Eto'o even make the starting line-up ahead of Fernando Torres. The late injury for Torres, damaging knee ligaments after coming on as a substitute, ensures the Cameroonian an extended run.
His first goal, after 17 minutes, was a reminder of the old Eto'o, as he changed direction, cut in from the right and curled a left-foot shot over David de Gea, courtesy of a small yet crucial deflection off Michael Carrick's boot. Eto'o had made his own good fortune, eluding Phil Jones and letting fly with a shot few would have dared to attempt. Jones looked as though his feet were stuck in treacle and the breakthrough came at a crucial time for Chelsea. As Mourinho admitted, they had been slow to settle into the match.
Missing Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, United at least have the basis of an excuse for why they are not the attacking force of old. They are far too reliant on the 18-year-old Januzaj and, again, there was more evidence about the shortcomings of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in wide positions.
Yet it must be troubling for Moyes that his defence looks so vulnerable. Eto'o's hat-trick goal, four minutes into the second half, emanated from a straightforward corner, a free header for Cahill and a question of who would be first to the rebound after the ball had spun off De Gea. It was only moments before that Valencia had realised Eto'o was unmarked inside the six-yard area and sprinted back to cover him. Yet Eto'o showed the greater anticipation and intent and easily held him off.
Moyes used the word "terrible" to describe it and he must have been appalled as well by the goal that made it 2-0. Again, it came from a corner. Danny Welbeck cleared the first ball but Ramires simply rolled it back into the penalty area and Eto'o was unmarked to turn in Cahill's low centre.
In between the first two goals, United had legitimate reasons to be aggrieved about the way César Azpilicueta came through the back of Welbeck when he was inside the six-yard area and shaping to shoot after John Terry's one lapse of the match. A penalty at that stage would have meant a red card and possibly changed the entire complexion of the match.
Instead, the 78th-minute goal for the substitute Javier Hernández, applying the finishing touch to Jones's shot, was largely irrelevant. United are no longer a team who can rely on late feats of escapology. Vidic's final contribution smacked of frustration and Mourinho killed them with flattery afterwards. He wanted them to finish in the top four, he said, but only because it would mean them taking points off teams with genuine title aspirations.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2014/jan/19/chelsea-manchester-united-picture-gallery

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Manchester United 1

By  Henry Winter, at Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho headed to the Savoy after this comfortable victory, receiving a special tribute night from the Football Writers’ Association, but his team hardly needed to put on the Ritz to put Manchester United to the sword. In second gear throughout, Mourinho’s side were just too organised defensively, a contrast to the visitors, and just too intelligent tactically for United.
That was what should hurt the champions most. Chelsea did not need to be special to win. Adding to the pain, Mourinho offered United his sympathy afterwards, saying the game had been closer. Such pitying almost indicated that Mourinho did not see United as rivals any more, certainly not in the Premier League where David Moyes’s side now lie 14 points behind the leaders Arsenal.
With Roman Abramovich grinning, and David Beckham grimacing, United’s defence of their title ended here as their embarrassing defence dissolved in the face of the 32-year-old Samuel Eto’o, who went home with a huge smile and the match ball.
As Sir Alex Ferguson and Mick Hucknall looked on, United slumped to their fourth loss out of five in January, checking into a heartbreak hotel as Mourinho prepared for the Savoy.
United need a substantial change of personnel and attitude. Of those starting at the Bridge, only David De Gea, Rafael da Silva, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick, Adnan Januzaj and Danny Welbeck are worth keeping. They badly missed the injured Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie but it is the defence most urgently needing to be rebuilt with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra expected to leave.
Jones needs embedding in at centre-half with Rafael to his right, a high-class centre-half alongside him and someone of Luke Shaw’s quality at left-back.
Central midfield has long required a dynamo, a player of guile and goals. If Rooney departs in the summer as expected, United will also need to strengthen there. It will not be cheap.
The fact remains that United generate fortunes with official sponsors ranging from a motorcycle partner in Thailand to an official noodles partner for Asia, Oceania and the Middle East, from Mr Potato to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. A powerful brand name must now help make a struggling squad powerful again.
Reports that the Glazer family, United’s owners, are now looking at the possibility of a £600 million bond issue to reduce their interest repayments was reflected in one banner held up by United fans in the Shed: “£600m reasons your time is up. Glazers out now. MUFC”.
United’s fans were defiant amid the gloom, telling Mourinho to “sit down” and chanting “Jose Mourinho, you wanted this job”. He would probably have shaped United’s unbalanced squad into a more effective team than Moyes has. Mourinho is an alchemist, improving players. Eden Hazard is a consistently effective force, tracking back as well as attacking. Willian is more imposing. He has revived John Terry.
Mourinho’s judgment was questioned when he brought in Eto’o but it has proved a masterstroke. Mourinho even raised eyebrows when starting Eto’o ahead of Fernando Torres here but only glasses were being raised to his perspicacity at the end. He explained that Eto’o was better at “movement in small spaces” while Torres needed more space.
The Cameroonian’s first goal arrived after 17 minutes. United had actually started well.
Ashley Young was denied by Petr Cech but the champions were soon caught out. Eto’o collected a headed clearance from Jonny Evans, a dummy took Jones out of the way, opening the space up. Eto’o shot left-footed, the ball hitting the sliding Carrick and looping up and in past De Gea.
United still hinted at a goal. Evra hustled Oscar into surrendering the ball but shot into the side-netting. Januzaj, moving briefly away from his unsuccessful role in the hole, then crossed from the left. Welbeck was caught by César Azpilicueta as he shot but Phil Dowd waved play on.
Mistakes and poor marking bedevilled United. Just before half-time, United only half-cleared a corner and then failed to push out.
Chelsea poured back in. Ramires fed Gary Cahill, who whipped the ball across and Eto’o, given the freedom of the United box, swept his second past De Gea from 10 yards out.
Two became three for Eto’o four minutes after half-time.
Willian curled the ball in and Cahill was left free by Evans. De Gea somehow kept Cahill’s header out but as Antonio Valencia dithered, Eto’o was quickest to the loose ball, stabbing it over the line.
The history books needed ­updating. Eto’o became the first Chelsea player to score a hat-trick against United since 1955 and only the fourth player to net a Premier League hat-trick against United after David Bentley (for Blackburn Rovers, 2006), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool, 2011) and Romelu Lukaku (for West Bromwich Albion in 2013).
Eto’o also struck for Barcelona in their 2009 Champions League final win against United in Rome and he may have compromised their chances of even qualifying for the competition next season.
There was a response of sorts from United, the tireless Welbeck running into the box, cutting the ball back to Jones, whose shot was turned in by Javier Hernández. It was the most hollow of consolations.
They will now miss Vidic for three games after he was dismissed late on for scything down Hazard while Rafael was fortunate not to follow his captain down the tunnel for a two-footed lunge on Cahill. Such indiscipline was borne of frustration and Moyes needs to instil greater leadership into the dressing-room.
The painful fact remains for Moyes that Chelsea were better organised, more in tune with their manager’s tactical demands. In orchestrating his 100th Premier League victory, Mourinho’s ability to prepare teams tactically for the most demanding challenges is arguably unrivalled currently.
Moyes has yet to acquire such knowledge; with United and while at Everton, Moyes has yet to win in the Premier League at Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and United (while at Everton) in 48 attempts.
Yet his United side have progressed promisingly in Europe this season. Moyes is a good manager requiring patience and money. He will continue to be backed by the board, and it is to be hoped backed powerfully in the summer transfer window when more A-list talents are for sale.
Moyes has to be allowed to build his own squad, a reality that may take a couple of years, and United’s board will have to hold their nerve through continued storm clouds. Encouragingly for Moyes, there was not a hint of rebellion amongst United supporters here.

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Mail:

Chelsea 3 Man United 1: Eto'o hat-trick hands Blues impressive win as Moyes' men fail another test
By Martin Samuel

There was no knee slide this time, no joyous arm-whirling sprint along the touchline. If we didn’t know him better, it was almost as if Jose Mourinho’s victory over Manchester United yesterday was, well, expected.
Chelsea defeated the champions as if they were inferiors. They held a two-goal cushion at half-time, added to it soon after the break and then, the challenge over, sloppily conceded a late goal to afford the illusion of contention. In reality, Chelsea were, at vital moments, a significant distance ahead.
At 3-0 they could have risked more in search of greater emphasis in the scoreline but Mourinho is not Manuel Pellegrini. He has little interest in chasing milestones or landslide victories. Once Samuel Eto’o had scored his third — the first Chelsea hat-trick against United since Seamus O’Connell in the 1954-55 title-winning season — Mourinho seemed happy to let his team see out the game in comfort. His substitutions, John Mikel Obi for Oscar in particular, were about preservation not annihilation.
It made United appear better than they were. In spells, they had the best of the play, but Chelsea won the key passages. When Chelsea dominated, they scored. United, by contrast, were kept at arm’s length. Only Adnan Januzaj looked capable of getting into Mourinho’s team and he is still young enough for Chelsea’s old sweats to gang up on him, which they did. United missed Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie — who wouldn’t? — but that was not the reason they lost. Defensive weakness allowed Chelsea to set the agenda here, and that is a part of the game that is supposed to be David Moyes’s strength.
O’Connell was a non-League player with Bishop Auckland and, on the day of the United game, a club official was sent to meet him at King’s Cross station. Unable to make contact, the official retired to the platform cafe and told his forlorn tale to a young stranger carrying a brown paper parcel — who turned out to be O’Connell. The pair got to Stamford Bridge, via taxi, in the nick of time. O’Connell scored a hat-trick,  Chelsea lost 6-5.
Eto’o’s route to Stamford Bridge was similarly circuitous. He was the stop gap, the afterthought, the man considered too old to be much of a threat in the Premier League. Tell that to United. What they wouldn’t have given yesterday for a finisher of Eto’o’s quality.
Danny Welbeck was a pale imitation of what was required. In the second minute, he set up Ashley Young for a good chance that Petr Cech saved and in the 38th minute only a last-ditch tackle by Cesar Azpilicueta stopped him, but only when Chelsea’s ambitions lowered did United threaten greatly.
Welbeck had a header from a Januzaj corner in the 69th minute, but missed that, too. Each time the anguish on the United bench contrasted with Mourinho’s ease.
Eto’o was Welbeck’s opposite, performing acts of alchemy. Chelsea had barely been in the game when he opened the scoring after 17  minutes, a goal created by his persistence and United’s negligence.
It is possible to speculate that Eto’o would still be running with the ball now had he not planted it in the net, via a deflection off Michael Carrick, such was United’s aversion to applying pressure or stifling space.
Eto’o collected the ball, ran out to the right, was untroubled by Patrice Evra or Phil Jones, cut back inside, continued to avoid traffic and eventually tried a shot which clipped Carrick and looped over David De Gea.
Chelsea did not deserve to be ahead at the time — but they made the most of it from there.
Willian hit a corner, met by Gary Cahill at the near post, that flew across the face of goal. Branislav Ivanovic had a powerful shot and Oscar an overhead volley from close range, following an Eto’o opportunity that ricocheted. In the final minute of the first half, United slumbered again — and Chelsea took an unassailable advantage.
Another Willian corner was cleared before Ramires put the ball back in to Cahill on the right side of the penalty area. His cross found Eto’o, who reacted quicker than Nemanja Vidic, leaving De Gea no chance from close range.
Within four minutes of the second-half restart, Chelsea had closed the game out after more calamitous defending from United at a set play. Again, a Willian corner was a prelude to carnage as Cahill met the ball unmarked, De Gea saved desperately with an elbow and Eto’o got to the ball before Antonio Valencia to send Stamford Bridge into delirium.
Valencia might have beaten Eto’o in the challenge had he not got on the wrong side, and he might not have got on the wrong side had he chosen to mark properly and make a tackle, rather than engage in another pointless round of Strictly Come Penalty Area
Valencia’s decision to clasp Eto’o allowed him to be spun around to a position of ineffectuality, and the game was lost. God knows what Len would have made of it, let alone Craig.
Substitute Javier Hernandez pulled a goal back from a pass by Jones in the 78th minute, but it was another United mirage. Aside from a header from Hernandez, directed straight at Cech in the 90th minute, there was no grandstand finish from the champions.
The biggest events in the minutes that followed were a red card for Vidic and a lucky escape for right back Rafael.
Moyes thought Vidic was treated harshly in the first minute of added time and, initially, it looked no more than a lousy tackle worthy of a booking. But replays showed the reckless intent of United’s captain in delivering a foul both late and high that could have caused Eden Hazard serious injury.
Moyes conceded Rafael could have been similarly dismissed but referee Phil Dowd clearly had no appetite for reducing United to nine, so only showed a yellow for a two-footed airborne and late tackle on Cahill two minutes later. As a card was issued, the FA will take no further action; an irony considering Cahill could have been kicked out of the World Cup at that moment.
Moyes put defeat down to the defending at set pieces and Mourinho has now mastered the art of patronising defeated managers, so left him to his illusion. The brutal reality is United are no longer a huge scalp this season. Moyes has won one game as United manager against the top nine clubs in the Premier League, and Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sunderland has taken on incongruous importance.
Mourinho made a quick getaway to a reception at the Savoy Hotel in his honour. It was a  bigger celebration than any seen at Stamford Bridge — and that should hurt United most of all.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United: Samuel Eto'o nets hat-trick as hosts dispatch below-par champions
  
