Cardiff City 4-1

Independent:

Chelsea 4 Cardiff 1
Eden Hazard’s luck of the bounce sees Blues home
By PATRICK BARCLAY

As David Marshall was left helpless by Chelsea’s points-clinching third goal, majestically struck by the substitute Oscar, the home support rose as one – and among them was a dapper 50-year-old once dubbed an “enemy of football”.
Yes, Jose Mourinho was in trouble again, banished to the stands – he eventually chose a vacant seat in the fifth row, directly behind the Chelsea dugout – for troubling the referee, Anthony Taylor, and fourth official Trevor Kettle on questions of time-wasting. But it was how his team extricated themselves from difficulty that carried more significance, even if this, too, involved controversy.
They, nevertheless, moved above Liverpool on goal difference and stayed nicely tucked behind the Premier League leaders, Arsenal, by coming from behind to beat Cardiff, Samuel Eto’o scoring his first for the club and Eden Hazard, challenged only by Oscar’s cameo for man-of-the-match honours, collecting a double.
It was a clinical, efficient and ultimately handsome prelude to the visit of Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on Sunday (after a trip to meet Schalke in the Champions’ League). But Mourinho declined to talk about it, preferring a League fine. He might also have been relieved not to face questions about David Luiz’s role in the Cardiff goal.
Malky Mackay was less reticent, powerfully arguing that Taylor had erred in allowing the equaliser. The Cardiff manager said he had spoken to the officials, who had told him they believed Marshall had dropped rather than bounced the ball before having it flicked away from him by Eto’o.
According to the law, a bounced ball is under the control of the goalkeeper and therefore Eto’o committed a foul, Mackay continued. “The explanation leaves us really disappointed.” Asked if the incident had been crucial, he replied: “It certainly was at that point.”
Overall, the score was indeed unkind to a solid Cardiff. They lived in real hope for a time thanks to Luiz. Almost as soon as you come to the conclusion that the Brazilian might be maturing into the high-quality defender his talent renders feasible, he seems to do something stupid. And so it came once more to pass.
The Chelsea defender, John Terry, failed to deal with a long, high ball. That did not matter because it was deflected to Ramires, 25 yards out and under little pressure. Ramires chose to pass back towards Luiz, who ran past the ball, mane tossing, in what can only have been an elaborate attempt at a dummy.
Had Petr Cech called for it? The goalkeeper’s body-language suggested otherwise and he was late to the ball as Jordon Mutch, who had gambled on Luiz’s folly, dashed forward to dink it into the net.
Cardiff’s reaction did involve much wasting of time. Chelsea, meanwhile, moved the ball as quickly as possible and constantly switched attacking midfielders. With Oscar omitted from the starting line-up, Juan Mata might have been disappointed to find Willian in the No. 10 role and himself on the right. But this proved temporary.
When Chelsea equalised, Mata had moved into the central role. Hazard remained generally on the left and it was from there that he got the goal. Another bizarre one, it was.
Marshall had collected the ball and was bouncing it when Eto’o stole in. Hazard took a couple of steps and squared to Eto’o, who tried to go round Gary Medel before scoring but was brought down by the Chilean. The referee held his whistle while Hazard stroked the ball into an unguarded net.
Luiz was yellow-carded after getting too tight on Aron Gunnarsson as Cardiff tried to break out. But generally the tide continued to wash over the visitors, who were broken almost as soon as Oscar had taken over from Mata.
First the fresh arrival fed Hazard, who in turn played the ball through to Eto’o, and now the veteran rolled back the years.
Said to have lacked sharpness since his arrival from Anzhi Makhachkala, he skipped into space, danced round the challenge of Steven Caulker and shot low past Marshall before wildly celebrating at the Matthew Harding end.
Mourinho’s last act was to replace Eto’o with the defender Cesar Azpilicueta. A minute later, according to assistant coach Steve Holland, he encountered “a huge frustration” with the referee’s request to Bransilav Ivanovic to hurry with a throw – making liberal reference to Cardiff’s earlier delays – and was despatched to the stands.
He is unlikely to face serious disciplinary action – certainly no repeat of the Uefa ban that caused him once to exert remote control over a Champions’ League tie with Bayern Munich.
Anyway, the players seemed to fare well enough without Mourinho for the final quarter of the match yesterday, Oscar emphasising Chelsea’s superiority with that glorious dipper from just outside the penalty area and Hazard cutting in from the left to drive under Marshall. 

Line-ups:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic , Luiz, Terry, Bertrand  (Torres, 63); Ramires, Lampard; Mata (Oscar, 58), Willian, Hazard; Eto’o (Azpilicueta, 68).

Cardiff City (4-1-4-1): Marshall; Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Turner, Taylor;  Medel (Kim, 55); Cowie, Mutch, Gunnarsson (Gestede, 80), Whittingham, Odemwingie  (Campbell, 53).
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Man of the match: Eden Hazard

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Observer:

Chelsea hammer Cardiff as Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto'o shine

Sachin Nakrani at Stamford Bridge

It has been said that José Mourinho's return to Chelsea has given the club fresh box-office appeal, and after this contest it would be hard to argue with that assertion. In 90 engrossing minutes came comedy, controversy, drama, breathtaking moments and an eye-catching turn from the star protagonist himself. This was a show, all right.
Where to start? Well, perhaps near the end and the moment on 69 minutes when Mourinho was sent to the stands by the referee, Anthony Taylor, for dissent. Chelsea were 2-1 up, having recovered from the shock of going behind to Jordon Mutch's avoidable opener after 10 minutes and, Mourinho being Mourinho, now was the time to make a meal of the dismissal. Instead of heading to the directors' box or dressing room, the manager took a seat eight rows above the dug-out among home supporters. Soon after came a chorus of "José Mourinho, he sits where he wants" from Chelsea fans and two more goals, a stunning edge-of-the area drive from Oscar and a second from the outstanding Eden Hazard on 82 minutes, to seal the win for the hosts. With that, Mourinho did depart down the tunnel, his joy tempered somewhat by the prospect of a touchline ban for Manchester City's visit here next Sunday.
Mourinho did not attend the post-match press conference, instead sending his assistant coach Steve Holland, who explained that the Portuguese's burst of anger was caused by his feeling that Taylor was not dealing with time-wasting by Cardiff's players while coming down strongly on those in blue for supposedly doing the same thing.
"José's very frustrated and that stems from the time-wasting of the opposition," said Holland. "We mentioned it on several occasions to the fourth official but he didn't do anything about it. And then when Ivanovic had the ball in his hands for no more than two seconds the referee started pointing to his watch. So there is huge frustration and to be sent off for showing that is harsh."
The anger may well have been justified but Mourinho owes the referee a debt of gratitude for allowing Chelsea's equaliser on 33 minutes. The goal, after all, should not have stood.
In the process of launching possession upfield, David Marshall, the Cardiff goalkeeper, bounced the ball, only for Samuel Eto'o to kick it away from the keeper's reach while stood by his right shoulder and into the path of Hazard. A scramble ensued before the Belgian eventually passed the ball into the net. Marshall aside, no one in the visitors' ranks made a great fuss, yet according to Fifa's Laws of the Game – 12.16, a goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball even while bouncing it and any attempt by an opposition player to take it away from him should be "punished by a direct free-kick".
"I asked for clarification of the ruling and what the referee and linesman saw," said Malky Mackay, the Cardiff manager. "The explanation leaves me disappointed. They felt that the goalkeeper dropped the ball. My goalkeeper bounced the ball, and they thought he had dropped the ball and said if he had bounced the ball that would have been a foul. So obviously that is a mistake."
Taylor can expect to be punished for the aberration while for the culprit, the moment was one to savour. Eto'o has struggled to impress since arriving from Anzhi Makhachkala in August, with his performances for Chelsea increasing the sense that the 34-year-old is no longer the feared striker of old. Here, though, was undoubtedly his best performance for the club, with his dubious, yet cunning assist followed by a delightful goal on 66 minutes. Collecting Hazard's pass, the veteran quickly moved across the Cardiff area and, having jinked past Steven Caulker, hit a vicious strike past Marshall his first goal for Chelsea and, incredibly, the first by one of their strikers in the league this season.
"It's always difficult when you change clubs and country," said Holland. "Samuel has scored goals at the top level throughout Europe but I'm sure he will still feel happy at having that first one [for Chelsea]. It's something the staff and players have seen on many days in training. Physically you can change but quality is permanent and hopefully we'll see more finishing like that from Samuel in the future."
Despite the preceding controversy, Chelsea deserved their lead, having shown persistence and drive after falling behind in somewhat slapstick circumstances. David Luiz was at fault, misjudging the pace of Ramires's back-pass and, having turned his back on the ball, was left to look on in horror as Mutch ran through on the blindside and struck the ball past Petr Cech, making his 300th league appearance for Chelsea.
Cardiff had chances to increase their lead, most notably through Peter Odemwingie's 21st-minute header, and they soon paid the price, albeit incorrectly, bringing to an end a difficult fortnight for the Welsh club following the sacking of the head of recruitment, Iain Moody, by the owner, Vincent Tan. For Chelsea, now up to second place, comes a Champions League tie with Schalke and, no doubt, more drama.