By Martin Lipton

The veteran striker struck three times to condemn David Moyes' side to another galling defeat
One hundred Premier League wins for Jose ­Mourinho, Chelsea with their eyes on the main prize.
But the game looks up for United. And it could get worse before it starts getting better.
As Stamford Bridge roared with delight last night, Mourinho wore a satisfied smile, David Moyes a look of sheer disbelief.
Yet with Samuel Eto’o making his manager’s big selection call look like genius, this felt like a defining moment for both these sides.
For Chelsea, simply better in every department until they declared with half an hour to go, this was merely a staging post in their journey.
Their rivals are Arsenal and Manchester City, a three-cornered fight for the glittering trophy, a battle royal between a trio finding their best form at the critical moment.
For Moyes and United, finishing with 10 men after Nemanja Vidic’s reckless leap into Eden Hazard – and lucky it wasn’t nine following Rafael da Silva’s two-footer on Gary Cahill – it looked more like a symbol of their decline.
That, though, is not Chelsea’s fault. It does not matter that this United side is rapidly becoming a pale shadow of the ones built by Sir Alex Ferguson.
They are still, as the Blues boss warned, Manchester United – still a team that evokes concern. But last night, as Mourinho prepared to be feted at the Football Writers’ ­Association gala dinner at The Savoy, his side fed on United’s carcass, with gluttonous delight.
This was a game that showed the gulf. Once United’s initial spark ­disappeared, all too quickly, they were simply bypassed, scared witless by the pace and brio of Hazard, ­Mouirinho’s Premier League century racked up in just 142 games.
The Belgian, though, was not alone as only Adnan Januzaj appeared in the same class as Mourinho’s men.
Oscar was terrific, a constant ­fizz-ball of energy and intelligence, Willian a menace every time he got the ball.
And Eto’o’s predatory hat-trick, two close-range finishes after his deflected opener, merely demonstrated, once again, how desperate United are reliant on the absent Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
Maybe, had Ashley Young converted his early chance after a one-two with Danny Welbeck, had Eto’o’s opener deflected off Michael Carrick into David De Gea’s hands, rather than the top corner, it might have been different.
But probably not. When it mattered, when Chelsea found their game and went through the gears, they had far, far too much for United.
The opener, 17 minutes in, summed things up. Jonny Evans headed to Eto’o, who had, seemingly, nowhere to go, first drifting right before ­realising Patrice Evra and Phil Jones were sleeping.
Jones was bypassed far too easily, Carrick’s reaction far too late, De Gea beaten by the arc of the ball.
Fortunate, perhaps, but with Mourinho in his pomp, Chelsea went for the jugular, Hazard at times unplayable, although Januzaj rolled across goal after picking David Luiz’s pocket.
But, in the final minute of the half, the killer blow, when a corner was cleared as far as Ramires, who picked out a simple ball to find Cahill in a huge hole in the United inside-left channel.
The defender teased across and Vidic was barely in the same ­postcode as Eto’o – chosen ahead of Fernando Torres – stroked home.
If that was bad, the third, straight after the break, was worse after Oscar and Eto’o combined to win a corner from nothing. Cahill, standing on the six-yard line, barely jumped, utterly unmarked to nod through De Gea’s legs, and while the ball ricocheted back off his trailing elbow, Eto’o could not miss.
Had Chelsea wanted to, they could have piled on the misery. Instead, Mourinho opted to ease off the throttle, sub Javier Hernandez getting the final touch from Jones’ shot after Welbeck burst into the box.
It was irrelevant in the greater context, and United will rue Vidic’s three-game ban for his needless ­stoppage-time lunge on Hazard, and feel relieved Rafael did not suffer the same fate.
Chelsea, though, are developing the old Mourinho momentum. They are looking up. They are coming. They are ready to pounce.

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Express:

Chelsea 3 - Man Utd 1: Samuel Eto'o treble sends Blues on their way

JOSE MOURINHO keeps insisting this Chelsea is a work in progress, a project, a thing to be tinkered with and the kinks ironed out.

By: Tony Banks

Perhaps he is pulling the wool over our eyes.
Chelsea were already title contenders before this consummate command performance, though reckoned by most to be only on the tails of Manchester City and Arsenal.
Now any doubters will know. Mourinho’s team are the real deal.
Of course, this Manchester United are a wounded, hobbling beast compared to the formidable animal of old. Only at the beginning and end of this humbling afternoon did they show any of the fire of recent times.
But they still have to be beaten, and in some style bar a late, late stutter, Chelsea did that in style to give Mourinho his 100th league win as a Chelsea manager.
Samuel Eto’o has had his critics since his expensive summer arrival from Anzhi Makhachkala, but his hat-trick here is something the 32-year-old and many Chelsea fans will remember for a long time.
David Moyes’ dreadful season took a turn into even more grim territory at Stamford Bridge. Yes, there was a late Javier Hernandez goal, but United ended the game with 10 men after Nemanja Vidic was sent off for an awful injury-time tackle on the irrepressible Eden Hazard.
And it could have been still worse – Rafael should have gone too for a lunge on Gary Cahill.
This morning United are 12 points behind Chelsea, 14 off the top, with 16 games to go. The title is long gone, and a top-four place looks a mighty long way away.
United have now lost four of their five games in 2014, but it is the manner of this comprehensive defeat that will strike a chord of fear into Old Trafford.
United started well, but as soon as Chelsea scored they folded – something they never used to do.
At no point did they have any answer to the searing pace and skill of the electric Hazard, Willian, Oscar or Ramires. Even the old boy Eto’o was too much for their rocky defence.
Time and again Chelsea sprang out of defence with a venom and speed which left United’s sluggish midfield trailing in their wake. In Hazard, Chelsea probably have the most electric player in Europe on their hands right now.
Without either Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie it was always going to be hard for Moyes’ men to have the edge. They did though start with intent, as Ashley Young tested Petr Cech with a sharp drive.
But Chelsea steadied, rode the storm, and struck. Eto’o gathered the ball on the right, meandered inside and as no challenge came, fired in a shot that deflected off Michael Carrick into the far corner.
Chelsea won every loose ball and were first to every challenge, and even though Patrice Evra and then Adnan Januzaj went close, and Danny Welbeck shot straight at Cech and could possibly have had a penalty for Cesar Azpilicueta’s challenge, they were now in control.
Oscar should have scored from Eto’o’s flick, but seconds before the break they struck again. United failed to clear a corner, Ramires found Cahill in acres of space, and Eto’o steered in his low cross. Game over.
Three minutes after the break, yet another corner exposed United’s woeful defending. Willian’s kick was nodded down by the unmarked Cahill, David De Gea somehow kept the ball out with his elbow, but Eto’o was on hand to stab home the rebound.
Humiliation looked on the cards for Moyes and his men. United were shapeless, ragged and lost. Only Januzaj provided any threat.
But Chelsea relaxed with the game won, Oscar went off, and United had their late flurry. Welbeck pulled the ball back, Phil Jones shot low, and Hernandez from six yards out steered it past Cech. It was no more than a consolation.
Moyes has never beaten Mourinho as a manager, and he was thoroughly out-witted here. Once Chelsea settled into their game their strikes were lethal, but just as importantly, Mourinho has instilled a steeliness and ruthlessness into this team, as he has done with all his best sides.
At one point earlier in the season, sloppy goals were being given away, points surrendered. Those traits are now ironed out – this was a sixth win in a row in all competitions.
Mourinho left for a glowing tribute night at the Savoy hotel in the Strand hosted by the Football Writers’ Association, Moyes for his own lonely cloud of gloom.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Luiz 7, Ramires 7; Willian 7 (Matic 85), Oscar 7 (Mikel 67, 6), Hazard 7; Eto’o 8 (Torres 79). Booked: Luiz. Goals: Eto’o 17, 45, 48.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Rafael 6, Evans 5, Vidic 5, Evra 5 (Smalling 51, 6); Jones 6, Carrick 5; Valencia 6, Jasuzaj 6, Young 5 (Hernandez 55, 6); Welbeck 5. Booked: Young, Valencia, Rafael. Sent off: Vidic.  Goal: Hernandez 78.
Referee: Phil Dowd.

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

Star:

Chelsea 3 - Man United 1: Champions in disarray as Samuel Eto'o hat-trick downs Moyes' men

SAMUEL ETO’O grabbed a hat-trick yesterday as Manchester United really did play like sleeping giants.

By David Woods

That was how Jose Mourinho described the champions on Friday.
And he was proved spot on as David Moyes’ dopes put to bed any lingering notion they are capable of retaining their crown.
With Sir Alex Ferguson watching, and listening, at Stamford Bridge, United produced another dismal defensive display, which sparked Blues fans to sing over and over that they want Moyes to stay.
United languish in seventh, 14 points off leaders Arsenal - and with 21 less than they had after 22 games last season. It is the fewest points they have ever had at this stage of a Premier League season.
Eto’o may be 33 three weeks today, but age has not taken away his goal-scoring prowess. The previous time he faced United was for Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final, when he scored the first in Rome in a 2-0 victory.
Yesterday his treble saw the Londoners claw back to two points off the Gunners and one behind second-placed Manchester City.
It was Mourinho’s 100th Premier League win in 141 games, making the Portuguese coach the fastest ever to reach the landmark.
Amazingly, United started far the brighter as they tried to prove Moyes right after he claimed on Friday his team remained the biggest in the world.
Less than two minutes had gone when Ashley Young and Danny Welkeck played a smart one-two in the box following an excellent ball in from Michael Carrick.
The angle for his shot was tight for Young but, by lifting the ball off the ground, he made it easier for Petr Cech to dive and parry.
With Adnan Januzaj buzzing, they looked a major threat, but then Chelsea scored in the 17th minute, much to the shock of just about everyone.
Like all three goals, it was down to United frailties at the back. Eto’o, on the right flank, cut in and shimmied past a dithering Phil Jones, then lined up an angled drive with his left foot.
His 25-yard attempt was well struck but took a big deflection off the outstretched leg of Carrick, causing the ball to loop over the dive of David De Gea and nestle in the top-right corner of the keeper’s net.
Moyes’ men were unfortunate in the 31st minute when Januzaj left David Luiz trailing in the box with a couple of turns, then squared across goal.
But, with no Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney. no United player had gambled on getting into a tap-in position.
Welbeck had a great chance to score in the 38th minute when another excellent ball in from the left by Januzaj was missed by Gary Cahill.
It landed at the feet of the England striker just six yards out, but under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta he could only side foot weakly, allowing Cech to save.
Welbeck might have had a case for a penalty as the Spanish full back caught his standing leg as he shot.
Eto’o was sharper in the 45th minute. Ramires picked out Cahill who had stayed up after a corner and, with the backtracking Young nowhere near, him the centreback was able to pick out the Cameroon star in the box, as Nemanja Vidic was also failing to do his marking job.
Eto’s slotted home with a sidefoot to register the 300th goal of his career and claimed his third in the 48th minute.
Willian’s corner from the right was met by Cahill and although De Gea was able to keep the ball out as it bounced against an elbow, Eto’o beat Antonio Valencia to bundle in.
Being second to important balls was pretty much a theme of the afternoon for United.
Welbeck headed wide from a Januzaj corner and United did at least get a goal in the 78th minute.
Welbeck burst in the box and picked out Jones and his attempted shot found substitute Javier Hernandez, who poked home from close range.
But it went from bad for United when their frustrated skipper Vidic was shown a straight red in stoppage-time by referee Phil Dowd, for scything down Eden Hazard.
It was harsh - especially as it means a three-match ban - but equally it was a stupid and pointless challenge.
Rafael could then have joined him for a leaping, two-footed challenge on Cahill, only being spared because he got full contact on the ball.
It was an ugly end to a dreadful day for miserable Moyes and his so-called giants, who have been cut down to size big-time this season.

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

Hull 2-0

Independent:

Hull City 0 Chelsea 2
Eden Hazard’s masterclass in finishing opens up Chelsea’s route to the top
 
Hazard dazzled the Hull defence before firing in from outside the box to break the deadlock with Fernando Torres adding a second late on

Alan O'Brien 


There was a moment after a victory which took Chelsea to the top of the Premier League for the first time since September that Jose Mourinho was effectively asked to praise the once-again outstanding Eden Hazard.
 
“The club made a big investment in him last year,” Mourinho said. “To bring a player from France and pay the amount Chelsea did was because Chelsea liked the player and now the player is not any more a talented kid, he is now more than that, he is a player who feels and accepts the responsibility; he feels and accepts that a team player is more than a talented player. Without losing his fantastic ability and fantastic talent he is giving us other things. This is a very good moment of his career.”
The Chelsea manager could have been setting out the template for anyone who plays for him. Mourinho rarely misses a trick. Afforded the opportunity to praise the dazzling individuality of Hazard, who produced another memorable goal in the 56th minute of what had previously been a tight game, he instead reiterated the importance of the team; a team he again was at pains to remind us was one that has finished sixth and third in the last two seasons.
“It is a different team and it is a different Premier League [to when he last won it],” Mourinho added. “It is important, it is good to be top, it helps the players to be better and to be stronger and to grow faster. When you are 20 points behind the leader you have no pressure. We could do better. We lost some points that we shouldn’t. It could also be worse. Not a five out of ten, not a ten. Seven, seven-and-a-half, eight. Around there.”
Fernando Torres had confirmed victory, late on, with a smart finish, but Chelsea would have gone ahead just past the half-hour but for a superb piece of goalkeeping from Allan McGregor.
His outstanding moment had come in the 34th minute. The move from Chelsea was neat, clever and incisive. Ashley Cole delicately chipped the ball to Hazard on the left side of the Hull penalty area, the Belgian crossed low to Oscar and the unmarked Brazilian had the time to take a touch before firing a right-foot shot that seemed certain to give Mourinho’s side the lead. McGregor, however, produced a breathtaking reaction save with his left hand to tip the goal-bound shot over his crossbar. The opening half had also seen Alex Bruce deflect a Fernando Torres shot away for a corner when the Spaniard broke.
Those chances, however, did not reflect just how well Hull had done in the early stages, something Mourinho later praised. Petr Cech had to stand strong to deny long-range efforts from Ahmed Elmohamady and Jake Livermore and he would have been powerless in the 26th minute when a mistake by John Terry allowed Yannick Sagbo the opportunity of a one-on-one with the Czech goalkeeper. Sagbo, however, chose to shoot for goal with his right foot, when his left looked better suited and the golden chance was gone.
He would be given a master class in finishing by Hazard early in the second half.
David Luiz began the move, playing the ball to Cole, just outside the Hull penalty area. The left-back’s flick was clever and from there Hazard first went past James Chester, then Alex Bruce, but such was his level of control that he made sure he was free from Bruce with another clever dummy that left the defender grounded, before drilling a low right-footed drive into the bottom corner of McGregor’s goal.
It was Hazard’s 10th Premier League goal of the season from the wide forward role in which he has flourished. He had caused similar problems with an earlier dazzling run but the warning had not been heeded.
“Three consecutive times he has won the man of the match, which is something nice,” added Mourinho. “Let’s see if the Premier League decides to give him the player of the month.”
For Hull City, a dipping free-kick by Tom Huddlestone from a tight angle was as close as the home side would come.
Instead, Chelsea added a second goal through Torres who, after another indifferent afternoon, finally produced a moment of quality as he took a pass from Willian and drove past Bruce before drilling a left-footed shot into the corner of the Hull goal.
“The quality of Hazard was there for everyone to see,” said Steve Bruce, who confirmed a bid had been accepted for the Everton striker Nikica Jelavic.
“We found it very difficult in the second half. As I kept saying to my players, when you take on the big boys and you keep giving them the ball they are going to punish you. When you chase it, it becomes stretched. We have done particularly well but we are only at the halfway stage. We have a difficult four months to go but we have made a hell of a start to life in the Premier League.”

Hull City (4-5-1): McGregor; Chester (Fryatt, 77), Bruce, Davies, Figueroa; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler (Koren, 67), Boyd (Quinn, 83); Sagbo.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires (Essien, 89), Luiz; Willian (Schürrle, 84), Oscar (Mikel, 69), Hazard; Torres.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Man of the match: Hazard (Chelsea)
Match rating: 6/10

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

Observer:
Chelsea's Eden Hazard shows precision to beat Hull City and claim top
Hull 0 Chelsea 2
Paul Wilson at the KC Stadium

If Chelsea are still not overwhelming their opponents away from home they cannot be faulted for economy of effort. A single moment of quality from the exceptional Eden Hazard was enough to win an otherwise scrappy and uneventful contest and take José Mourinho's side to the top of the Premier League. Fernando Torres's late second was mere decoration, Hull never looked like being allowed back into the contest once they had gone behind.
"After the first goal I was happy because we were in control," Mourinho said. "We were always the more likely to score the next one, and when we did the game was over." Steve Bruce did not disagree. "It became a very difficult afternoon for us once we went behind," the Hull manager said. "We were OK in the first half but in the second we were nowhere near, we couldn't keep hold of the ball."
Both these teams are in the market for new strikers, with Hull apparently closer to doing business than Chelsea, and in a goalless first half it was not difficult to see why. Few clear-cut chances were created and it was evident it would not be a high scoring game, yet each side had a golden opportunity to take the lead and neither managed to take it.
At least Chelsea managed to hit the target after half an hour, when Ashley Cole and Hazard created a shooting opportunity for Oscar, but the Brazilian should still have done better from near the penalty spot than place a shot too close to the falling Allan McGregor. The goalkeeper managed to push the ball away almost by instinct, though with time to steady himself and the whole of the goal to aim at Oscar needed to be more clinical.
Hull's best opening came a few minutes earlier, when a John Terry mistake near his own line allowed Ahmed Elmohamady to dispossess him and cue up Yannick Sagbo for a shot. It needed to be hit first time, and Sagbo managed that, only to see the ball clear Petr Cech's right-hand post without the goalkeeper needing to save. To miss completely from inside an unprotected penalty area was pretty unforgiveable, and one could understand the pursuit of Everton's Nikica Jelavic, a more reliable finisher. "A fee has been agreed, now we have to persuade him to come here," Bruce said.
Apart from those two incidents the nearest the first half came to a goal was right at the end, when David Luiz tested McGregor with a free-kick from 25 yards. David Luiz threatened again in a similar manner at the start of the second half to bring another save from McGregor, this time a more comfortable one, as Chelsea almost imperceptibly upped the tempo and began to attack with a little more purpose.
Operating in a midfield role and advancing up the pitch at will, David Luiz was also involved in the move that led to the opening goal. His pass forward on the left was helped on by Cole to Hazard, who carried it along the edge of the area, made space for a shot with a casual dummy, then found McGregor's bottom left corner with a precise clip from 18 yards.
It was an elegant goal of the type Chelsea had been trying to score all afternoon without success, Hull's defenders usually managing to get a foot in to break up the interpassing between Hazard, Oscar and Willian.
Hull inevitably tired, however, not only in defence but attack. Without summoning much urgency Chelsea were the only side threatening in the final quarter, and Oscar and Willian combined effectively to almost bring a second goal before Torres scored, Curtis Davies making a block at the last moment to prevent Oscar capitalising on an unselfish pull-back. Torres struck four minutes from time, taking Willian's pass and taking on Alex Bruce, who backed away to leave the striker room for a shot.
Torres had barely been involved in the previous 80-odd minutes, but that is what top strikers do.
Both managers agreed Hazard was the best player on the field, Mourinho even expressing disappointment he had missed out on the player of the month award. "I don't know why they don't like him because he's not just a talented kid any more," the Chelsea manager said. "He's a fantastic team player and his form at the moment is exceptional."
There has been some speculation over Hazard's future in recent days, with Mourinho stating the Belgian international would not be leaving the club. He reiterated that stance on Saturday. "The club made that decision because every manager wants a player like him," said the Portuguese coach. "I'm not expecting to put too much pressure on him or for him to be the man of the match every game, but what I expect from him is his motivation, his commitment, his responsibility. This season I think you are watching a much more mature player and because of that he is becoming a fantastic player."
Bruce, having agreed a fee for Jelavic on Friday, has also been linked with a move for West Bromwich's Shane Long. He said: "A new player always brings a little bit to the squad, a bit of impetus. Let's hope we can get both. You're never sure how it can go but we're trying our best."