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

Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Cardiff City 1
By Ben Findon

Chelsea overcame a defensive mix-up to cash in on a controversial goalkeeping incident and a fine display of finishing, eventually subduing Cardiff City to move into second place.
Perhaps it was all too much for Jose Mourinho, sent to the stands by referee Anthony Taylor for dissent after stepping beyond his technical area to harangue the official who had appeared to warn Branislav Ivanovic for time-wasting. Mourinho could, at least, admire his side’s newly-acquired predatory instincts alongside some delighted fans in the East Stand as Oscar and Eden Hazard applied a blue sheen to the score.
It all seemed a long time after Jordan Mutch had stunned Stamford Bridge with a 10th-minute opener. Hazard levelled before half-time but the lively Welsh side were giving as good as they got until Mourinho’s second-half tactical rejig was followed by Samuel Eto’s first goal for the club.
Chelsea’s embarrassment had come when Ramires directed a firmly struck but nevertheless routine back-pass at David Luiz. He allowed the ball to roll past him and into the path of Mutch, who lifted a neat finish over Petr Cech. Hardly the way for him to celebrate his 300th Premier League appearance.
At the start of a testing week that brings a Champions League visit to Schalke and a league meeting with Manchester City back at the Bridge next Sunday, this was hardly the type of defensive solidity that Mourinho is looking for. Chelsea had been toiling for a breakthrough when it arrived, in controversial fashion, in the 33rd minute. Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall was bouncing the ball, prior to making a clearance, but found Eto’o nipping in to steal it away. Eto’o sidestepped the keeper before being bundled over by Gary Medel.
That would surely have been a penalty but the question was academic as Hazard steered home. Marshall, who had escaped when appearing to handle Frank Lampard’s long through-ball outside his penalty area two minutes earlier, had his head in his hands. Malky Mackay stood flummoxed on the touchline.
Chelsea lived dangerously at times. Peter Odemwingie would have had a second but for a clawing save by Cech. An uncomfortable looking Luiz received a yellow card for blocking Aron Gunnarsson in full flight just before the interval. Chelsea, however, had rich options on the bench and Mourinho acted decisively around the hour, sending on Oscar and Fernando Torres, and switching briefly to a three-man defence. It was enough to unlock Cardiff, with three well-struck goals following in a devastating 16-minute spell. Cardiff continued to press but were cut apart when Chelsea launched rapid counter-attacks.
Eto’o was first, taking a pass from Hazard and stepping away from Steven Caulker to finish with a powerful, low shot in the 66th minute. Oscar gave Chelsea breathing space with a superb rising effort that flicked in off the underside of the bar 12 minutes later, and four minutes after that, the outstanding Hazard cut in from the left to fire in low.
Mackay, whose preparations had been overshadowed by the controversial replacement of his head of recruitment, Iain Moody, with Alisher Apsalyamov, who is believed to have no football experience, by owner Vincent Tan, said: “I’m proud of the players today. I am pleased with the way we have settled into the Premier League. Today we showed tactical nous and a real competitive edge.”

Match details:

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Luiz 5, Terry 6, Bertrand 6 (Torres 64); Ramires 7, Lampard 6; Mata 6 (Oscar 59), Willian 6, Hazard 8; Eto’o 7 (Azpilicueta 69).
Subs: Schwarzer (g), Essien, De Bruyne, Cahill. Booked Luiz.
Cardiff City (4-4-1-1) Marshall 4: Theophile-Catherine 5, Caulker 5, Turner 5, Taylor 5; Cowie 5, Gunnarsson 6 (Gestede 80), Medel 5 (Bo-Kyung 56), Whittingham 5; Mutch 6; Odemwingie 5 (Campbell 67).
Subs: Lewis (g), Hudson, Noone, Maynard. Booked Cowie, Marshall.
Referee A Taylor (Manchester).

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

Mail:

Chelsea 4 Cardiff 1: Hazard's controversial goal overshadows win as battling Bluebirds are ripped apart (and Jose is even sent off!)

By Ian Stafford

Just another quiet afternoon at  Stamford Bridge then. Chelsea ran out convincing winners over promoted Cardiff City but not before an equaliser for the west Londoners that should never have been allowed and the later sight of Jose Mourinho sent off and  sitting with the fans.
It is fair to say it was a day referee Anthony Taylor may not forget in a hurry, nor indeed his assessors. It is also fair to say Taylor may find himself officiating at Championship games for the foreseeable future.
It would seem churlish to suggest Eden Hazard’s controversial equaliser in the first half settled a game that ended in a thrashing, but there is no doubt it proved to be the catalyst.
Until the 33rd minute Cardiff, facing Chelsea for the first time in the top flight in 52 years, had held an uncomfortable lead after Jordon Mutch had seized on David Luiz’s misguided leave from Ramires’s back-pass and chipped the ball over Peter Cech into the empty net after 10 minutes.
It was an extraordinary goal in its own right because Luiz ran away from the ball assuming there was not a  Cardiff player anywhere near him.
In most games this would be the major talking point, especially as the accident-prone Luiz was in the thick of it.

But all this would change 12 minutes from the break when David Marshall collected the ball.

As the Cardiff goalkeeper quite clearly bounced it on the turf, Samuel Eto’o crept up from behind, stole it and fed Hazard.
The midfielder then squared the ball to Eto’o, who was tackled in shooting, but when the loose ball rolled to Hazard, the Belgian made no mistake.
It prompted memories of George Best’s disallowed effort against England’s Gordon Banks in 1971, Gary Crosby’s goal for Nottingham Forest against Manchester City’s Andy Dibble in 1991, Dion Dublin’s cheeky steal off Shay Given in 1997 while playing for Coventry against Newcastle and Thierry Henry’s disallowed goal against Brad Friedel’s Blackburn.
If the referee had studied Law 12 of the Fifa regulations, he might have made a different decision.
It states: ‘When a goalkeeper has gained possession of the ball with his hands, he cannot be challenged by an opponent.
'A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball while the ball is between his hands and any surface (e.g. ground) and while in the act of bouncing it on the ground.’
Afterwards Taylor told incredulous Cardiff manager Malky Mackay he believed Marshall had dropped the ball, which is why the goal was awarded. He was probably the only one of the 41,475 crowd inside the ground who saw it that way.
Despite this, Cardiff, with their new, 23-year-old Kazakh head of recruitment Alisher Apsalyamov, watching from, the directors’ box, were good value to be on level terms at the interval. But after such a lucky break there was a ring of inevitability about Chelsea’s second-half performance.
The Hazard-Eto’o combination worked to good effect again in the 66th minute, this time legally, as the Belgian fed the Cameroon striker, who cut inside Cardiff captain Steven Caulker before firing a low shot past Marshall to score his first goal for his new club.
All eyes were diverted three minutes later to the touchline. Mourinho, not for the first time, had wandered way out of his technical area to complain when referee Taylor had accused  Branislav Ivanovic of time-wasting, the same offence that earlier saw Cardiff keeper Marshall booked.
When the manager first remonstrated then refused to go quietly, Taylor pointed to the stands, prompting the most colourful boss in the Premier League to sit eight rows back from his dugout. 
He was punching the air in the 78th minute when substitute Oscar, after collecting the ball from Ramires, fired a swerving, rising shot into the net.
There was still time for a fourth goal for Chelsea when Hazard cut inside and sent a low shot just to the left of Marshall from a tight angle. On most other days the beleaguered keeper would have undoubtedly saved the modest effort … but not on a day like this.
Cardiff will not stay up or go down because of a bizarre afternoon at the Bridge, however, and Mourinho will not become a shrinking violet, either.
But it was a day neither Cardiff nor Chelsea will forget for a while.

CHELSEA: Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Terry 7, Luiz 5, Bertrand 7 (Torres 64 min, 5); Ramires 5, Lampard 6; Mata 5 (Oscar 59, 7), WiIlian 5, Hazard 7; Eto’o 6 (Azpilicueta, 69, 5).
SUBS: Schwarzer, Essien, Cahill, De Bruyne.
MANAGER: Jose Mourinho 6.
GOALS: Hazard 34 & 82, Eto’o 66, Oscar 78.
BOOKINGS: Luiz.
SENT OFF: Mourinho.

CARDIFF: Marshall 5; Theophile-Catherine 6, Caulker 5, Turner 5, Taylor 5; Cowie 6, Gunnarsson 6 (Gestede 81), Medel 5 (Kim 56, 6), Whittingham 5; Mutch 7; Odemwingie 6 (Campbell 68, 5).
SUBS: Lewis, Hudson, Noone, Maynard.
MANAGER: Malky Mackay 5.
GOALS: Mutch 10.
BOOKINGS: Cowie, Marshall.
MOM: Oscar
REFEREE: Anthony Taylor 4.
ATT: 41.475.

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

Mirror:

Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City: Eden Hazard's brace sends Blues back into second as Jose Mourinho sees red
By Matt Law

Jordon Mutch's early goal had given the visitors hope of causing an upset, but Hazard, Samuel Eto'o and Oscar helped Blues complete victory

Two goals from Eden Hazard ensured Chelsea took home three points, despite Jose Mourinho being sent to the stands.
It has been easy to wonder where the real Samuel Eto’o has been during a slow start to his Chelsea career.
But he finally turned up at Stamford Bridge yesterday – much to the annoyance of Cardiff and keeper David Marshall.
Marshall claims he knew the striker was hiding behind him as he bounced the ball in his area.
Eto’o, though, nipped in to poke the ball away from Marshall and Eden Hazard took advantage to score a vital first-half equaliser.
The Eto’o intervention provoked immediate memories of Gary Crosby for Nottingham Forest and Dion Dublin for Coventry.
But a look at the FIFA rule book revealed the goal should not have stood, just as Thierry Henry’s 2003 effort was ruled out after he had stolen the ball from Brad Friedel.
Referee Anthony Taylor’s explanation that he thought Marshall had dropped the ball, rather than bounced it, is unlikely to prevent him being relegated to Championship duty.
As Cardiff’s afternoon got steadily worse from that point, Eto’o’s day just got better.
The Cameroon striker scored his first Chelsea goal in the second half to set them on their way to what eventually proved to be a comfortable victory.
Jose Mourinho had to watch the final two goals alongside the home fans following an argument with Taylor and fourth official Trevor Kettle over time-wasting.
Mourinho was ordered to leave the touchline and first sat with Chelsea staff just behind the dug-out, then moved further back to join delighted supporters.
He high-fived a young fan after seeing substitute Oscar net a wonderful third from the edge of the area, before Hazard sealed a brilliant personal performance in the 82nd minute.
It all would have been a relief to Chelsea defender David Luiz, whose terrible defending allowed Cardiff to take a shock 10th-minute lead. Ramires played a poor back-pass, but Luiz simply let the ball drift past him and Jordon Mutch nipped in to score.
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech was forced to make a wonderful save from a Peter Odemwingie header, before the drama really started.
There were few arguments when Eto’o picked Marshall’s pocket in the 33rd minute. He toed the ball to Hazard, who attempted to tee up the striker.
Eto’o made a mess of trying to score but Hazard made no mistake and Taylor allowed the goal to stand.
It later became clear he had got the decision badly wrong and it proved to be the turning point as Chelsea pulled away in the second half.
Hazard slipped Eto’o into the penalty area and the 32-year-old rounded Steven Caulker before smashing a shot past Marshall.
“Samuel will feel a lot happier to have got off the mark,” said Chelsea’s assistant first-team coach Steve Holland
“We’ve seen him do it in training on plenty of occasions and, hopefully, we will see more of it in games. Quality is permanent.”
The Chelsea fans chanted “Jose Mourinho, he sits where he wants” after the Portuguese was sent to the stands in the 70th minute. The banishment did not adversely affect his players, as Oscar beat Marshall from the edge of the area and then Hazard netted his second from a tight angle.
But it was Eto’o who was both hero and villain. Chelsea will just be delighted he has finally come to the fore.