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

Telegraph:

Hull City 0 Chelsea 2
By  Oliver Brown, KC Stadium

Jose Mourinho might be more sanguine of attitude and more silver of hair, but here in the East Riding yesterday it felt suspiciously like 2005 all over again as his machine-like Chelsea side restored themselves at the summit of the Premier League.
In a performance of greater efficiency than élan, they holed Hull below the waterline with a wondrous goal from Eden Hazard before seeing out a fifth straight victory, thanks to the resilience of Petr Cech, who collected a top-flight record of 209 matches without conceding.
The blue bulldozer is moving ominously through the gears once more. The significance of snatching top spot on Saturday night was not lost on Mourinho, whose coolly understated reaction underlined his reinvention as the ‘Happy One’. “We like to be leaders,” he said. “You can see the evolution of this team. It’s important that the team grows up and accepts the responsibility, because we knew that we could not lose this chance.”
It was evident, too, why Chelsea have strongly rebuffed the rumoured interest in Hazard from Paris St Germain as the Belgian delivered a third straight man-of-the-match display, producing the eye-of-the-needle finish that finally broke Hull’s admirable resistance.
“Eden has been playing very well for a long time,” Mourinho reflected, while Hazard toasted his 11th goal of the campaign. “This season we are seeing a much more mature player, who is getting better and better. He accepts what he has to do, without losing any of his fantastic talent. Our strikers, without being the top scorers in the league, are giving us all the important things.”
Such a verdict applied equally to Fernando Torres, who belied 87 remarkably anonymous minutes to contribute the second goal that finished the home side off. It also crystallised the fact, that while Chelsea might not be so beguiling on the eye as title rivals Manchester City, they remain a model of economical excellence.
Although they could be reduced to second by City on Sunday and to third by Arsenal on Monday, Chelsea’s defensive impregnability - the same hallmark of Mourinho’s first period in charge - was a telling sign. Cech proved he was reliable as ever at 31, just as the 21-year-old Hazard, conservatively valued at £40 million, offered a tantalising window into the future.
Mourinho, careful not to establish impossibly high standards so soon in his second spell, rated his side’s mid-season progress a cautious “seven or eight” out of 10. “We could have done better, because we have lost some points that we shouldn’t have, but things come naturally, step by step,” he said. “The boys here know what we are trying to achieve.”
In its way, this was another quietly brilliant masterclass in grinding opponents in submission. At the heart of all referee Mark Clattenburg maintained his unfortunate habit of drawing attention to himself, inadvertently bringing down Hazard just as the striker was ready to scamper into open space. Hazard did not appear to appreciate it, either, when the official performed an imaginary back-heel in response. But he had more reason to be aggrieved after being floored by an accidental forearm to the chest from Tom Huddlestone, clearly suffering no Samson complex in the wake of his recent haircut. The challenge surprisingly went unpunished, much to the chagrin of Mourinho, who aimed a sarcastic goggle-eyes signal in Clattenburg’s direction.
The longer Hull City held out, the more Chelsea’s concentration was prone to waver. John Terry was especially careless as he dithered over a clearance, succeeding only in hitting the ball against Ahmed Elmohamady and watching, horrified, as it fell straight into the path of Yannick Sagbo, who ought to have displayed more composure than to slew his half-volley wide with only Cech to beat.
Cech’s opposite number, Allan McGregor, was enjoying one of his more inspired afternoons, fashioning arguably the save of the season to thwart Chelsea. With quicksilver reflexes, the Scot needed just a fraction of a second to dive to his right and deflect a strike unleashed with maximum ferocity by Oscar, from all of eight yards. It was the mazy running of Hazard, though, which finally unpicked Hull’s defences. Cutting in from the left, he was allowed far too much time to pick his spot, rifling a low drive below Cech and into the bottom corner. Steve Bruce, the Hull manager, acknowledged: “We didn’t The restless bank of blue behind the goal breathed a little more freely.
Chelsea’s midfield luminous talents had at last come good, and as Hull tired Mourinho’s side raised the tariff of their play. First a deft cut-back by Willian was almost buried by Oscar, but for Curtis Davies’ desperate interception, before Torres provided the flourish that removed the last vestiges of doubt.
Having lost possession twice in the space of a minute, the Spaniard transformed himself from liability to match-winner as he drove forward, outstripping Alex Bruce for pace before angling his finish comfortably past McGregor. Chelsea had scaled the peak again.

Hull City (5-3-2): McGregor 7; Al-Muhamad 6, Bruce 6, Davies 6, Chester 5 (Fryatt 77), Figueroa 5; Meyler 5 (Koren 67), Huddlestone 6, Livermore 6; Boyd (Quinn 83) 6, Sagbo 5. Subs Harper (g), Diagne-Faye, Graham, Rosenior. Booked Livermore, Figueroa.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Terry 5, Cole 6; Ramires 6 (Essien 90), Luiz 6; Willian 6 (Schürrle 88),Oscar 6 (Mikel 79), Hazard 8; Torres 6. Subs Schwarzer (g), Eto’o, Bertrand, Mata. Booked Cahill.
Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

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

Mail:

Hull 0 Chelsea 2: Mourinho says Hazard can be a world beater, as Blues go top
By Bob Cass

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Eden Hazard has completed the transition from talented kid to consistent Premier League match-winner, while team-mate Petr Cech reckons he can be the best player in the world.
The accolades followed a man-of-the-match performance from the Belgian, who scored the opening goal to help send Chelsea into top spot.
‘If Eden keeps working then he has the ability to become one of the greatest players,’ said goalkeeper Cech, who kept another clean sheet to set a club record. ‘But you have to do that year after year.’
Hazard came in for criticism  earlier in the season for what  Mourinho described as a lack of concentration.
But yesterday Hazard said: ‘I just try to give my best for the team. I am 23 and I think I am good [to stay] in this club.’
He certainly proved his worth against Hull, prompting Mourinho to stress that the club did not want the attacking midfielder to leave and scotching rumours of a possible transfer to PSG.
‘The club do not want to sell him,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘He cost  £32million when he came and he has trebled in value since. He’s not going anywhere.
‘I cannot put pressure on him to be man of the match every week or to open the scoring every week.
But last season you saw a talented Eden Hazard and this season you are  seeing a mature player who is  getting man of the match regularly and he actually deserves more than that — player of the month — because those who are winning that are not doing half of what he is doing.’
Fernando Torres has also had  his detractors since a £50million transfer from Liverpool three  years ago. But the Spain striker underlined the value of what a little managerial faith can do.
He celebrated his 200th Premier League appearance with a late goal which ensured three points and put Chelsea, overnight at least, at the summit of the league for the first time since August. But, if his 87th-minute effort provided a fitting finale to a professional performance from Chelsea, the architect of their triumph was undoubtedly Hazard.
He engineered move after move with bewitching passing and style which he garnished with a wonderful opening goal.
Mourinho added: ‘Now he’s not a talented kid any more —  he is more than that. He is a player that feels and accepts the responsibility, feels and accepts that the team player is more than a talented player; and without losing his fantastic ability and fantastic talent he is giving us other things.
‘To be man of the match three times on the trot is something nice. Let’s see if the Barclays Premier League decide to give him a player of the month award. The kid is waiting and the trophy is not arriving.’
There was praise, too, for the indomitable Cech, who created a new Chelsea record of 209 clean sheets in all competitions. Having passed  Peter Bonetti’s previous best, Mourinho forecast the Czech international would accomplish the 20 more needed to move ahead of David James, whose 170 Premier League clean sheets is a record.
Cech was troubled only once, going down to keep out Jake Livermore’s 22nd-minute 25-yarder with some difficulty.
After a goalless first-half, Hazard converted Chelsea’s superiority into a goal when he collected Ashley Cole’s back-heel, ghosted past two defenders across the edge of the area and fired a low right-footer wide of Allan McGregor’s dive.
And that was that. Mourinho’s  candid observation that his team were never in danger afterwards was spot on — and Hull boss Steve Bruce agreed. ‘We matched them in the first half but never really got near them in the second,’ he said.
Torres made absolutely sure,  surging past Alex Bruce before rifling the ball left-footed low to McGregor’s right. The Scotland goalkeeper had been a stubborn last line of resistance as Chelsea, with typical passing fluency, chipped away at what had been one of the best home defences in the Premier League... before kick-off.
McGregor produced a wonder save in the 33rd minute to deny Oscar after a great passing move involving Cole and Hazard left the Brazilian with what looked like an easy scoring opportunity. He blasted in a right-footer which McGregor pushed over.
David Luiz was also denied twice but the result was never in doubt.

Hull (4-5-1): McGregor 7; Chester 6 (Fryatt 77), Bruce 5, Davies 6, Figueroa 5; Elmohamady 5, Livermore 6, Huddlestone 6, Meyler 6 (Koren 67, 6), Boyd 6 (Quinn 83); Sagbo 5
Subs not used: Harper, Rosenior, Graham, Faye.
Booked: Livermore, Figueroa.

Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech 6; Azpiliucueta 5, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Cole 6; Willian 7 (Schurrle 87), Ramires 6 (Essien 89), Luiz 7, Oscar 6 (Mikel 79), Hazard 8; Torres 6
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Mata, Eto’o, Bertrand
Booked: Cahill.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg 6.
Man of the match: Hazard.
Att: 24,924

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

Mirror:

Hull 0-2 Chelsea: Goals from Hazard and Torres put Chelsea at the top of the table

By Dave Kidd
Despite a dull first-half, Chelsea got the job done courtesy of foals from Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard

Slowly, they are beginning to look like a vintage Jose ­Mourinho team.
Four Brazilian internationals, yet precious little of the beautiful game. Five straight wins, with just one goal conceded.
Chelsea may not have blended in here in Britain’s new city of culture, but they are top of the Premier League for the first time since August.
Petr Cech chalked up a club-record 209th clean sheet, so many of them achieved under the Special One the last time around.
Ashley Cole, back after almost two months on the naughty step, was restored to former glories.
John Terry, save for one first-half slip, is looking as commanding as he was when he led Mourinho’s men to back-to-back titles almost a decade ago.
These old stagers are the Blues’ bedrock once more, but Eden Hazard is their match-winner. The little man who reaches for the stars. This was the Belgian’s 11th goal of the season and Mourinho is peeved that he is yet to win a player of the month award.
Yet, there are far more important honours to be seized.
Manchester City may have the ability to obliterate opponents, Arsenal the ability to bewitch, but with Hazard in this form, Chelsea are in with a serious shout.
Mourinho is talking of the long term, insisting his side will improve next season and that Chelsea must scrap their culture of sacking managers.
But he believes his side will thrive on the challenge of leading the pack, even if they are knocked off by City or Arsenal during the next 48 hours.
Mourinho said: “Being top helps the players to be better and stronger and to grow up quicker. It is easy to play when you are 20 points behind the leaders and there is no pressure – then there is only pressure on the manager.
“The club can get into a soft routine of winning, then losing, then winning, then losing, then sacking the manager. But it’s another thing to know when you need to win to be top of the league.
“The team is getting better. We like to be leaders, maybe by Monday we will be third, but we know we are going in the right direction.”
Hull is no easy place to visit. Steve Bruce’s men had been beaten only twice at The KC since their return to the Premier League.
Bruce is hoping to agree personal terms with Nikica Jelavic after a £5.25million fee was accepted by Everton and he admitted he is in talks with West Brom over the signing of Shane Long.
Those two strikers might have snapped up the chance ­squandered by Yannick Sagbo early on.
Terry was caught dawdling and was robbed by Jake Livermore, only for Sagbo to fire wide with the goal at his mercy.
It took more than half an hour for Chelsea to wake up, but when an artful lofted pass from Ashley Cole freed Hazard, he cut back for Oscar’s low drive to be pushed over by Allan McGregor.
A 30-yard ­free-kick from David Luiz almost knocked McGregor into the back of his own net, but the fuzzy-haired Brazilian was wildly out of sorts on the whole, his passing woeful.
Yet, on 56 minutes, Luiz fed Cole and the full-back’s cute back-heel set up Hazard, who jinked past two defenders and thumped home a low shot.
Before the visiting fans erupted, it was one of those ­pin-drop moments - a drab match transformed by a moment of pure sorcery.
Three minutes from time, Fernando Torres produced a finish which was almost as good – his second goal in successive league outings, a true rarity since his £50million move from Liverpool three years ago.
Willian slipped through a pass and Torres ran bullishly at Alex Bruce before slotting home to beat McGregor at his near post.
Maybe Mourinho is the Chelsea manager finally unwrapping the Torres enigma, after so many paid the ultimate price by failing to do so.
Maybe he truly is something special.

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

Express:

Hull City 0 - Chelsea 2: Eden Hazard's brilliance lights up the Tigers

HE stood hands in pockets in the technical area clearly becoming frustrated on his first ever trip to Humberside.
By: John Richardson

There wasn’t enough passion, movement and ingenuity from his highly-paid Chelsea stars for Jose Mourinho – except from his buccaneering Belgian, Eden Hazard.
As a once-again discarded Juan Mata was ordered to warm up along with some of the other substitutes, Hazard came to the rescue with a clinical finish.
David Luiz, handed the defensive midfield role but taking every advantage to move forward, found Ashley Cole on the edge of the Hull box and a neat backheel into Hazard’s path was followed up by a quick shimmy and stunning low strike into the corner of the net.
No wonder Chelsea will reject any bank-busting offers from Paris Saint-Germain while allowing his compatriot Kevin de Bruyne to leave for Wolfsburg for a £10million profit.
While his team-mates struggled to discover their composure, Hazard displayed speed of thought allied to rapid movement in his legs.
The calm and composed 56th-minute strike virtually ended any ambitions Steve Bruce’s Hull had of creating shockwaves against one of the title favourites.
A goal from Fernando Torres on his 200th Premier League appearance increased the agony for the Tigers, who have won only one of their last eight league games, the £50m Spaniard seemingly beginning to win over Mourinho when it comes to who his top striker is.
Add the fact that Petr Cech overhauled Stamford Bridge legend Peter Bonetti’s club record of 208 clean sheets, once skipper John Terry had helped him remove an eyelash before the kick-off, and it wasn’t a bad early afternoon’s work for Chelsea.
While they weren’t exactly footballing eye candy, once again a pragmatic Mourinho side did the business to leap to the top of the Premier League table in what could prove to be a weekend affair of musical chairs at the summit.
It’s the first time since August that Chelsea have hit the top – a familiar position in his first Chelsea reign for the Portuguese.
But first Manchester City today and Arsenal tomorrow night, will have opportunities to make it a short-lived stay for Mourinho’s men. Even though they spluttered at times, Chelsea still could have added further goals, Oscar being the main offender.
The Brazilian had the goal at his mercy from an astute Hazard pass only for Allan McGregor to stick out a flailing arm to deflect the ball over the bar, while a desperate block from Curtis Davies rescued Hull on another occasion.
Bruce’s side matched Chelsea in the first half and should have taken the lead when an attempted Terry clearance smashed into Ahmed Elmohamady and fell into Yannick Sagbo’s path, the Frenchman firing wildly across the face of the goal.
No wonder Bruce was last night attempting to persuade Everton’s Nikica Jelavic to come on board after the two clubs had agreed a £5m fee. He has also been back in contact with West Brom for long-standing target Shane Long.
Bruce said: “Yes, I’m hoping Nikica will want to come here and we have contacted West Brom about Shane Long’s availability, but they have a new manager so there will have to be a discussion there.”
Bruce added: “Eden Hazard was the best player on the pitch and scored a wonder goal.
“After that it became a difficult afternoon.

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

Star:

Hull 0 - Chelsea 2: Eden Hazard leads the way for the Blues

FERNANDO TORRES marked his 200th Premier League display with a goal that secured top spot.
By Clive Hetherington

But Chelsea, leaders for the first time since August, had already issued a Hazard warning to their title rivals, courtesy of a flash of Belgian brilliance.
Man-of-the-match Eden Hazard produced a superb 56th-minute finish to grab his 11th goal of the season.
And boss Jose Mourinho insisted it was about time the £32million capture from Lille won the Player of the Month award.
He said: “He’s been playing very well for a long time. He’s no longer just a talented kid – he’s more than that. Eden is a player who accepts responsibility and accepts a team player is more than a talented player. He’s giving us other things.
“Three consecutive times as man-of-the-match is something nice. Let us see if the Premier League decide to give him the player of the month award.
“Maybe they don’t like to go to Cobham.They keep us waiting and the trophy is not arriving."
Torres’ goal in Chelsea’s previous league outing – a 3-0 win at Southampton on New Year’s Day – was the first by a Blues striker away in the league since Torres himself netted in December 2012.
And he struck again yesterday four minutes from time.
But now it is over to Manchester City, who visit Newcastle today, and deposed leaders Arsenal, ahead of their trip to Aston Villa tomorrow night.
Chelsea have won their last five games and four on the spin in the league.
Mourinho said: “We’re getting better and that’s a consequence of the work everyone is doing. Tomorrow we may be second and on Monday we may be third.’’
Goalkeeper Petr Cech claimed Chelsea’s clean-sheet record with his 209th, eclipsing the great Peter Bonetti.
And Mourinho added: “He’s had clean sheet after clean sheet – and he’s beaten Mr Bonetti’s record.’’
Things looked good for Hull early on and they threatened in the seventh minute, Ahmed Elmohamady’s dipping 25-yarder testing the Czech stopper.
The visitors were slack in possession and Hull gave them another fright in the 22nd minute as Cech was stretched to push away Jake Livermore’s well-struck drive.
On-loan Livermore then embarrassed Terry when he charged down his attempted clearance.
The ball broke to Yannick Sagbo but the striker sliced his shot wide.
That would have been costly in the 33rd minute but for a brilliant save from Hull keeper Allan McGregor.
Hazard’s left-wing centre presented the unmarked Oscar with a seemingly simple chance from ten yards but somehow the keeper turned the Brazilian’s shot over.
Livermore was lucky to escape a booking after his challenge caught David Luiz, who almost punished the hosts from the resulting free-kick.
McGregor could not do anything to stop Hazard breaking the deadlock.
Luiz found Oscar, whose flick fed Hazard and he cut across the 18-yard box, threw a dummy and buried his right-foot finish into the far corner.
Oscar was denied in the 74th minute by skipper Curtis Davies’ tremendous block after Willian’s hard work down the right.
But Torres beat defender Alex Bruce on the visitors’ left to fire inside McGregor’s near upright.
Despite the score, Mourinho is backing Steve Bruce’s side to stay in the top flight.
And Bruce is looking to land West Brom striker Shane Long and Everton’s Nikica Jelavic this month to boost his firepower.
The Tigers boss confirmed a fee – believed to be in excess of £5m – had been agreed for Jelavic.
Bruce said: “We hope we can persuade him to come here this weekend and we’ve also had a chat about Long but that’s as far as it goes.
“We didn’t keep possession well today. Hazard has scored a wonder strike and there was no way back for us after their second goal.’’

Derby 2-0

Independent:

Derby County 0 Chelsea 2
Jose Mourinho hopes to see Steve McClaren next season as Derby handed target
Kevin Garside

Jose Mourinho doesn’t get many stress-free afternoons. His hair might be back to black were life like this every week. Even Jon Obi Mikel troubled the scorers, netting his fourth goal in 300 games as Chelsea administered some Premier League shock treatment to a team chasing promotion from the Championship.
Steve McClaren will keep Derby’s foot to the floor, of course. He did not need this lesson in football fundamentals to comprehend the scale of the task should they maintain their upward trajectory towards nirvana.
Two goals in five minutes after the break, the first a glancing header by Mikel from Willian’s free-kick, the second a typically audacious effort from Oscar, dipping his shoulder and letting fly from the right side of the area, were poor reward for the possession Chelsea enjoyed.
Mourinho knows that story. He spent the first half in a stony vigil at pitchside watching his team butcher what opportunities they fashioned. Samuel Eto’o in deceleration mode is some sight. Put clean through by Mikel the former Cameroon Express stumbled towards goal like a pub player, finally being bumped off the ball by the late-arriving Andre Wisdom.
He was not the only offender. Chelsea should have been three to the good but the ball fell to Fernando Torres, a second-half substitute for Eto’o. Talk about like for like. Torres was through on goal then tackled by the goalkeeper. Hopeless.
That Derby’s goal was a coconut shy in the second half was not surprising. When Mourinho sought a change of gear he snapped his fingers and onto the pitch stepped substitutions to the value of £82m. You could buy half the Peak District for that.
Willian and Oscar were a class above in the Chelsea midfield and then some. David Luiz, too, breaking out of defence to detonate attack after attack. For Derby, 18-year-old prospect Will Hughes looked like a sixth former who had wandered onto the wrong pitch. His midfield sidekick Jeff Hendrick was, in contrast, exceptional. 
“We played against one of the best teams not just in the Premier League but in Europe. Sometimes you can’t get near,” McClaren said. “Started well, finished well. We just had a five-minute spell for the two goals.
“Willian put in a great delivery for the first. You can’t do much about the second,” he added. “Today was about how far we have come and how far we can go. You don’t get this quality every week in the Championship. Apart from the result I could not be more delighted.
“We have 22 games left. The players have set the standard. The fans and the players expect that every week now. This is where we want to be, playing sides like this every week. Playing in front of a 32,000-packed arena takes me back to the days I was here with Jim Smith. The players said in the dressing room, they want more of this.”
Mourinho wished McClaren well and said he hoped to see him here again next year in the league. “I’m not an expert on the Championship but Steve is doing a very good job, already in a play-off position and in a good place to get promotion,” he said. “It was difficult. In the first half we didn’t play bad but 0-0. At half-time that is a big risk. They got the message that in the second half we needed extra intensity. We played seriously. Job done against a good Championship team. The players respected their opponents. We did not need a second game.”
The only blot on the landscape was the dive by Ramires in the second half. Having cut inside Michael Keane, the Brazilian threw himself to the deck with no hope of maintaining control of the ball. Andre Marriner reached straight for the yellow card. How long before red is the preferred sanction for the offence? Maybe then the cancer can be cut from the game.
Mourinho, who condemned Luis Suarez for the same offence a week ago, made no attempt to defend his player. “If the referee was there and he decided, that is good. We are all fighting against it. I will talk to Ramires. My worry is what is happening in other leagues and cultures. I know that English teams will suffer in the Champions League and Europa League. Of this I’m certain. Here we have top referees. We are trying to attack it and they are supporting it.”
McClaren erred on the side of diplomacy. “It was slippy. Maybe he just fell over,” the Derby manager said.