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Express:

A game of bad refereeing crazy defending and a sending off for Jose Mourinho
THERE was no refuge from the absurd for Cardiff manager Malky Mackay as his side lost a match of crazy goals, dodgy refereeing and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho being sent off for moaning on the touchline.

By: Jim Holden

Mackay has suffered horribly in recent days with controversial upheavals at his club – and the torment only intensified at Stamford Bridge yesterday afternoon.
His counterpart, Mourinho, was not much happier even though his team climbed into second place in the Premier League table with an ultimately emphatic victory.
The game turned on a moment in the 33rd minute that will haunt referee Anthony Taylor – allowing an equalising goal for Chelsea that was clearly illegal. It is the most parlous kind of error for an official.
Cardiff were 1-0 ahead at the time thanks to an amazingly daft goal of their own. It came when Chelsea midfielder Ramires thought he had dealt with a routine long ball forward by sending a pass back to the safety of team-mate David Luiz and goalkeeper Petr Cech. Instead, Luiz strolled casually away from the ball, Cech was confused into coming out too slowly and Cardiff striker Jordon Mutch nipped in to score.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was almost too astonished to be angry.
His team responded with almost total domination of the play. An equaliser seemed inevitable, but its method was madness.
Cardiff keeper David Marshall had the ball in his own penalty area in the 33rd minute and bounced the ball just before he was going to aim a boot up-field.
Lurking just behind him, as a penalty area pickpocket, was Samuel Eto’o – and just as the ball bounced the Chelsea striker flicked it away with his boot. In a trice, Eden Hazard had scored into an empty net.

I asked the referee for an explanation and he told me thought our keeper had dropped the ball and it was out of his control
Referee Taylor ruled it was a fair goal, but he was haplessly wrong. Law 12 of the rules of football states: “When a goalkeeper has gained possession of the ball with his hands he cannot be challenged by an opponent. A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball if it is between his hands and any surface (eg the ground) and while in the act of bouncing it on the ground.”
Mackay said: “The law is quite clear that a keeper can’t be challenged when he bounces the ball.
‘‘I asked the referee for an explanation and he told me thought our keeper had dropped the ball and it was out of his control. It was a crucial moment in the game and played a large part in the result.”
The goal gave Chelsea momentum to cruise towards victory with three second half goals.
Hazard made the second in the 66th minute with a pass to Eto’o inside the box, and the striker shot fiercely into the net.
Chelsea were finally in the lead, but Mourinho was still in severe Mr Angry mode. He strode out of his technical area and down the touchline in the 70th minute, gesticulating furiously at the referee when Mr Taylor was trying to hurry up a Chelsea throw-in.
The dissent from Mourinho was too long and too visible for the ref’s liking and he sent off the Chelsea manager who went and sat among the fans 10 rows back while his team scored two quick goals.
Oscar scored with a superb 20-yard drive in the 78th minute and Hazard struck home the fourth with a shot that should have been saved by Marshall.
That was enough for Mourinho, who retreated to the calm and peace of the dressing room.
It was far too much for Mackay, as well, whose team had played well and seen Chelsea keeper Cech make excellent saves to deny Peter Odemwingie and then substitute Kim Bo-Kyung. The scoreline could, and should, have been much closer.
But, as Malky Mackay knows only too well right now, football can be a cruel and unforgiving game played in the make-believe world of Alice-in-Wonderland.


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

Star:

Chelsea 4 - Cardiff 1: Triumph at Stamford Bridge as Jose Mourinho looks on from terrace
JOSE MOURINHO was sent off but still triumphed from the terraces.
By Adrian Stiles

The Special One sat among the fans and soaked up the adulation as Chelsea came back from a goal down to see off plucky Cardiff.
After a crazy couple of weeks, Malky Mackay knows to expect the unexpected.
But even the Red Dragons boss would have raised an eyebrow at the sight of Mourinho in the crowd.
He was also left bewildered when referee Anthony Taylor let a dodgy equaliser stand.
The official waved play on when Samuel Eto'o nipped in to stab the ball away as Cardiff keeper David Marshall bounced it. Eto'o then worked the ball to Eden Hazard who scored.
Mackay said: "I went to see the referee for clarification of the ruling and his explanation was they all thought he had dropped the ball.
"They said it would be a foul if he had bounced the ball, so it's very disappointing.
"They thought the ball wasn't in his control but David saw Eto'o and bounced the ball so that is a mistake.
"It would have made a different team-talk if we had gone in ahead at half-time."
Hazard's goal set up the hosts' recovery after Jordon Mutch had fired the visitors ahead early on. The Blues then cruised to a win thanks to another from Hazard and Eto'o's first goal for his new club.
For Mourinho, though, this deserved win could come with an FA ban as the Portuguese boss contested a number of decisions.
Chelsea assistant-coach Steve Holland said: "Jose's very frustrated indeed. It all stemmed from their time wasting in the first three or four minutes.
"We made our feelings known to officials in a professional manner but it didn't make any difference.
"Then when we were 2-1 up, we had a throw and the ref was pointing at his watch straight away.
"It wasn't consistent and for Jose to be sent off was very harsh.
"Samuel's been doing very well in training. It takes time to settle but class is permanent."
The visitors had a huge helping hand from Chelsea, who engineered a huge cock-up in defence that will have Mourinho raging when he sees the replays.
A goal-kick from Marshall should have been dealt with easily but Ramires's back-pass was underhit and David Luiz failed to help it on its way, leaving Mutch to nip in and score easily.
That was just what Cardiff needed but it also acted as a wake-up call to Chelsea.
Mourinho picked Eto'o ahead of the fit-again Fernando Torres and the Cameroon striker showed he is finally coming to terms with the pace of the Premier League.
But it took a Marshall moment of madness to serve up the 33rd-minute equaliser.
The keeper casually bounced the ball to clear but Eto'o nipped in to stab the ball away and into the path of Hazard.
Eto'o was tackled and relieved to see Hazard pounce from close in to score.
Once Chelsea were level, it was hard to see Cardiff hanging on for a point.
Eto'o then struck in the 66th minute, running on to Hazard's ball before unleashing a cracker. Oscar made it three in the 78th minute with a superb 25-yard effort.
And Hazard wrapped it up, squirming a ball under Marshall with eight minutes to go.

Norwich 3-1

Independent:
Norwich City 1 Chelsea 3

Late goals from Eden Hazard and Willian secure win for Jose Mourinho's Blues
Portuguese manager's gamble pays off at Carrow Road

Aidan Semmens  

So Jose Mourinho is still waiting for the first Premier League goal of the season by a Chelsea striker – apart from those scored by Romelu Lukaku on loan at Everton. Not that the Chelsea manager will mind too much if his midfielders go on punishing opponents as thoroughly as they punished Norwich yesterday for the temerity of believing they could beat his side.

After finally neutralising an early Chelsea lead, Norwich were going all out for victory when they were stung by two late goals by players, Eden Hazard and Willian, who had only just taken the field. It was, admitted Mourinho, a gamble. “Substitutes are important if they come in well – if they come in and change the game the manager did very well.”
With Fernando Torres both injured and suspended and Samuel Eto’o relegated to bench duty, Mourinho placed a heavy striking responsibility on Demba Ba. And he delivered within four minutes, not by scoring but by creating the opening from which Oscar steered a first-time shot with the outside of his right boot inside keeper John Ruddy’s far post.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton’s decision to pack the midfield went some way towards stifling Chelsea, but left the lightweight Ricky van Wolfswinkel too often isolated up front. Despite decent shots from Jonny Howson and Leroy Fer (both saved) and Robert Snodgrass (over the bar), the home side’s dogged attempts to pass their way through seldom looked more likely to succeed than Chelsea’s favoured ploy of hitting long high balls up to Ba, which had achieved the desired effect once and repeatedly left Ruddy and his defenders with the sun in their eyes.
The most ambitious shot of the game came moments before half-time, a swipe by David Luiz from the halfway line that dropped inches beyond the Norwich crossbar.
The second half began with Ba glancing Ramires’s low cross past the far post when a clean connection would have put the game beyond Norwich. Mourinho confessed: “When he missed the easy goal I smelt that they [Norwich] would score one.”
They did, but not as soon as they might have. After 49 minutes Ramires went unpunished for felling Anthony Pilkington with a challenge that should have been a penalty and might have been a red card too as the Norwich man was clear and about to shoot. Hughton said: “Generally that’s a penalty,” but added generously, “I wasn’t sure at the time.” His view was not as clear as that of the referee, Neil Swarbrick, whose laissez-faire attitude was inexplicable.
Pilkington’s consolation came in the 68th minute when he scored a well-deserved equaliser, beating Luiz to the ball close in after Van Wolfswinkel had outjumped John Terry to head back a cross from Martin Olsson.
Nathan Redmond, sent into the fray by Hughton with nine minutes remaining, almost made an instant impact with a splendid run and a shot that stung Petr Cech’s palms. But it was the Chelsea substitutes who turned the game in the final five minutes.
From a Norwich corner, Chelsea broke rapidly for Hazard to get the better of Alexander Tettey and score with a shot that Ruddy slowed but could not prevent from crossing the line. In the next attack, Willian left Ruddy flailing with a superb shot into the far corner from just inside the right-hand side of the penalty area.
Mourinho’s gamble had paid off. “At 1-1 we could win or lose; we lost a bit of balance [bringing on Hazard for Ashley Cole] to try to create. We are trying to be top so one point would be a bad result for us,” he said.
No points was a disappointing outcome for Hughton, who said: “When you bring the quality of players they did off the bench it’s very difficult. But there were good phases when we were the better team. We deserved more.”