Derby (4-1-4-1) Grant 7, Forsyth, 7 Buxton, 7, Wisdon 6, Keane 6; Eustace 7 (Sammon, 71); Ward 6 (Bennett, 71), Hendrick 8, Hughes 5, Dawkins 7 (Bailey, 82); Martin 7

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Schwarzer 6, Cole 6, Luiz 8, Cahill 7, Azpilicueta 7; Essien 6 (Hazard, 54), Mikel 7; Oscar 8 (Baker, 87), Willian 8, Ramires 7; Eto’o 5 (Torres, 63)

Match rating: 7/10
Man of the match: Oscar

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

Guardian:
Chelsea strike twice to give Derby harsh history lesson in the FA Cup
Daniel Taylor

By the end Chelsea were toying with their opponents and the Derby County fans who would probably rather forget the indignities of their last season in the Premier League, with a record low of 11 points, were reminded how brutal it can be against this kind of refined opposition.
They lost 6-1 against Chelsea that season and, though the latest defeat was nothing like as harrowing, José Mourinho's team made it a harsh history lesson during those moments in the second half when their domination of the ball turned into the hard currency of goals.
The gulf was considerable and the Championship team had to give everything to prevent any more damage beyond Mikel John Obi's 66th-minute header and the shot from Oscar, the game's outstanding's performer, that carried so much swerve and power to deceive Lee Grant in the Derby goal.
Fernando Torres menaced them after replacing Samuel Eto'o, whose performance merely reiterated his own decline, and it was just a pity for Chelsea that Ramires had to tarnish the occasion by becoming the latest Chelsea player to be caught diving.
He was booked, following on from Oscar's yellow card at Southampton on New Year's Day, and it represents an embarrassment to Mourinho bearing in mind it is only a week since he concluded his criticism of Luis Suárez for his "acrobatic swimming-pool jump" by proudly declaring his players would not resort to such tactics.
Mourinho would not budge an inch afterwards, pointing out they were "isolated incidents" rather than serial offending, but it was an unwanted sideshow and his argument has been diminished.
The bottom line was that Chelsea did not need to resort to anything underhand to guarantee their fourth-round tie against Stoke City. They had to withstand a spirited start from Derby and Steve McClaren was not being unduly generous when he said his players could be encouraged by their efforts. "Someone said to me we actually had more players in our squad than they do. I said: 'Yeah but look at the value.' One of theirs was worth as much as ours together."
At first that disparity was not always apparent. Eto'o's rotten first touch to spoil Chelsea's first real chance of note was not the only moment of carelessness from Mourinho's players in the opening 20 minutes. That was the point, however, when Oscar emerged as the most influential player on the pitch. Two of his long-range efforts went close and the opening half finished with Ramires's shot taking a slight deflection to skim against a post.
At half-time Mourinho was not entirely happy. "We didn't play badly," he said. "We played quite well but still 0-0 at half-time is a big risk because in the second half, if the opponent scores one, you are in trouble."
Yet this was not an occasion when Will Hughes, Derby's talented but raw midfielder, demonstrated why he is attracting so much interest from Premier League clubs. The 18-year-old looked lightweight and Mourinho took advantage by withdrawing one of his own central midfielders, Michael Essien, to leave Mikel as a lone anchor man and spring Eden Hazard from the bench. Once again a Chelsea victory can be largely attributed to Mourinho's talent for changing his team mid-match.
Hazard's introduction immediately coincided with their best period of the match and Derby were already looking vulnerable by the time Jamie Ward brought him down for the free-kick that led to the opening goal. Mikel, making his 300th Chelsea appearance, had been handed the captain's armband when Essien went off – Mourinho later said it should have gone to Ashley Cole – and the ball flashed off his forehead for only his fourth goal in eight seasons at the club.
There was a period after Grant had let in Oscar's shot when it suddenly looked as though Derby's afternoon might turn into an ordeal. Torres danced round Jake Buxton and went past Grant but was crowded out before being able to apply the finishing touch. In the next attack the Spaniard ran clear again and drove his shot against Grant's legs. Derby were largely holding on before a brief, late flurry of their own, with Chris Martin's left-foot shot probably ranking as their best effort of the match.
The dive from Ramires, running beyond Michael Keane, came between the goals and what a strange twist of irony that this was the referee, Andre Marriner, who had been officiating when the same player went to ground and won a highly contentious penalty against West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge in November.
"The last time [with Oscar] I was happy with the card and I was happy with Oscar's justification of the situation," Mourinho said. "This time I didn't speak with Ramires but Marriner was so close, if he made that decision it was because he was right.
"I maintain [we have no divers]. You will see when Oscar dives again and you will see when Ramires will be booked again. In other clubs there are really divers. If you want to look for players doing it every weekend, it's very easy. Sit in front of the television and you will find them. We do the opposite." Ramires, one imagines, should expect the point to be made very matter-of-factly.

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

Telegraph :
Derby County 0 Chelsea 2
By Henry Winter

In the competition that thrives on shocks, John Obi Mikel stunned his own fans, as well as Derby County’s, with a rare goal, marking his 300thChelsea appearance with only his fourth ever goal for the club.
“He scores when he wants,’’ chanted the jubilant 5,500 visiting fans when they recovered from the sight of Mikel putting the ball into an opponent’s net. He scores once every two seasons.
There was to be no magic of the FA Cup in this part of the East Midlands on Sunday as theChampionship side deservedly succumbed to the class of the Premier League visitors, but there was surprise at Mikel’s intervention. The Nigeria international seemed inspired by taking the armband from the departing Michael Essien, although it was slightly odd that Ashley Cole did not assume the honours.
Mikel led by example, rising strongly to meet Willian’s free-kick, and head past Lee Grant as Chelsea took control of this third-round tie midway through the second half. Oscar, comfortably the man of the match, struck a superb second to guarantee Chelsea’s progression to a fourth-round date with Mark Hughes’s Stoke City back at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will hope this is an omen. The last time they faced Stoke in the FA Cup, they prevailed in the quarter-finals with goals from Frank Lampard and John Terry en route to the 2010 final (and victory over Portsmouth). Chelsea and Stoke first met in the Cup in 1934 when Hughie Gallacher and his team-mates were beaten 3-1 at the Victoria Ground. The tie brings back memories of Peter Osgood’s double at the Bridge in 1969 and in 2003 when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Jesper Gronkjaer lit up the second half at the Britannia.
Their journey towards another Cup date with Stoke had a controversial moment: another dive by a Chelsea player. Four days after Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment with Oscar for his dive against Southampton’s Kelvin Davis, another of his Brazilians took a tumble here.
Ramires decided needlessly to check the laws of gravity by falling to earth in close proximity to the blameless Michael Keane.
Deceived by Ramires’s dive when challenged by West Brom’s Steven Reid on Nov 9, Andre Marriner was not going to be fooled again. No to a penalty. Yes to a yellow card. Mourinho, whose old Porto Champions League winners were some of the worst exponents of diving, commented that he would talk to Ramires and clearly needs to clamp down on the cheating by some of his players. It was a pity that Ramires’s subterfuge should distract from an excellent second-half display by the Premier League side.
For Championship Derby, this was a reminder of the class in the division they aspire to. Chelsea brought on Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres, £82 million worth of substitutes as well as the debut-making Lewis Baker in midfield. Steve McClaren, who once masterminded a Middlesbrough victory over Mourinho’s Chelsea, is building a promising side from a limited budget, particularly looking at loan signings like Keane, the Manchester United centre-half, and Liverpool’s Andre Wisdom, who showed some good touches and anticipation at right-back.
Patrick Bamford, a tall, young forward, has signed from Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season. Chris Martin, who led Derby’s line with real heart against Chelsea, could do with the support Bamford will bring. There were glimpses of the undoubted talent of Will Hughes, particularly late on, but this was an instructive if occasionally painful lesson for the youngster meted out by sharper, more experienced opponents.
Derby remain a work in progress, although clearly going in the right direction under McClaren, and doing well in a scoreless first half.
Their fans packed out the iPro Stadium, chanting “olé” at an early passing move, cheering when Wisdom outmuscled Willian. There was little fear being shown by McClaren’s players. Jamie Ward was lively down the right.
Jeff Hendrick, the 21-year-old Dubliner being watched by Martin O’Neill, kept striding through the middle. Craig Forsyth, pushing on from full-back, crossed low and hard, and only Cole’s timeless sense of positioning rescued Chelsea. John Eustace, briefly forsaking his holding duties, unleashed a shot blocked by David Luiz.
Having greeted McClaren with a hug, Mourinho showed his respect for Derby and the competition by picking a reasonably strong side. Chelsea should have scored midway through the first half. Mikel took the ball off Keane and sent Samuel Eto’o down the inside-left channel. The attacker who has graced Champions League finals surprisingly hesitated and Wisdom covered back well.
Chelsea were coming more into the game, their Brazilians to the fore. Oscar and Willian linked well, requiring Jake Buxton to head clear a cross from Oscar. Ramires shot wide. Oscar twice went close. Ramires hit a post as the half closed.
The entertainment continued at half-time with the DJ playing Rat Trap and White Man in Hammersmith Palais before Chelsea re-emerged to Welcome to the Jungle. They soon cut a swathe through. Ramires struck the bar. Having replaced Essien, Hazard was beginning to make his mark, soon stopped illegally by Ward on Chelsea’s left after 65 minutes. Willian whipped in the free-kick for Mikel to head easily past Grant.
Ramires then embarrassed himself with that dive before his compatriot, Oscar, scored a gem after 71 minutes, striking the ball so hard, and with a touch of swerve, that Grant could only punch it into his net. Torres, who replaced Eto’o, then dribbled through, bemusing Buxton with one turn, but like the Chelsea fans coming off the M1 he ran into heavy traffic.
Derby rallied late on. Hughes finally gave notice of his skills with a pass that drew applause from the home fans. Martin was denied by Mark Schwarzer. Derby’s players left the pitch to warm applause as Mourinho walked across to shake hands with McClaren and say he hoped to come here again next season – “in the Premier League, not the FA Cup”.

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

Mail:

Derby 0 Chelsea 2: Mikel and Oscar net as Chelsea cruise through to fourth round.. but Ramires courts controversy with dive

By Matt Barlow

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Chelsea midfielders. Ramires won no applause for his dive but John Mikel Obi was hailed for his courage as he ventured into unfamiliar territory wearing armbands.
Well, he had one, even if he wasn’t meant to, and it seemed to make all the difference as Mikel rose to head Chelsea into the lead. It was only his fourth goal in seven-and- a-half years at the club and came on his 300th appearance.
Perhaps it was the armband, thrust into his possession when captain Michael Essien went off, that supplied him with the extra buoyancy and added confidence required on a rare excursion into the deep end of the pitch.
‘There was a smile on my face,’ said manager Jose Mourinho.
‘I never recognised his ability to score goals. I recognised his ability to play as an anchorman. He reads the game well and he plays that position in a very intelligent and safe way. I never recognised his goalscoring appetite.
‘For some reason, Essien gave him the armband when normally it should go to Ashley Cole, and it made him believe he was a  goalscorer. It was important. We were dominating and creating but the goal was not arriving. It was like the winning goal.’
Mikel leapt at the near post to flash a header past Lee Grant from a free-kick by Willian in the 66th minute. Oscar smashed in the second six minutes later, an effort Grant should have saved, and Chelsea eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup without fuss.
Derby manager Steve McClaren was left to speak of the belief he has in his team to complete their promotion drive and of his joy at the terrific atmosphere generated by more than 32,000 packed into Pride Park, where there is a genuine sense that the good times are returning.

‘It takes me back to when I was with Jim Smith, when the place was rocking,’ said McClaren. ‘We want more of this. That’s what we want to bring here. We played against one of the best teams in Europe. I couldn’t be more proud.’
Derby finished with a flurry when Conor Sammon forced Mark Schwarzer into a rare save and Mason Bennett went close, but Chelsea had dominated.
McClaren’s pride will stem from the organisation and industry of his players as they restricted the Barclays Premier League team to efforts mainly from distance in the first half. Oscar shaved the frame of the goal with a free-kick and Ramires curled a low shot against the foot of a post.
The introduction of Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres — two substitutes signed for combined fees of more than £80million — altered the complexion of the game.  Hazard added tempo and energy and won the free-kick for Mikel’s opener.
Torres simply put himself about far more than Samuel Eto’o. About 5,500 Chelsea fans made the trip to the East Midlands and they cheered their approval when Eto’o was replaced.
There was a time when Torres had the opposite effect, but the arrival of Eto’o may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to him in his career in London.
As at Southampton on New Year’s Day, Torres was lively but this time a goal eluded him. He was clean through twice in a minute, with his team already 2-0 up, but could not find the net.
The Spaniard sidestepped the goalkeeper on the first occasion, only to lose the ball under his own feet and allow Derby’s defenders to recover.
When he was slipped clear again, seconds later, he struck it early and struck it sweet. The shot arrowed towards the far corner but Grant made a splendid save with his right hand.
Ramires hit the woodwork again with a deflected shot which spun over the goalkeeper and bounced off the top of the bar but the Brazilian spoiled another wonderfully tireless display with a dive, when Chelsea were one goal ahead.
 It was very similar to the incident against West Bromwich Albion in November when Ramires drove into the box and referee Andre Marriner awarded a late penalty, which was scored by Hazard and salvaged a point for Chelsea.
On that occasion the video replays suggested Marriner had been conned but this time he was on the spot and pulled out his yellow card. ‘The pitch was slippy, maybe he just fell over,’ said McClaren, diplomatically.
Maybe. Or maybe they should consider a Premier League footballers’ special for the dreadful TV diving show Splash!