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

Guardian:

Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Willian leave it late to earn win at Norwich
Norwich 1 Chelsea 3

Dominic Fifield at Carrow Road

The risk-taker in José Mourinho is alive and kicking. This contest had been drifting away from Chelsea when, a quarter of an hour from the end, the Portuguese gambled his team's shape by flinging on more attacking pace and invention, with such bold ambition rewarded at the last. A first away win in the Premier League since returning to the club sent the Portuguese into the international break with his team upwardly mobile.
Whether Ashley Cole is quite so encouraged as he awaits the results of a scan on his ribs remains to be seen, though the England left-back was due to be withdrawn from the fray regardless of the discomfort he was experiencing as Mourinho sought a change in momentum. To witness Chelsea switch to three centre-halves, with André Schürrle and Oscar nominally filling in as wing-backs with little defensive brief, conjured up memories of those sweeping changes the manager was prone to implement when dissatisfied last time round.
Back in his first spell he would tinker mid-game fairly regularly: occasions against Everton and Reading standing out as victories where the tweaking worked; away at Fulham as a defeat where it did not. The Midas touch appeared to have deserted himon his return, all the shape-shifting at Goodison Park and against Basel this term having merely provoked confusion, but the manager could point to all three of his substitutes contributing heavily to the late goals which deflated a spirited Norwich.
"If they come on and change the game, the manager did very well," said Mourinho. "If they make it worse, it's a very bad decision. But we had to risk a bit to try and see if Norwich could cope. A point here would be a bad result for us. We played with three at the back, Schürrle open, Eden [Hazard] central, and lost a bit of balance, and we left the road a bit open for them too. If they'd scored a second goal we'd probably lose. But we're trying to be top." The pace of City's own substitute, Nathan Redmond, had hinted at exploiting the gaps behind the improvised wing-backs but where they lacked bite, Chelsea were ruthless.
It was from the home side's own corner five minutes from time that the balance tipped, one of the visitors' replacements, Hazard, helping to clear the wayward delivery from the edge of the box before charging upfield in search of Oscar's diagonal delivery. The retreating Alex Tettey inadvertently laid it off with a heavy touch, though the Belgian's shot should still have been saved by John Ruddy only for the ball to squirm through his grasp and in. At a time when English goalkeepers are under such scrutiny, it was a weak error. He had no chance seconds later as Samuel Eto'o and Willian, substitutes both, combined for the Brazilian to belt in his first Chelsea goal from distance five minutes into his Premier League bow.
That added gloss to the scoreline, even if the manager's punching of the air in the dugout suggested relief that the pursuit had paid off. Mourinho had sensed his team's first-half dominance, which had yielded nothing more than Oscar's wonderfully clipped opener early on from Demba Ba's lay-off, might be undermined from the moment the Senegalese forward had flicked Ramires's centre wide of the post 56 seconds into the second half.
"He has to score the goal and at 2-0 we go home and no heart attack, but when it was missed I had a smell," Mourinho said. "I could smell them scoring a goal." His reaction was to dispatch Hazard immediately down the touchline to warm up, even if he would wait half an hour to come on.
Chelsea should have prospered more when Norwich's players had been blinded by the sun, forever undone by first-half passes lofted into their penalty area. The profligacy almost proved costly. Norwich grew into the contest, Anthony Pilkington increasingly influential and Petr Cech reacting smartly to turn aside David Luiz's attempted clearance. Pilkington might have had a penalty at Ramires' challenge but wWhen the equaliser came it seemed merited.
Martin Olsson, a menace down the left, flung over a cross which Ricky van Wolfswinkel – above John Terry – nodded back for Pilkington to convert after edging away from David Luiz. "That was fair reward for our effort and determination, but for them to get a second goal from our corner where we were set up very well …" offered Chris Hughton, his thoughts rathertailing off with his team slipping into the relegation zone and a trip to the leaders Arsenal up next. "Their power and pace on the counter-attack got the better of us." Mourinho's gamble had paid off.
Man of the match Oscar (Chelsea)

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

Telegraph:

Norwich City 1 Chelsea 3
Better late than never: Chelsea scored twice in the closing stages to seal victory
Oliver Brown

The first goal of Willian’s Chelsea career could yet turn out to be the ­finest. A sumptuous strike, laced with the inside of his left boot, finally broke the obduracy of Norwich City as Jose Mourinho’s players claimed their maiden away victory of the season with a devastating late salvo.
For all the elegance of the winner, this was a reprieve for Chelsea. After Oscar’s sharp opener had threatened a thrashing, the home side somehow fashioned a path back into this engrossing contest, Anthony Pilkington’s equaliser proving a just reward for a period of sustained pressure. But once Eden Hazard rounded off a lightning counterattack, the stage was left for the £30 million man from São Paulo to apply his memorable flourish.
One could quibble that Alex Tettey ought to have been more alert with his attempted clearance as Hazard bore down on goal, or that John Ruddy should have saved the Belgian’s low shot, but ultimately Mourinho executed a masterstroke as his two substitutes combined to deliver the two decisive goals.
The victory could not have made the happiest viewing for England manager Roy Hodgson, with his squad due to assemble at St George’s Park today, as Ashley Cole had to leave the pitch with a rib injury. But the zeal with which a certain Portuguese gentleman celebrated here left no doubt as to how much this victory meant to Mourinho. Following the 4-0 dispatch of Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League, Chelsea are at last beginning to resemble the sum of their extravagantly assembled parts.
The manager could be forgiven for having expected a more restful afternoon, after Oscar’s fourth-minute breakthrough. As ­Mourinho reflected with a smile on Demba Ba missing a straightforward chance early in the second half: “He has to score the goal, easy. Two-nil, go home, no heart attack. After that, you don’t score, you leave the door open for them.”
Or, as he expressed it in his ever-eccentric English: “I have feelings. I smell things. And when that easy goal was missed, I had a smell.”
His senses had not deserted him, as Chelsea let slip all the momentum generated by their fine early goal. All it required was a direct ball over the top to Ba, who controlled it with the neatest of touches to tee up the onrushing Oscar, making sure to place his shot comfortably beyond Ruddy and into the far corner.
Gradually, however, Tettey and Leroy Fer began to carve out greater possession, and Petr Cech needed the quickest of reactions to tip Jonny Howson’s snap shot over the bar. Ba miscued a chance early in the second half to drag his shot fractionally wide, and Mourinho’s body language on the touchline suggested he did indeed detect an ominous odour.
Norwich, just as he forecast, pounced for their equaliser. Martin Olsson hared down the left to supply a fine cross for Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who rose at the far post to head back across goal for Pilkington to nudge the ball past Cech.
Pilkington was culpable, however, in the unravelling that ensued. His poorly-taken corner was the cue for Chelsea to hit back with interest, David Luiz and Willian combining beautifully for Hazard to apply the coup de grâce. Despite the Belgian’s cultured finish, it had arisen from an end-to-end catalogue of Norwich errors.
Manager Chris Hughton, increasingly under pressure, said: “It’s our corner, and you can look at it as a process from there. We needed to clear the ball, be stronger. That’s why Chelsea spun it around. But this is no time to apportion blame.”
Norwich slipped into the bottom three last night as Hughton faced up to a familiar arduous struggle to safeguard his team’s Premier League status. In mitigation, Norwich’s signings over the summer added up to a good deal less than Chelsea’s game-changing substitutes: a fearsome trium­virate of Willian, Hazard and Samuel Eto’o. Mourinho said: “The situation had become difficult at 1-1. We all knew that a point here would be a bad result for us, but I think the team coped well with the pressure. We could gamble and risk a bit to try and bring something different to the game to see if Norwich could cope.”
They could not. If they had been unsettled by their litany of lapses in the build-up to Hazard’s goal, then Willian’s intervention, the most delightful curler from 20 yards out, poleaxed them to extinguish any hope of recovery.
The profound contentment could not have been written any more starkly across Mourinho’s face. Another stumble here, and those lingering anxieties about the wisdom of his Chelsea comeback would have resurfaced. Instead, he marched into the quieter times of international week looking quite the most relieved man in Norfolk.

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

Mirror :

 Norwich City 1-3 Chelsea: Late goals from Eden Hazard and Willian sink Canaries
By James Nursey

Anthony Pilkington's second-half header looked to have given Chris Hughton's side a share of the spoils, but the Blues struck late to take the win
Jose Mourinho claimed his powers of smell inspired Chelsea to their first Premier League away win of the season.
The Chelsea boss admitted his heart-rate was quickening when Demba Ba missed a gilt-edge opportunity to make it 2-0.
Mourinho sensed the hosts would equalise which they duly did when Anthony Pilkington cancelled out Oscar's opener.
But the Chelsea boss already had the attacking trio of Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o and Willian warming up to come on after "smelling" the danger.
Chelsea then dispensed with their trademark pragmatic approach under Mourinho to go all-out for victory.
It was cavalier attacking football as the match opened up for a frantic finale as Mourinho did not want to drop more points away.
But Mourinho's bold tactics were rewarded as subs Hazard and Willian both scored in the last five minutes.
It was tough on Norwich who battled back superbly and were caught by two late sucker-punches to floor England hopeful John Ruddy in goal.
Mourinho said: "I smell things and when that easy goal was missed, I had a smell that they would score a goal.
"That's why I had Eden warming up at 1-0 because I smelled that.
"Ba has to score in the first minute of the second half, an easy goal then it's 2-0 and go home and no heart attack.
"The situation then became difficult at 1-1.
"We all knew that a point here would be a bad result for us so we gamble and risk a bit to try and bring something different to the game.
"We could have won or lost it at 1-1 because we didn't want a point.
"We're trying to be top. After a point at Spurs, a point here would have been a bad result for us. So we tried to win it."
Chelsea started in storming fashion as Ba won the ball and laid it off for Oscar to score in the fourth minute.
The Brazilian dispatched it low first time with a right-foot effort that curled away from Ruddy into the bottom corner.
It then took good saves by Ruddy from Ba and David Luiz to prevent the visitors running riot.
Ba, making only his second League start this term upfront, caused Norwich huge problems with his power and movement.
In the 19th minute he nearly scored after Ruddy unsuccessfully came for a high ball with the sun in his eyes.
It took the hosts until the 22nd minute to worry Chelsea keeper Petr Cech when Luiz nearly scored an own goal from Ricky van Wolfswinkel's dangerous cross.
But after being put on the back-foot by Chelsea's fast start, Norwich gradually got a foot-hold.
Leroy Fer and Jonny Howson won them more possession in the middle and Alex Tettey shot wide before the break.
Cech made another save seconds before half-time from Bassong after Michael Turner's knock-down at Robert Snodgrass' corner.
After the re-start, Ba remained the dangerman - flicking an effort just wide when Mourinho felt he should have scored.
Norwich appealed in vain for a penalty when Pilkington went down under a Ramires challenge.
But Norwich still deservedly equalised in the 68th minute.
Defender Martin Olsson crossed from the left, Van Wolfswinkel leapt superbly to head it back across goal and Pilkington glanced in.
Starlet Nathan Redmond then came off the bench for Norwich and forced Cech into another good save.
But as City piled forward, Chelsea's subs punished them.
First Hazard capitalised on a poor touch by Tettey to score under Ruddy with a tame shot in the 85th minute after breaking from a Norwich corner.
And fellow sub Willian, recently signed for £30million, scored his first goal for the club with a superb left-foot curler into the top corner from outside the box.
Canaries boss Hughton reflected: "We couldn't have asked for any more effort and determination but the second is a poor goal for us to concede."

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

Mail:

Norwich 1 Chelsea 3:
Blues return to top three after Hazard and Willian strike late... but Ruddy is left red-faced after mistake

By Matt Lawton

This time Jose Mourinho was less offended by questions  concerning players he had omitted from his starting line-up. On the  contrary. Chelsea’s manager was as delighted to discuss Eden Hazard’s slightly  fortuitous second goal as he was a quite brilliant strike from Willian.
There was no walking out in a huff; no premature end to his press conference. Just a smile of  satisfaction when he could even point to the fact that the other player he sent on from the bench, namely Samuel Eto’o, also played a significant part in securing  Chelsea’s first away win in the  Barclays Premier League this season.
‘If they come on and make it worse, it’s a very bad decision by the manager,’ he said with a wry smile.
But His Specialness was feeling pretty damn pleased with himself, insisting he made the changes because he could ‘smell’ a goal from Norwich before it arrived — scored by Anthony Pilkington in the 68th minute, it cancelled out Oscar’s early opener — and even delivered some wise words for his adopted footballing home.
At a time when England frets about its style of football, of its apparent inferiority to the Germans and Spanish, Mourinho boasted of employing a very English approach to trying to win this game.
It was distinctly route one, launching the ball up to Demba Ba in a manner that certainly troubled the Norwich defence. It produced that fourth-minute goal.
Long ball from Frank Lampard, laid off by Ba and finished quite wonderfully by Oscar, who beat John Ruddy with a first-time effort off the outside of his right boot.
‘He did what I was expecting Demba to do,’ said Mourinho. ‘This kind of match, very direct, small pitch, very British. He has to score the goal in the first minute of the second half, an easy goal. 2-0 and go home and no heart attack.
‘But I thought to start the game would be better for Demba.’
‘I think that, if you try to play like other people do and you have no players for that, you are very  stupid,’ he said. ‘I won the league in Spain with 100 points and my team were not playing like Barcelona. If you try to play like someone else does, you never reach their level.
‘You have to try and be the best to the style of your players. Why would you want to play like another team? Don’t try to be clever because you’ll become stupid.’
Had he been there, Roy Hodgson might have been tempted to applaud. He might also have been pleased to hear Mourinho saying he hoped Ashley Cole is OK because he wants England to do well.
Interestingly, Mourinho said he had already decided to take off Cole — and switch to a three-man defence — before his left back walked off clutching his injured ribs.
By then Norwich had scored their equaliser and were very much in the hunt for a second.
While certain Chelsea players were impressing — Oscar was involved in all three Chelsea goals — Mourinho was clearly feeling uncomfortable.
The decision to omit Gary Cahill from his defence for the third game on the trot (something that will concern Hodgson) looked like a prudent one given how well David Luiz and John Terry were coping with Norwich’s determined approach.
But, when Ricky van Wolfswinkel beat Terry in the challenge for  Martin Olsson’s cross and Luiz failed to prevent Pilkington from glancing the ball home, Chelsea suddenly seemed vulnerable
‘It was why I already had Hazard warming up,’ said Mourinho. ‘I could smell it. We played with three at the back and, at 1-1, we could have won or lost because we lost a bit of balance. We left the road a bit open. But we didn’t want a point. We’re trying to be top.’
It was a gamble that paid off handsomely in the end, although Hazard’s 85th-minute goal owed much to Alex Tettey’s failure to deal with Willian’s knock-on from an Oscar cross and Ruddy’s failure to make the save.
What then followed was entirely down to Willian, the Brazilian  scoring his first Chelsea goal a  minute later with a magnificent curling left-foot strike.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton had every right to feel frustrated given how hard his side had worked to avoid a third defeat in four games. He also pointed to a penalty claim for a foul on Pilkington by Ramires.
But there were no such issues for Mourinho, who took real satisfaction from Willian’s performance.
‘He was injured in the week and  the kid made himself available,’ said Mourinho. ‘Good for Willian.’

Norwich City: Ruddy 6, Martin 6, Turner 6, Bassong 6, Olsson 6, Tettey 5, Snodgrass 6 (Redmond 81, 6), Howson 6, Fer 6, Pilkington 6, van Wolfswinkel 6 (Hooper 72, 6)
Substitutes not used: Whittaker, Johnson, Bunn, Elmander, Ryan Bennett
Scorer: Pilkington 67
Booked: Tettey

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Luiz 6, Terry 6, Cole 6 (Hazard 74, 7), Ramires 7, Lampard 7, Mata 6 (Willian 81), Oscar 8, Schurrle 7, Ba 7 (Eto'o 72, 6)
Substitutes not used: Essien, Schwarzer, Cahill, Azpilicueta
Scorer: Oscar 4, Hazard 85,Willian 86
Booked: Oscar
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Attendance: 26, 840

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

Express:

Norwich 1 - Chelsea 3: Jose Mourinho sniffs at the thought of defeat

JOSE MOURINHO turned gambler at Carrow Road to ensure his Chelsea team got their first away win of the season.
By: Simon Yeend
After taking the lead in just four minutes through Oscar, a Chelsea victory seemed a certainty. Especially with Norwich’s England keeper John Ruddy having a turbulent 45 minutes facing the bright sunshine, dropping high balls and causing panic in his defence.
Demba Ba missed a great chance to make it 2-0, causing anxiety in his manager. And Norwich refused to wilt, seized control and deservedly equalised after 68 minutes.
Mourinho’s sense of smell did not let him down. He feared more away misery and went bold with his substitutions.
Ba was replaced by Samuel Eto’o, then Mourinho went with three at the back – Ashley Cole sacrificed before the manager knew he had a knock. On came Eden Hazard, then Willian for Juan Mata.
The response was emphatic. Hazard struck first on the break in the 85th minute, a minute later it was 3-1 with Willian curling a beauty into the top corner after another lightning break.
Mourinho’s well-aimed dig that his players lack the mental strength to be title winners had certainly brought the required response.
He, of course, took his share of the credit for his reaction to the danger Norwich posed.
“The situation had become difficult at 1-1,” he said after his first away victory as Chelsea manager since winning at Reading in August 2007. “We all knew that a point here would be a bad result for us, but we could gamble and risk a bit to try and bring something different to the game to see if Norwich could cope.
“During the game I have feelings. I smell things. And when that easy goal was missed, I had a smell.
“I smelt that they would score a goal. That’s why I had Eden warming up at 1-0 because I smelled that. We could have won or lost it at 1-1 because we, at that moment, we didn’t want a point.
“If they’d scored a second goal we’d probably lose. But we’re trying to be top. After a point at Spurs, a point here would have been a bad result for us. So we tried to win it.”
Norwich boss Chris Hughton said defeat was hard to take.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “The second goal – it was our corner and we were set up very well, but their power and pace on the counter-attack got the better of us. It’s a poor goal for us to concede.”
Again Chelsea won without a striker troubling the scorers. Remarkably, all of their goals in the Premier League this season have been scored by midfielders or defenders. Ba was brought in to try to alter that statistic and had an impact after four minutes.
For all the creative talent at their disposal, the goal came via route one.
Lampard speared a 50-yard pass to Ba in the area. His control and lay-off were spot-on, Oscar’s finish even better, curling the ball into the far corner. But the expected rout did not materialise. Norwich kept their shape, won more ball and started pressing.
Chelsea were rattled, surviving optimistic penalty appeals.
Terry blocked bravely from Pilkington, Cole miscontrolling the ball under little pressure, revealing the anxiety running through the team. Then came the equaliser.
Martin Olsson escaped Oscar and his powerful cross was met at the far post by Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who cleverly nodded it back into the six-yard box.
Anthony Pilkington nipped in ahead of David Luiz and headed past Petr Cech. Norwich substitute Nathan Redmond then caused more unrest in the Chelsea defence with his direct running and Norwich scented victory.
Redmond won a corner but Pilkington’s delivery was poor, swinging the ball out to the edge of the area. Hazard headed away to Oscar and the Brazilian darted clear.
Alex Tettey will have nightmares about his attempted clearance as he failed to put his foot through the ball allowing it to run to Hazard.
The Belgian shot low but straight at Ruddy – and in a wretched week for England goalkeepers, the country’s NoSHrS2 dived over the ball and failed in his attempt to claw it back off the line.
When Willian’s shot scorched past Ruddy, Mourinho was off the bench, fists pumping, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

NORWICH (4-2-3-1): Ruddy 5; Martin 6, Turner 6, Bassong 6, Olsson 7; Howson 7, Tettey 6; Snodgrass 6 (Redmond 81), Fer 7, Pilkington 7; Van Wolfswinkel 7 (Hooper 73, 6). Booked: Tettey. Goal: Pilkington 68.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Ivanovic 7, Luiz 7, Terry 7, Cole 6 (Hazard 75, 7); Ramires 7, Lampard 7; Mata 7 (Willian 81), Oscar 6, Schurrle 6; Ba 7 (Eto’o 73, 6). Booked: Oscar. Goals: Oscar 4, Hazard 85, Willian 86.

Referee: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).