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

Mirror:
Derby 0-2 Chelsea:
Unlikely hero John Obi Mikel guides Blues into FA Cup fourth round

An unlikely hero, an altogether unsurprising result.
But on a day when Jose Mourinho, again, had to answer claims of a Chelsea dive culture, one of the more understated members of his squad proved the difference.
John Obi Mikel, it is fair to say, has at least as many ­Stamford Bridge detractors as supporters.
Yet, on a rumbustious afternoon when, for more than an hour, Chelsea’s big game hunters left their shooting boots in London, it was Mikel who found the way past Steve McClaren and his battlers.
The Nigerian’s flick from Willian’s expert free-kick was his second goal of the season, fourth of his Blues career, and third in the FA Cup.
All scored under Mourinho, in two spells, and on his 300th Chelsea appearance, too, although the manager admitted: “I never recognised his ability to score goals! I recognise his ability to play the anchor role, keep possession, be comfortable and read the game very well. But I never recognised his goalscoring appetite.
“When I saw he’d scored there was a smile on my face. For some reason, Michael Essien gave him the armband rather than Ashley Cole.
“It maybe made him believe he was a goalscorer. It was important because we were dominating and creating but the goal wouldn’t come.”
Mourinho was right, and while Oscar’s second killed off the contest, this was threatening to be an uncomfortable afternoon, with questions over the mindset of too many of the Portuguese’s stars.
The biggest would have been asked of Samuel Eto’o. Slumbering, slovenly, ­seemingly disinterested, his fearful hash of a chance to convert Mikel’s pass summing up the difference between him and Derby’s energetic youngsters.
Admittedly, McClaren set the Rams up with numbers in midfield and at the back, yet Chelsea should still have had the quality to break them down.
Instead, despite Oscar’s magical feet doing plenty of talking, it was not until ­first-half stoppage time that Lee Grant was called into action, repelling Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross-shot.
Oscar had gone close on three occasions previously, while Ramires’ deflected effort flicked the outside of the post on the break, yet Derby, primarily through Jamie Ward, had threatened on the counter.
Once again, it needed Mourinho to make his changes to get the Blues going. On came Eden Hazard for Essien, and Fernando Torres for the dismal Eto’o. Within two minutes of Torres’ arrival, Chelsea were in front.
Enter Ramires, falling under no contact after turning past Michael Keane. Unlike against West Brom two months ago, Andre Marriner got this one ­absolutely right.
Not that it altered the inevitable course of events. After Oscar beat Grant at his near-post to claim the goal his display deserved, Torres rounded the keeper and lost his footing, Ramires hit the bar and while Derby had a late rally, it was cosmetic.
“I’m proud of our efforts,” said McClaren, delighted by the commitment of Ward, Will Hughes and his back line. “It showed how far we’ve come.”
Not enough, though, to derail the Blues’ ­bandwagon, one that is gathering speed and earned a fourth-round home tie with Stoke.
Mourinho added: “At half-time the message was that we needed extra intensity and to put them in more difficult situations.
“We made the changes to bring extra attacking players on, so we could hurt them more.
“The team played ­seriously, we won and did a good job."

Southampton 3-0

Independent:

Southampton 0 Chelsea 3
Jose Mourinho makes light of Juan Mata frustration as Oscar inspires Chelsea
Mourinho's side powered past the Saints in ruthless display

By NICK SZCZEPANIK

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was accused of playing mind games in advance of this match by insisting that Manchester City were favourites to win the Premier League title, and he maintains that stance. But he showed on Wednesday that he has tactical as well as psychological weapons at his disposal after a double substitution that turned a potentially tricky encounter decisively in Chelsea’s favour and ensured that they did not lose ground on City or Arsenal.
Seven minutes into the second half, with Southampton giving as good as they were getting, Mourinho introduced Oscar and Willian in place of Juan Mata and André Schürrle. Mata, Chelsea’s player of the season for the past two campaigns, pounded the bench in obvious frustration, but Mourinho’s decision was vindicated in some style as Oscar created two goals – one for Willian – and scored the other himself.
“The plan worked,” Mourinho said. “Sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it does. This match was difficult. You need to work a lot to play against Southampton. We started very well. Normally after five minutes we would have one, two-nil, but we didn’t and we had to defend some difficult moments. Willian and Oscar gave a different intensity and we finished the game in a comfortable way.”
Mourinho claimed he had not witnessed Mata’s reaction, and said that he wanted the Spain playmaker to stay at Stamford Bridge, although he also said that ‘my door is always open’ if players want to discuss their futures. “I think his frustration was that we had to win and when he came off, the team was losing two points. At the end everyone was happy in the dressing room so I have to believe that.”
The other negative was a yellow card for a dive by Oscar, which Mourinho admitted had been correctly shown by Martin Atkinson, the referee. “He deserved the card,” Mourinho said. “Normally he’s a very fair, clean player. Atkinson did very, very well. Hopefully now other referees follow and can kill this [diving] situation.”
On the plus side, Chelsea won on a ground where City settled for a draw last month, and they began strongly despite facing an icy monsoon, but Fernando Torres shot over with only Kelvin Davis to beat, and Davis tipped Ramires’ shot over the bar following the Brazilian’s ambitious dribble.
Not that Chelsea were having things their own way. Ashley Cole had to block an effort by Adam Lallana and intervene again as Jay Rodriguez lined up a shot. Cesar Azpilicueta had to stretch to deny Lallana, as did Gary Cahill as Jose Fonte shot from close in, helping Petr Cech equal Peter Bonetti’s Chelsea record of 208 clean sheets in all competitions.
After 53 minutes, Mourinho made his double substitution, and it seemed that it had paid off immediately when Eden Hazard’s sublime through pass put Oscar in on Davis. But the Brazilian dived as Davis challenged and was booked. “He was waiting for a contact that didn’t come,” Mourinho said.
Oscar, though, made up for that lapse on the hour, his deflected cross from the left looping over Davis and off the foot of the far upright. Torres’s reflexes were lightning-quick as he dived to head in the rebound, the first away league goal by a Chelsea forward since 8 December 2012.
After 71 minutes, Oscar rolled a perfect pass to fellow substitute Willian, who was in space 18 yards out and shot low past Davis’s left hand, and Oscar sealed the victory with eight minutes remaining, timing his run onto Hazard’s pass perfectly, staying onside and drilling the ball past Davis.
Southampton have now won only once in nine games. Manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We’ve been playing and suffering against top sides. We’re a young team and we’re still learning. And it’s important that we keep believing.”

Southampton (4-3-3): K Davis 6; Chambers 6, Fonte 7, Lovren 6, Shaw 6; S Davis 6, Cork 6, Schneiderlin 6; Ramirez 7, Rodriguez 5, Lallana 7.
Substitutes: Clyne 7 (Shaw ht), Lambert (Cork 60), Ward-Prowse (S Davis 76)

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Azpilicueta 7, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Cole 6; Ramires 7, Mikel 8; Mata 6, Hazard 8, Schurrle 5; Torres 7.
Substitutes: Oscar 8 (Mata 53), Willian 7 (Schurrle 53), Essien (Hazard 85)

Referee: M Atkinson,
Man of the match: Hazard.
Match rating: 8/10

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

Guardian:
Juan Mata's Chelsea future in question after substitution anger
James Riark
Perhaps these are the sort of afternoons that José Mourinho professed to miss so much during his absence from the Premier League. As the wind and rain swept in off the south coast it was Mourinho who stood tall amid the storm and masterminded his side to a fourth league victory in five with two decisive substitutions.
However, a convincing win ended with Mourinho fielding questions on Juan Mata's future at Chelsea. The Spaniard, whose withdrawal was met with despondency and an angry reaction when he reached the dugout, has been linked with a January transfer after falling down the pecking order and Mourinho did little to quell such talk by saying "the club's door is open".
It was Oscar, Mata's replacement, who brought Chelsea to life against a Southampton side who had threatened during periods. The Brazilian also caused controversy when he was booked for a dive after knocking the ball past Kelvin Davis but his impact overall arguably won Chelsea the match. Oscar scored and had a hand in the goals by Fernando Torres and Willian.
On Mata's reaction to being substituted, with the attacker hitting a seat in the dugout, Mourinho said: "Juan's reaction I didn't see. I think his frustration was because of the result, because we know we have to win. At the end of the game everybody including him was happy in the dressing room and everybody was celebrating the victory.
"I want to keep him, I don't want him to go. That's my wish but my door is open and the club's door is open too. When a player wants to speak with us we are there waiting for them."
Southampton enjoyed spells of dominance but were undone by a decisive double substitution. Oscar and Willian, introduced on 53 minutes, both scored after Torres had broken the deadlock but it was Oscar's dive that caused the greatest furore. He allowed his leg to drift into Davis's body as he tumbled to the turf with the score at 0-0.
Mourinho said: "Oscar is a clean player that was waiting for the goalkeeper to come and smash him because that normally happens in these situations. But the goalkeeper was not coming or he was coming and then he stopped. I think it is a fair yellow card for a clean player. We know that he is clean.
"His explanation to me I accept. Oscar found himself in a moment of contradiction, speaking about fractions of seconds, where he thinks contact, penalty, red card."
Despite the atrocious conditions both sides were accomplished on the ball. Chelsea dominated in the opening 20 minutes, Torres darting inside off the left flank to beat two men before firing over, yet Southampton's cohesive attack soon clicked into gear.
Having been on the pitch for only three minutes, Oscar was slipped through one on one by Eden Hazard and knocked the ball past Davis before tumbling to the ground. The Brazilian did, however, play an integral part in Torres's goal soon after. The substitute received the ball on the left and struck a deflected cross that looped over Davis and on to the foot of his left-hand post, rebounding to Torres who finished with his head.
It was 2-0 11 minutes later as Oscar cut inside and fed Willian on the edge of the box to shoot low into the bottom corner. Oscar put the seal on an emphatic second half in the closing stages by firing low past Davis following a looping pass from Hazard.
Mauricio Pochettino said: "In the first hour we were playing quite well. We were quite unlucky with the first goal. When Chelsea brought on Willian and Oscar that completely changed the match.