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

Star:

Chelsea see off Canaries

Substitutes Eden Hazard and Willian were on target as Chelsea beat Norwich 3-1 to claim a first away win of the Barclays Premier League season.
 Jose Mourinho's men made the 120-mile journey to Carrow Road by plane on Saturday and made a flying start when Oscar gave them a fourth-minute lead after Demba Ba's lay-off from Frank Lampard's lofted pass.
Victory from then seemed a formality for Chelsea but it appeared anything but until a late rally.
Ba might have netted early in the second half following a cross from Ramires, who was relieved not to concede a penalty when challenging Anthony Pilkington in the box.
Norwich levelled when Pilkington headed in from close range and had further opportunities, but Hazard finished off a ruthless counter attack and Willian curled in his first Chelsea goal to complete the win.
There were moments of alarm for England boss Roy Hodgson ahead of the World Cup qualifiers with Montenegro and Poland.
Ruddy, who had an opportunity to show he should be England's number one ahead of Joe Hart, should have done better in two aerial duels in the Norfolk sunshine with Ba and allowed Hazard's weak shot to beat him, while Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole departed 15 minutes from time clutching his ribcage.
Preferred to Samuel Eto'o in place of the injured and suspended Fernando Torres, Ba quickly got the better of his marker, Sebastien Bassong, who was the solitary Norwich change following the win at Stoke.
Chelsea might have had a penalty in the opening skirmishes, but referee Neil Swarbrick merely shook his head when Ba went down softly between Bassong and Michael Turner.
It mattered not as Chelsea soon took the lead through Oscar, who began in the play-maker role behind Ba, with Juan Mata on the right.
Lampard's pass from inside his own half was brought down by Ba inside the City box and the striker, with Turner backing off, laid the ball off for Oscar to hit it first time with the outside of his right boot into the bottom corner.
It was a fine goal, but Norwich made it all too easy for the visitors.
Mata was then granted space to pick his pass after drifting in field and found Ba, whose effort was well saved by Ruddy.
Ruddy lost an aerial duel with Ba, who turned and shot only for Bassong to block.
Norwich enjoyed some openings down Chelsea's right, with Martin Olsson and Leroy Fer's pace troublesome, but it was from down their own right flank that they nearly equalised when Ricky van Wolfswinkel's cross was prodded wide by Jonny Howson.
Ruddy recovered to concede a corner after Ba won another aerial challenge with Turner and the goalkeeper before Norwich pressed again without testing Petr Cech.
David Luiz had Ruddy back-pedalling with a shot from a yard inside Norwich's half as the ball landed on the roof of the net.
Cech was called into action for the first time when Bassong shot straight at him from a corner as the half came to a close which Chelsea dominated without adding to Oscar's early effort.
The visitors so nearly made a flying start to the second half as Andre Schurrle and Ramires combined down the left and the latter crossed for Ba.
With just Ruddy to beat, Ba failed to cleanly connect and the ball went wide.
Ramires was soon in action at the other end, dispossessing Pilkington, who went down, but Swarbrick was unmoved as the hosts appealed for a penalty.
John Terry got in ahead of Van Wolfswinkel and then blocked from Pilkington as Norwich threatened again before equalising.
Olsson's deep cross from the left created havoc and found Van Wolfswinkel.
The Holland striker met the ball at the back post and centred for Pilkington, who got the wrong side of Luiz and headed past Cech, who should have done better.
Cole's departure forced a change in tactics for Chelsea, who threw players forward.
Branislav Ivanovic, popping up on the left, forced a save from Ruddy and then Hazard, Cole's replacement, fired narrowly wide.
Norwich had chances, too. Nathan Redmond, on for Robert Snodgrass, had an effort saved by Cech before Olsson lost his balance in the act of shooting.
Redmond was lively and won a corner with five minutes remaining - but it led to a goal for Chelsea.
The Blues broke and Alexander Tettey was unable to deal with Oscar's cross-field pass, allowing Hazard to pounce.
The Belgium forward's shot squirmed under Ruddy, who could only scramble forlornly as the ball went over the line.
A minute later, Ruddy could do nothing as Willian put a gloss on proceedings by curling into the top corner.

Steaua Bucharest 4-0

Independent:

Steaua Bucharest 0 Chelsea 4
Juan Mata's virtuoso performance lifts gloom as Blues hit the high notes

By SIMON JOHNSON

Jose Mourinho hasn’t had a lot to smile about lately, but Juan Mata’s display in Romania surely helped improve his mood as Chelsea got their Champions League campaign back on track in convincing fashion.
Mourinho’s demeanour in the build-up to the match had been as dark as the rain clouds that were encamped over Bucharest for the past few days, however this was just the result and performance he would have wanted to lift the gloom.
A brace from Ramires, which sandwiched an own goal by Daniel Georgievski, ensured Chelsea secured their first win in their Champions League group and started putting the Basel defeat of a fortnight ago behind them. There were confident performances all over the pitch, but it was Mata, the man whose relationship with the manager has come under intense scrutiny, that shone most of all.
Mourinho has always prided himself on his man-management skills and when it comes to his No 10, the Chelsea manager certainly seems to know what he’s doing. After weeks of cross examination over why he’s left Mata out on a regular basis, Mourinho explained that his all-round game was worthy of a start in the Romanian capital.
Chelsea looked a different side with him in the team and he was significantly effective at both ends of the pitch, adding work-rate to the finesse he’s already blessed with. In contrast, Mata’s compatriot Fernando Torres, the man who has been the centre of such controversy over the last few days, had another evening to forget.
In many ways, his day was representative of his career since he joined Chelsea from Liverpool for a British record £50m in January 2011. The few sporadic highs have always tended to be swiftly followed by a low.
But this was a crazy few hours even by the Spaniard’s standards. First there was the good news in the afternoon that the Football Association had decided not to hand him an extra punishment for his altercation with Jan Vertonghen at the weekend and he would serve just the one game ban after all.
It must have given the striker, not to mention the moody Mourinho, a welcome lift going into this match they needed to win. However, just 36 seconds he collapsed in agony clutching his knee after working hard to win the ball back from Cristian Tanase and despite attempts to run it off, Samuel Eto’o replaced him soon after.
Some, particularly those from White Hart Lane, may feel justice is done if Torres is now missing for the next few weeks anyway. Crucially though it didn’t upset Chelsea’s rhythm in the early stages and everyone in white looked far more comfortable in possession with Mata out there with them, orchestrating their attacks.
They had already threatened with an André Schürrle shot which was only prevented from going into the net by a desperate block from the Steaua defence, when Chelsea deservedly went in front. Schürrle, who was playing his best game since his £18m summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, escaped down the left wing and his cross was defected into Ramires’ path by Eto’o and the Brazilian midfielder neatly touched the ball into the bottom corner.
The presence of Mata wasn’t the only reassuring one at the stadium where they lost 1-0 in the last 16 of the Europa League just six months ago, for captain John Terry was picked alongside David Luiz instead of Gary Cahill.
Terry sat out the Uefa Super Cup Final and the woeful defeat against Basel in the competition a fortnight ago, so it was significant that Mourinho decided to bring him back into European action. The 32-year-old was up against Federico Piovaccari, scorer of seven goals this season, yet the Steaua striker barely caused a threat.
It looked like only some reckless finishing could keep Steaua in the match, but Chelsea added the crucial second just before the break. Unsurprisingly Mata was at the centre of it one again, sending Eto’o through on goal with a typically confident first time pass. Unfortunately for the striker, who is still searching for his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, Ciprian Tatarusanu blocked his effort, but the ball rebounded off Georgievski and into the net.
The only question was whether Chelsea would play in the second half with as much focus and determination as the first and their emphatic answer came just 10 minutes later. A sublime move involving Schürrle and Oscar was finished off at the far post with a fierce shot by Ramires, which prompted even the locals to applaud.
They gasped in awe again moments later when Mata struck the post following a sublime dribble into the area by Oscar, who also hit the woodwork late on.
The home side appeared in awe of their more experienced opponents, although they did threaten with shots from Tanase and Nicolae Stanciu, but then Frank Lampard added to their misery with a typical finish in the last minute. Chelsea’s only disappointment was that Mata’s display wasn’t rewarded with the goal he deserved, but suddenly Chelsea and their manager have reason to be in good spirits once again.

Man of the match Mata.
Match rating 6/10.
Referee C V Carballo (Sp).
Attendance 50,000.

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

Guardian:

Chelsea back in old routine thanks to Ramires double at Steaua Bucharest

Dominic Fifield at the National Arena

José Mourinho paced his technical area, wrapped up in long coat and scarf, wearing the scowl of a man still rather dissatisfied with his lot but Chelsea's response to a sluggish opening in their Champions League campaign had been emphatic. Steaua Bucharest were swatted aside 4-0, all that trauma endured against Basel a fortnight ago exorcised. The manager spoke of having "cleansed" that result, with the 2012 winners up and running.
This was admittedly a mismatch against the whipping boys elect of Group E and, to that end, should be considered with an element of caution. However there was a vibrancy to Chelsea's play, both as they unpicked their hosts in the first half and then bit into them on the break thereafter, that bodes well. Steaua, trampled underfoot by Ramires' display in midfield in particular, had no answer. They will be this season's Nordsjaelland. Already, the back-to-back games with Schalke in Chelsea's next two fixtures when this competition resumes later this month loom as key.
The Germans continue to defy sluggish domestic form to top the section, their win in Basel impressive despite interruptions from abseiling Greenpeace protestors at St Jakob Park, and they will better test Chelsea's capabilities.
This was a stroll in the chill of the Romanian autumn, the visitors' dominance established in the opening exchanges and maintained throughout. Their trio of creators unsettled Steaua, with Juan Mata, so revitalised since that run-out at Swindon last week, and Oscar dragging the locals' back line from their comfort zone. "Mata played No10, he played No7, he played very well with the ball as he always does, and very good without the ball, as he never did," said Mourinho.
If the manager has been proved right with his Spanish playmaker, he will be just as encouraged by André Schürrle's display, the German having wreaked havoc down the left flank with his delivery – so unpredictable and occasionally wild at first, ever more accurate as the thrashing played out. Poor Daniel Georgievski, the Steaua right-back, was a broken man by the time his number went up 19 minutes from time. He may endure sleepless nights haunted by images of Schürrle gliding past him and a comical own goal, in the weeks to come. "People understand the quality André has, getting balls in space and to his feet to attack the defender," said Mourinho. "The kid was very strong."
The opener had stemmed from Schürrle's dart down the flank, his cross into the six-yard box aimed at Samuel Eto'o, on as a substitute for the injured Fernando Torres, only for the ball to rear up from his first touch. He swung his left leg regardless, the shot rather scuffed but still disorientating panicked home defenders, and there was the marauding Ramires to burst through the middle and conjure a cute flick over the on-rushing Ciprian Tatarusanu.
There was to be no recovery from the hosts. Steaua drummed up some frantic pressure as the interval approached only to be outdone on the counterattack, Ashley Cole and Mata sending Eto'o charging into enemy territory with the Romanians' back-line utterly ramshackle. The Cameroonian cut inside Iasmin Latovlevici and saw his low shot pushed out by Tatarusanu only for Georgievski, running at full pace, to smash the rebound inadvertently beyond the prone goalkeeper. The full-back ended up with the ball in the back of the net. His own evening would continue to unravel.
He was spun by Schürrle in the build-up to the third, left a dithering mess on the touchline as the German found Oscar with his pass. The Brazilian, who would later clip the bar, slid a pass inside Latovlevici for Ramires, bursting unchecked into space once again, to thrash his second beyond Tatarusanu. Mourinho made a point of congratulating Schürrle's contribution. The mind boggles as to how he would have celebrated had Mata not thumped against the post after Oscar's outrageous backheel between opponents in a cluttered penalty area moments later.
Lampard's fourth, guided in on off the woodwork in stoppage time, summed up Chelsea's dominance, their upbeat tempo admirable given the early disruption suffered with Torres's withdrawal with knee ligament damage sustained after 36 seconds. Yet, if that had represented a downbeat start, the evening proved more upbeat.
"I put the players under a lot of pressure for this game, and they coped well," added Mourinho. "They used that as a motivation. I don't want to play in the Europa League, but I also thought that was a way they can grow up faster, faced with that pressure.
"Sometimes you need bigger challenges. But they coped very well, were beautiful in attacking areas, but everything started at the back. David Luiz [made] zero mistakes all game. John [Terry], Ashley [Cole], [Branislav] Ivanovic gave big stability there. And, from there, the team could cope with the situation." The Portuguese's mood has improved.

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

Telegraph:

Steaua Bucharest 0 Chelsea 4

By Jason Burt, Bucharest National Arena, Romania

After the dark clouds and dark moods and relentless downpour came the cleansing. Chelsea washed away the Romanian champions to get their Champions League campaign back on track, having lost their opening tie at home to Basle. In doing so there was wave after wave of attack.
“We have now cleansed a bit the early game against Basle and we are ready to win the group,” said Juan Mata, restored to the starting line-up, as Jose Mourinho had promised, and comfortable with it even if Chelsea’s most dominant forces were the rampant, relentless Ramires – with two goals - and Andre Schürrle.
Mourinho brought back one Spaniard, but lost another. That dark mood had enveloped the pre-match press conference although it now appears to have been for effect. Whether the Chelsea manager stormed out or not his relief at not losing Fernando Torres to a four-match ban - after the Football Association’s confusing declaration of no further punishment for scratching Jan Vertonghen – was tempered by injury to the striker after just 11 minutes on Tuesday night.
Torres will have a scan on his damaged knee on Wednesday and, if absent for any length of time, will curse his luck as for as brief as he appeared he once more looked sharper than he has done for years.
Chelsea, collectively, will also hope they are gaining an edge and there was satisfaction from their manager afterwards in not just the clean sheet and defensive ruggedness, praising David Luiz for “zero mistakes”, but the relentless way his team sought out further goals.
Any assessment of Chelsea’s display, however, needs to be qualified by the poverty of the opposition. Steaua, back in the Champions League after a five-year absence, were poor as they slumped to a second heavy loss and will struggle to gain a point in Group  E at this rate. Their fans were impressive – and they waved their flags throughout even if they also, eventually, lost heart with many streaming for the exits long before substitute Willian laid the ball back to Frank Lampard to strike a low shot in off the post late on to complete the rout.
The stadium roof was closed after days of constant heavy rain which threatened to engulf the pitch and the environs but it fell in the Romanians in any case. They were dominated and then destroyed. Their fans came in expectation – after all Steaua had beaten Chelsea last season in the Europa League in this very stadium even if they ultimately lost the tie.
There was no danger of a repeat. Soon after Schürrle should have scored – after an initial shot was spilled and the rebound returned to him only for his effort to be deflected there was another mis-hit. Again it came from the misfiring Samuel Eto’o, on for Torres.
Another break by Schürrle down the left, riding one challenge, teed up the subsitute. But his shot was scuffed but scuffed sufficiently to turn into a ball through which Ramires latched onto and deftly flicked beyond goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Chelsea’s advantage was deserved; their superiority clear with Schürrle a constant threat. Their only danger was complacency and a failure to clear left Petr Cech clawing away a cross while the goalkeeper then had to rush far out of his penalty area to deny Federico Piovaccari who was proving to be Steaua’s only significant threat. It made his half-time withdrawal all the more disappointing.
That threat was quickly snuffed, and it came through a bizarre own-goal. Maybe Steaua sensed a chance and over-committed but they were carved open with Eto’o suddenly running free on goal, cutting inside. The shot was palmed out but the hapless Daniel Georgievski, scampering back, turned it into the net – with aplomb to end any vestige of a contest.
Lampard’s miskick, from Mata’s cut-back, saved Steaua from falling further behind but it only delayed the inevitable as Chelsea worked the ball across goal through Schürrle again, with Oscar rolling a pass to Ramires who lashed the ball high and beyond the static Ciprian Tatarusanu.
A fine back-heel from Oscar then picked out Mata only for his shot to thud back against the post – which is what Cech then did as he back pedalled sharply to turn over Cristian Tanase’s clever chip only to jar his back.
There was no way back for Steaua. Cech saved from Nicolae Stanciu only for the Romanian to wastefully blaze over the rebound. Later he pushed out another shot from distance, again from Tanase. From the corner there was a scramble but still the ball would not go in. Steaua could gain no consolation.
Oscar shot over, Eto’o’s effort was beaten out, Schurrle curled narrowly wide and then, finally, Lampard struck with a trademark late run and crisp effort. The dousing was complete and Steaua were drenched.

Mail:

Steaua Bucharest 0 Chelsea 4:

Ramires at the double but Torres limps off as Blues ease past Romanian test

By MATT BARLOW

Relief was short-lived for Fernando Torres. No sooner had he escaped an FA charge for violent conduct than he limped off with an injured knee, the only blemish on an excellent night for Chelsea in Europe.
Ramires scored twice, either side of an own goal, and Frank Lampard added a fourth in stoppage time as Jose Mourinho’s side cleansed the Basle defeat from their system.
For Mourinho, it was the calm after the strop. He was grumpy ahead of the game but all smiles as his team were applauded from the pitch by Steaua Bucharest supporters.
Steaua were poor and may turn Group E into a three-team race. Last year, Nordsjaelland claimed only one point and Chelsea finished third with 10, plunging them into the Europa League.
‘Everything depends on the next two matches,’ said Mourinho, still wary. But last night, for the first time since he returned, his team had balance: strong, quick and decisive going forward.
‘Normally my feelings never betray me and from the first minute my feelings were positive,’ he said. ‘We defended very well and the team was solid. We kept control. We didn’t give the initiative away. We played a complete game.’
Ramires was clinical, Andre Schurrle excelled on the left and Juan Mata continued to reverse his manager’s opinion. ‘He played very well with the ball as he always does and very well without the ball as he never did,’ said Mourinho.
The only setback was for Torres, whose injury struck about four hours after news from Wembley that he would face no further action for scratching Jan Vertonghen.
Poetic justice, some might say. The cat got the cream and then got crocked and it had that innocuous feel serious ligament injuries sometimes have.
Torres seemed to suffer the injury as he made a tackle after only 37 seconds. Ten minutes later, he dropped to his haunches by the touchline. The medical team examined his left knee and the dejected striker mimed a twisting motion with his good leg to suggest a medial ligament problem.
Torres tried to continue but was unable to fully flex his left leg. Off he trudged again, head bowed this time and straight down the tunnel. A second successive game ended prematurely and in disappointment.
Samuel Eto’o came on and was involved in the opener, a move started and finished by Ramires, and featuring Schurrle, who gave Steaua right-back Daniel Georgievski a torrid night. It was the first time Chelsea fans saw why the German winger had commanded an £18million fee in the summer.
His delivery was sometimes a little awry but on this occasion his low cross found Eto’o, who miscued so completely that his volley at goal turned into the perfect pass to Ramires. The Brazil midfielder charged through the centre of the penalty area to prod the ball past goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu from close range.
Salt in the wounds: Frank Lampard (left) celebrates his injury-time goal to make it 4-0
Chelsea’s second was another sweeping move. Ashley Cole sprang out of defence with the ball after clearing a Steaua corner and tucked a pass infield to Mata, who eased it effortlessly into the feet of Eto’o.
The striker took it past one defender and fired low. Tatarusanu saved but pushed it towards defender Georgievski, who booted it straight into his own net.
Two half-time changes by Steaua manager Laurentiu Reghecampf lifted the home team a little but did not alter the pattern of the game.
Lampard missed a decent chance but Ramires lashed in his second after a neat pass from Oscar and more great work by Schurrle. Mata hit a post before Lampard swept in the fourth from the edge of the box.
Mourinho is still waiting for one of his strikers to score but the European campaign is rolling. He said: ‘I put that pressure on them because we have to do everything we can to keep Chelsea playing in the Champions League because it is our competition. It’s the way they can grow up faster, to be faced with that pressure.
‘If I tell them that because it’s a new team, I’m a new manager, a new style of football, then it’s no problem if we finish 20 points behind in the Premier League and no one will care. Or we go into the Europa League because that’s fine for us, they won’t grow up.
‘Sometimes you need bigger challenges. They coped very well, so I’m happy, and we played very good football and were beautiful in attacking areas at times.’