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Telegraph:
Southampton 0 Chelsea 3
Jeremy Wilson

It was a day when we saw the good and the bad of Oscar but perhaps also the genius of Jose Mourinho.
With 53 minutes of this match gone, the wild south coast weather had looked the most likely victor as both Chelsea andSouthampton toiled to limited effect in the lashing rain and wind.
Exit Juan Mata and Andre Schürrle. Enter Oscar and Willian and, less than half-an-hour later, Chelsea had swept to an emphatic 3-0 win after their most convincing passage of football this season.
Mourinho’s brave and controversial double substitution had proved inspired.
Willian scored what was probably the pick of Chelsea’s three goals but it was still Oscar who was the undoubted catalyst behind this win.
He had provided the assist for the first two goals before then applying a deft finishing touch for the third. He was also booked for an embarrassing attempt to win a penalty by clearly initiating contact with Southampton goalkeeper Kelvin Davis.
Having accused Luis Suárez of an “acrobatic swimming pool jump” against Chelsea on Sunday, Mourinho was left with little option but to condemn his own player on Wednesday.
“Oscar deserved the card,” said Mourinho. “Oscar is a clean player that is waiting for the goalkeeper to smash him because that is what normally happens in this situation.
"The goalkeeper was coming and he stopped before the contact so, in the end, instead of the goalkeeper trying to smash him, he is trying to touch the goalkeeper.
“I don’t like but his explanation to me I also accept. He says to me, ‘When I see the goalkeeper coming I think, penalty, red-card, goodbye’. Oscar found himself in a moment of contradiction. It’s a split second. When one of the top referees in this country has a good decision, hopefully people follow and kill this situation.”
Buoyed by the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday, Chelsea and, especially Fernando Torres, had earlier begun the match with real purpose.
A series of good positions were spurned, however, in a frantic opening 15 minutes before the first-half settled and Southampton actually began to assume control.
Roy Hodgson, the watching England manager, had plenty to assess from both teams and, on a rare Premier League start, Ashley Cole displayed his quality to block Adam Lallana’s shot and then deny Jay Rodriguez.
Chelsea showed further resilience after Calum Chambers’ cross was partially cut out by Gary Cahill and then César Azpilicueta brilliantly blocked another Lallana effort.
The pattern changed decisively, though, early in the second half. Southampton were hardly helped by Luke Shaw being forced off at half-time but the turning point was Mourinho’s two changes.
Oscar may have begun inauspiciously with his shameless search for contact after Eden Hazard had put him one-on-one with Davis but, in the eyes of anyone connected with Chelsea, his redemption was total.
For the first goal, Oscar collected Willian’s pass and then had his cross deflected off Chambers and onto the post. Torres was waiting and headed Chelsea into the lead.
Remarkably, it was the first league goal that a Chelsea striker has scored away from Stamford Bridge since December 2012.
The influence of the substitutes was even more obvious 11 minutes later when Oscar squared a pass to Willian who, in the blink of an eye, shifted the ball to his right and then aimed a precise shot past Davis.
Oscar then latched onto a looping Hazard pass over the Southampton defence and demonstrated that he is actually far more effective staying on his feet by smashing an immaculate finish past Davis.
A match seemingly heading towards stalemate had been comprehensively salvaged both by the quality of Oscar and Willian but, moreover, the tactical acumen of Mourinho.
“The plan worked,” said Mourinho. “Sometimes it doesn’t, some it does.
"Oscar and Willian changed the game but I think they had good conditions to do that.
They come into the game for the last 35 minutes with the accumulation of fatigue. They gave intensity.”
Mourinho claimed again after the match that Chelsea are still not “candidates” to win the Premier League this season.
His friend, the Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, openly disagreed. “They are firm contenders,” he said. Few at St Mary’s on Wednesday would dissent from that view.

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Times:

Starring role for Oscar after Juan Mata is taken in hand
Matt Hughes

Southampton 0 Chelsea 3

For much of the season, José Mourinho’s treatment of Juan Mata has been the source of considerable mystery, particularly to the player himself, but not yesterday. The Chelsea manager’s bold decision to remove Mata and André Schürrle after only 53 minutes of a hard-fought contest changed the game, transforming a slog through a wet and windy bog into a carefree stroll to victory.
 Mourinho has turned the double and occasionally triple substitution into an art form over the years, but even by his high standards, the introduction of Oscar and Willian was staggeringly effective. Having shown dissent to Mourinho by ignoring him on the touchline and slamming his seat as he took his place on the bench, Mata could have no complaints after watching Oscar’s dazzling contribution. In little more than 20 minutes, the Brazilian created goals for Fernando Torres and Willian, then scored the third himself, atoning for his booking after diving in spectacular fashion. Mourinho conceded that Martin Atkinson, the referee, was correct to produce a yellow card but insisted that Oscar is a clean player.
 As a result of Oscar’s superlative form, Mata may soon have a decision to make — either accepting his place on the bench with more grace or speaking to Mourinho to demand a transfer, to which the manager intimated that he would reluctantly listen.
 The Spain midfielder deserves some sympathy, as he was given only eight minutes in his preferred central position at the start of the second period, but he had been a peripheral presence on the right throughout a first half in which Chelsea struggled to assert themselves after a bright opening. Southampton had dominated in between Chelsea’s occasional counter-attacks, the visiting team requiring several last-ditch challenges from Ashley Cole and César Azpilicueta to stay on level terms as Adam Lallana took advantage of the space in front of their back four.
 For all Chelsea’s obvious need for a new striker, their lack of a world-class holding midfield player may be an even more damaging weakness, but not for the first time this season, Southampton failed to take their chances, much to the frustration of Mauricio Pochettino, their manager.
 Oscar ensured that such concerns could be postponed for another day, though, by creating space in which his team-mates flourished. Although he had only 37 minutes on the pitch, he produced a man-of-the-match performance to restore the natural order of things under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
 Oscar made an immediate impact, being deservedly booked for living up to his theatrical name and initiating contact with Kelvin Davis’s chest after being put through on goal by the similarly impressive Eden Hazard.
 However, his second contribution five minutes later was far more positive. After collecting the ball on the left, his cross was deflected on to the far post off Calum Chambers and rebounded to Torres, who headed into an empty net for his seventh goal of the season.
 Torres has turned more corners than a child trapped in a maze in recent years, at least according to his various managers, and he will hope that providing the first away league goal scored by a Chelsea striker in 13 months is the twist that finally liberates him.
 Torres had been bright from the outset in his ongoing quest for validation, creating three chances in the first 18 minutes, only to be let down by questionable decision-making, his poor execution shown up by Oscar’s incisiveness later in the game.
 The Brazilian’s scintillating cameo continued in the 71st minute with a square ball played to Willian, which he stroked beyond Davis into the bottom right corner of the net from the edge of the area. The goal that Oscar deserved came 11 minutes later when he applied a neat finish at the far post after an excellent ball from Hazard.
 The defeat for Southampton extended their poor run to one win in their past nine matches.
 Mourinho continues to insist that Chelsea are outsiders in the title race, but with Oscar and Hazard combining so effectively that a player of Mata’s quality may be jettisoned, few will believe him.

Ratings

Southampton (4-2-3-1): K Davis 6 — C Chambers 5, D Lovren 5, J Fonte 5, L Shaw 6 (sub: N Clyne, 46min 6) — J Cork 5 (sub: R Lambert, 60), M Schneiderlin 5 — G Ramírez 6, S Davis 5 (sub: J Ward-Prowse, 76), A Lallana 6 — J Rodriguez 5. Substitutes not used: P Gazzaniga, M Yoshida, J Hooiveld, S Gallagher. Booked: Lovren, Ramírez, Cork, Clyne.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech 6 — C Azpilicueta 7, G Cahill 6, J Terry 6, A Cole 7 — Ramires 6, J O Mikel 6 — J Mata 5 (sub: Oscar, 53 8), E Hazard 7 (sub: M Essien, 85), A Schürrle 5 (sub: Willian, 53 7) — F Torres 6. Substitutes not used: M Schwarzer, D Ba, S Eto’o, T Kalas. Booked: Oscar.

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Mail:

Southampton 0 Chelsea 3: Oscar plays the villain and hero as Blues star is booked for blatant dive before turning on the style
By Neil Ashton

With one last look in the mirror, he slipped out of the dressing rooms and shimmied across the red carpet at the main entrance to St Mary’s. It had been an Oscar-winning performance.
The great shame is how all this came about, from Juan Mata’s tantrum when he was replaced by the Brazilian midfielder in the 53rd minute to the goals that changed the direction of the game.
But first things first: the swan dive, the ‘acrobatic swimming pool jump’ as Jose Mourinho referred to Luis Suarez when he felt he had gone down too easily last Sunday.
Let's call it cheating.
Credit to Chelsea’s manager because at least he had the decency to admit Oscar had been caught out good and proper. Truth be told, Mourinho had little alternative.
Oscar had been streaking clean through on goal when he flung himself to the ground as Southampton keeper Kelvin Davis came hurtling off his line in the 55th minute.
Quite why he elected to leave a trailing leg in the path of the right arm of Davis instead of tapping Chelsea in front is a question that only Oscar will know the answer to.
At this point - and it is rare that we ever reach these conclusions in English football - referee Martin Atkinson must take a bow.
It is highly unusual for an official to be man of the match, but boy does he merit it. Spotting Oscar’s intentions alone is worthy of praise and distinction.
Atkinson produced a yellow card and yet somehow it just didn’t feel like it was enough.
The next step for our game is surely a sin-bin because everyone has has had a bellyful of this behaviour now.
Referees are on red alert for scoundrels like Oscar in the Barclays Premier League and he can now be produced to the gallery as Exhibit A. He is guilty as charged.

It is a shame that this mercurial talent has been caught up in something like this, but he dipped his twinkle-toed boots in English football’s increasingly muddy waters.
This isn’t what the new Chelsea was supposed to be about, the re-birth of the club after Mourinho returned from spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
If it is possible to make amends then at least Oscar went some way towards redemption by putting Southampton away with a mesmerising display.
He had replaced Mata, who showed his disgust by ignoring Mourinho as he walked off and then slamming a seat in the dug-out. So impetuous.
From then on, though, it was about Oscar. When the substitute’s tantalising shot beat Davis all ends up and cannoned off his left hand post, Torres was in position to nod Chelsea in front. After that Saints were done.
That was an hour into the game and 11 minutes later Chelsea stretched their lead when Willian left Southampton’s defence flat-footed on the edge of the area. Again, Oscar was the provider.
He got his goal eight minutes from time, a strike that his performance merited. It seems bizarre to even say it.
The touch off his knee made it as he cleared Southampton’s defence, giving him breathing space before sweeping the ball under Davis with a neat finish.
To stop these divers. Oscar was naughty when he went down just moments after coming on as a substitute for Juan Mata. Deservedly booked.
This is a disturbing run of results for Mauricio Pochettino’s team and the early season glow that came with victory at Liverpool way back in September has faded away.
Jay Rodriguez had their best chance and yet the excellent Ashley Cole pinched the ball off his toes as the Southampton striker was about to pull the trigger.
After the break Jose Fonte had a chance to put Southampton in front, but this really was Chelsea’s day down on a windswept and rainy south coast.
‘They became more decisive and controlled the game after that, but I’m not concerned. Rome was not built in a day.’
It is one of his favourite phrases and yet it feels as if they are in free-fall.
After Oscar’s intervention, it is not without good reason.

Southampton: Davis 4; Chambers 5, Fonte 5, Lovren 5, Shaw 6 (Clyne 46; Ramirez 6, Davis 7 (Ward-Prowse 76, 6), Cork 6 (Lambert 60, 6), Schneiderlin 6, Lallana 6; Rodriguez 6.
Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Gallagher.
Booked: Ramirez, Cork, Lovren, Clyne.

Chelsea : Cech 6; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Terry 7, A Cole 7; Ramires 7, Mikel 7; Mata 6 (Oscar 53, 8), Hazard 7 (Essien 85,6), Schurrle 6 (Willian 53, 7); Torres 7.
Subs not usd: Schwarzer, Ba, Eto’o, Kalas.
Booked: Oscar.
Goals: Torres 60, Willian 71, Oscar 82.

Referee: Martin Atkinson 8.
Man of the match: Oscar