STEAUA: Tatarusanu 5; Georgievski 4 (Varela 71), Szukala 5, Gardos 5, Latovlevici 6; Bouceanu 4, Filip 5; Popa 4 (Kapetanos HT), Stanciu 4, Tanase 5; Piovaccari 5 (Tatu HT).
Subs: Nita, Prepelita, Cristea, Neagu.
Manager: Laurentiu Reghecampf 5.

CHELSEA: Cech 7; Ivanovic 7, Terry 6, Luiz 6, Cole 7; Ramires 8, Lampard 7; Oscar 6 (Azpilicueta 78), Mata 6 (Willian 80), Schurrle 8; Torres (Eto'o 11, 6)
Subs: Schwarzer, Mikel, Cahill, Ba.
Bookings: Lampard, Cole
Manager: Jose Mourinho 7.

Man of the Match: Andre Schurrle
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain) 6

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

Mirror:
Steaua Bucharest 0-4 Chelsea: Juan Mata the architect as Blues return to winning ways in Europe

By Martin Lipton

The Spanish playmaker was in sparkling form in Romania as Jose Mourinho's side ran out easy winners
The challenge from Jose Mourinho was there.
Adapt to what I want, or expect to spend a long time in the shadows.
Other players might have turned their backs, pointed to what they have done in Chelsea colours, wondered what more they needed to prove.
Juan Mata, though, is not that sort of player. It is not in his make-up.
And while he he has to keep improving to prove to the "Special One" that he is the special Juan, even Portugal's Mr Grumpy was smiling over the Spaniard's performance here in Romania.
Following the shock defeat by Basel, Mata was a scapegoat.
Resurrection has come swiftly.
Only 10 days after telling Mata that he was behind Oscar in the playmaker role, Mourinho conceded that the little man does make a difference.
Here, as the air went out of the National Arena balloon, two-goal Ramires and the direct Andre Schurrle might have been the headline acts.
But the ring-master under the circus tent-style roof was the man who makes Chelsea look more fluent, persuasive and impressive.
And even Mourinho was happy to acknowledge that Mata is now back in his good books.
Mourinho said: "He played No 10. He played No 7. He played very well with the ball, as he always does. But he also played very well without the ball, which he never did.
"Yes, he's coming closer to me. Very much closer."
Mata did not see the grin. But he didn't have to.
The hug he received from Mourinho when he was rested near the end was a public sign.
Then again, admittedly against lightweight opponents who look like being the Group E punchbag, this was far more like what Mourinho is looking for from his entire team.
While Fernando Torres' knee injury was a cloud in keeping with the leaden skies that have hung over the Romanian capital ever since Chelsea arrived - there is genuine anxiety over today's scan - this was an otherwise imperious display.
Chelsea, from the outset - "my feelings didn't betray me, from the first minute", said Mourinho - were too strong, quick and penetrative than Steaua, who had neither the ambition nor the armoury to hurt them.
Schurrle's dynamism on the left ensured Bucharest were always unbalanced and it was no surprise the German was involved in the opener.
Ramires began it by driving forward to find Schurrle, who killed his marker before playing into the box.
Samuel Eto'o - on when Torres limped off inside 11 minutes - mis-kicked but straight into the path of Ramires, who finished his lung-busting 50-yard run by poking home.
Easy enough and Chelsea's second came just before the break.
The key was Mata's brilliance - a gorgeous first-time ball that released Eto'o into space.
Mourinho would have wanted the Cameroonian to break his Blues duck as he twisted inside to shoot, but while keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu dived to save, defender Daniel Georgievski smashed unerringly into his own net.
Game over, already.
Ramires got the third after great work from Schurrle, wide on the touchline, and Oscar when the ball was moved inside.
Then Oscar's delicious back-heel saw Mata crash against the foot of the post, with Oscar, Schurrle and Eto'o all close.
Chelsea's only moment of concern came when Petr Cech crashed into his own post after turning Cristian Tanase's clever curler over the bar.
But there was time for a fourth - substitute Willian teeing up Frank Lampard to claim his 205th Blues goal from the edge of the box, off the inside of the post.
The manager's reaction was one of relief.
"If we hadn't won, we would've been in trouble", said Mourinho. "Now I just want to think about qualifying, not being first."
With Mata at the heart of everything, first looks more realistic now.

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

Express:

Mourinho's hopes are revived by Chelsea hitman Ramires

Graham Reede

RAMIRES was an unlikely hero last night as his double got Chelsea's Champions League rescue mission up and running in Bucharest.
The Brazil midfielder is better known for crunching tackles rather than his goals, but he set the Blues on the way last night with an early opportunistic finish.
And after Daniel Georgievski scored an own–goal just before halftime, Ramires smashed in his second to erase memories of Chelsea's home defeat by Basle. He now has three goals in as many games for Chelsea – he also scored against Swindon in the Capital One Cup – and with manager Jose Mourinho running out of options up front, perhaps he is the answer. Fernando Torres lasted just 11 minutes before limping off with a knee injury and is banned from this Sunday's clash with Norwich anyway, following his sending–off against Tottenham last Saturday.
His replacement, Samuel Eto'o, is yet to convince in a Chelsea shirt, while Demba Ba seems to be completely out of favour.
This was a crucial win for the Blues, wrapped up when Frank Lampard hit a last–minute fourth, but it was only their third in their last 13 away games in the Champions League.
Most importantly, it eased the pressure after Basle's shock win at Stamford Bridge in their Group E opener and put a smile back on Mourinho's face after a difficult week.
The Special One walked out of his pre–match press conference in a huff after becoming irritated with questions about Kevin de Bruyne.
The Belgian is the latest player in the Mourinho doghouse, left behind to train with the kids while the seniors flew to Romania.
De Bruyne is ready to quit in January after being told his recent form and his effort in training were not good enough and sources close to the player accused Mourinho of treating him "like a child".
But he was not needed last night as Chelsea blew Steaua away with a starting line–up which included Juan Mata, who has played himself back into favour after being frozen out. Chelsea were out of sight by half–time, with Ramires pouncing on a miscue from Eto'o in the 20th minute after good work by Andre Schurrle on the left.
Chelsea doubled their lead just before the break when an Eto'o effort was saved, only for Georgievski to bundle it into his own net.
It was all over bar the shouting when Ramires blasted in No3 in the 55th minute, before Lampard coolly fired home a 90thminute fourth just for good measure.

STEAUA (4–2–3–1): Tatarusanu; Georgievski (Varela 71), Szukala, Gardos,Latovlevici; Bourceanu, Filip; Popa (Leandro Tatu 45), Stanciu, Tanase; Piovaccari (Kapetanos 45).
CHELSEA (4–2–3–1): Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Oscar (Azpilicueta 79), Mata (Willian 81), Schurrle; Torres (Eto'o 11).Booked: Cole, Lampard. Goals:Ramires 19, 55, Georgievski 44 og, Lampard 90.

Referee: C Carballo (Spain).

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

Star:

S Bucharest 0 - Chelsea 4
Ramires strikes at the double to steer Blues back on track
RAMIRES was the unlikely hero as Chelsea got their Champions League rescue mission bang on course.
By Paul Brown

The Brazil midfielder is better known for his crunching tackles rather than goal poaching but he set the Blues on the way last night with an opportunistic finish.
Daniel Georgievski scored an own goal for the Romanian champions just before half-time to make it 2-0.
Then Ramires slammed home his second before Frank Lampard netted in the final minute to erase memories of that home humbling by Basel.
Controversial Steaua owner Gigi Becali, an old friend of Blues boss Jose Mourinho, is currently behind bars on a range of charges including kidnapping and bribery.
But The Special One’s men could not afford to take any prisoners after losing their Champions League opener at the Bridge.
Mourinho had a let-off earlier in the day when Fernando Torres escaped punishment for scratching Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Torres will still miss Sunday’s clash with Norwich after seeing red in that match, but was free to take part in this one. After his fired-up performance against Spurs, it was no surprise to see him back in the starting line-up for a game Chelsea knew they could not afford to lose.
It was short-lived though. Torres pulled up with an injury to his left knee early on and despite returning after lengthy treatment, he was forced off in the 11th minute.
Steaua had allowed torrential rain in Bucharest to soak the pitch before they decided to close the canopy roof at the National Arena.
But despite Mourinho’s concerns about the surface it looked playable and did not seem to have played any part in the striker’s injury. It all meant another chance for Samuel Eto’o, who has failed to win many fans at Stamford Bridge with his performances since leaving Anzhi Makhachkala.
Mourinho’s lack of a proven goalscorer was put under even more scrutiny after Romelu Lukaku scored twice for Everton on Monday night.
But the decision to send him out on loan is not the only one the Chelsea boss has been criticised for since his return to the club.
First there was the way he axed Juan Mata, who seems to have played his way back into Mourinho’s good books, earning a recall to the starting line-up last night.
Now there is Kevin de Bruyne. Left at home to train with the kids because Mourinho is unhappy with his form and his effort in training, the Belgian is ready to quit in January.
Sources close to the player even accused the Portuguese boss of treating him “like a child” and the Blues chief walked out of his pre-match press conference after being asked about the Belgian.
“Steaua battled to get back into the game, but it never looked likely – especially when Ramires made it three”
Mourinho was smiling again last night though when Ramires gave Chelsea the lead in the 19th minute after the lively Andre Schurrle made a strong run and cross from the left.
Eto’o miscued his volley but Ramires pounced on the loose ball, prodding it past Ciprian Tatarusanu for the opening goal.
Steaua grew in confidence, with Petr Cech having to race off his line to clear the danger after a suicidal back pass from Oscar. But they doubled their lead just before the break when Mata played in Eto’o. The Cameroon striker’s shot was saved – but Georgievski knocked it into his own net.
Before last night Chelsea had won only two of their last 12 away games in the Champions League. But they were in command of this game by half-time.
That was impressive as they had lost on their last trip to Bucharest in March, when Steaua beat them 1-0 in a Europa League tie with a penalty from Raul Rusescu.
Steaua battled to get back into the game, but it never looked likely – especially when Ramires made it three.
Schurrle was at the heart of it again, feeding Oscar who picked out his countryman. Ramires did the rest, slamming his shot past Tatarusanu, who was rooted to his line as the ball flew past him.
That’s three in three games now for Ramires – and at this rate he’ll be playing up front.
Mata the hit the post when he should have buried his shot following a back heel from Oscar.
But Lampard did fire home a right-foot shot in the final minute which flew in off the post.