Independent:
Mourinho’s Blues Mark II go through the gears to cross the finish line
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 0
Sam Wallace
In the closing stages of their final march to the title, Jose Mourinho turned to the seats behind his dugout and discreetly rolled his eyes at the effort of it all, at the sheer bloody-mindedness required to see one last home victory over the line.
In the closing stages of theirChelsea’s final march to the title yesterday, Jose Mourinho turned to the seats behind his dugout and discreetly rolled his eyes at the effort of it all, at the sheer bloody-mindedness required to see one last home victory over the line.
No club wins a Premier League title easily, although some can make it seem that way. Not every team do it with the flair and excitement that we imagine the best teams from the past were capable of. But every team that climbs this summit deserves the title of champions, whether they win it on goal difference in injury-time or, like Mourinho’s side, a long way clear of the pack.
Eden Hazard misses his penalty but pounced on the rebound to score the vital goal The Chelsea of 2015, the Chelsea of Mourinho II, are no different. They can be unlovable at times, an unyielding force that creates for the opposition the effect of being in a room where the walls are slowly closing in, but there is no question that they have been the best this time. While other clubs have melted in under the pressure, Mourinho’s side have adapted, re-formed, gone again and won matches when the heat was on.
It was the same against Crystal Palace, when a questionable penalty – awarded to Eden Hazard, saved by Julian Speroni and then scored on the rebound by the Belgian – was the game’s decisive moment. By the end Mourinho had eight defensive players on the pitch and was preoccupied with squeezing the last drops of resistance from a Palace team that came with grand plans and departed with nothing.
Later Mourinho, in what was one of his more low-key press conferences, listed the different obstacles his team had been obliged to overcome, the different strategies they had been forced to adopt – even over the course of just one afternoon against Palace. They had, he said, had games when they had dominated ball possession, others when they had let the opposition have the ball. They had overcome counter-attacking sides and everything else the Premier League throws up.
As he rattled off the different challenges, you could see he was getting close to the essence of this particular Chelsea team. They are the masters when it comes to negating the opposition’s strengths, counter-punching and then shutting up shop. They do what it takes to win football matches and it is a philosophy shaped by their manager.
Chelsea ground out another typical 1-0 win The fourth title of the Roman Abramovich era is the third for Mourinho and puts him up there on the all-time list with Arsène Wenger, Bill Shankly and Stan Cullis. Deep down, his place in history it means everything to him.
He was edgy rather than ebullient for much of the game. In the first half he seemed most disappointed with the efforts of the home fans in comparison with Palace’s away support. In deference, he gave the away end a thumbs-up. Later the Palace sang, “Jose is a Palace fan”. His wife Tami, a very occasional visitor to Stamford Bridge, was sitting in the seats just by the dugout.
It has been a strange week for the Mourinhos, with Jose’s 76-year-old father Felix having suffered a brain haemorrhage that has necessitated trips to Portugal this week from his son to be with him during surgery. It was the experience of seeing his father, also a football manager, sacked once on Christmas Day that drove on Jose to the great heights he has scaled. It would be fair to say no one will be sacking Jose II any time soon.
At half-time Mourinho brought on John Obi Mikel, then Kurt Zouma and Filipe Luis in the closing stages as Chelsea hung on grimly onto their lead.
His team have done it with three games to spare and could yet reach 92 points, just three short of the Premier League record that they set in Mourinho’s first season in charge, 2004-05. The quality of this Chelsea team has not been in question, it is simply that since Mourinho adopted the defensive position of the last few months it has been less than thrilling for the rest of us.
His programme notes were 10 words long, “Three more points to be champions. Let’s do it together,” he wrote, but Chelsea made heavy weather of it in the first half. Before the game, Ramires was taken ill, serious enough that he went to hospital, and in his place came Juan Cuadrado with Nathan Ake promoted to the bench.
Chelsea’s lead came from a debatable penalty in the last minute of the half when Hazard squeezed between Adrian Mariappa and James McArthur and popped out the other side airborne, as if fired from a cannon.
It looked as if Mariappa might have had the decisive touch but, once he felt it, Hazard launched. These are difficult decisions to make when the best attacking player in the league is travelling so rapidly and Kevin Friend, the referee, looked as if he made the easiest in the circumstances. You could make a case either way. It was by no means clear-cut.
With the penalty, Hazard tried to deceive Speroni with his eyes but the old Argentine is too cute for that. He guessed right, dived left and saved the ball. The rebound bounced kindly for Hazard to head in, a much more difficult finish than it looked.
Otherwise, Palace had done well and might have had a penalty themselves when John Terry threw life and limb in front of a Jason Puncheon shot on 29 minutes. The ball had struck the Chelsea captain’s hand first, which was not in a natural position.
John Terry falls to the floor at full time At half-time, Mourinho replaced Cuadrado, who had tried hard but with little effect. On came Zouma to thicken a midfield that was getting more crowded with every tactical switch. The gradual dawning on Palace was, as many teams have found against Chelsea, that conceding the first goal could prove decisive. Their belief drained from them and they struggled to get beyond a defence superbly led again by Terry.
He will get his hands on the Premier League trophy come the last home game against Sunderland, when the party can resume. One does not expect Mourinho to let up against Liverpool or West Bromwich Albion in the interim, and after 24 May it will be up to the rest to figure out a way of stopping them next season.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 8, Azpilicueta 7; Matic 7, Fabregas 6; Cuadrado 5 (Mikel 6, ht), Willian 6 (Zouma, 85), Hazard 6 (Luis, 90); Drogba 6.
Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Remy, Ake, Loftus-Cheek.
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Speroni 6; Mariappa 5 (Kelly 6, 60), Dann 6, Delaney 6, Ward 6; Puncheon 6 (Sanogo, 70), McArthur 6, Ledley 6; Mutch 6 (Murray, 61), Bolasie 5, Zaha 6.
Substitute not used: Hennessy (gk), Hangeland, Jedinak, Chung-Yong.
Referee: K Friend
Man of the match: Terry
Match Rating: 6
Booked:
Chelsea Ivanovic, Terry
Crystal Palace Mariappa, Dann
Attendance: 41,566
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Guardian:
Chelsea seal Premier League title as Eden Hazard sinks Crystal Palace
Chelsea 1 - 0 C Palace
Daniel Taylor at Stamford Bridge
As Eden Hazard celebrated the goal that would ultimately settle everything the outstanding performer in this season’s title race put his hand to his forehead and wiped his brow in a show of exaggerated relief.
Hazard had just seen possibly the most feeble penalty of his career come back off Julián Speroni, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper. He scored the rebound with an improvisational header and that was the moment Stamford Bridge could start to turn up the volume and soak in the club’s new status as champions of England.
Once again they were a good notch or two down on the level of performance seen before Christmas when Cesc Fàbregas played with such elegance, Diego Costa was battering opposition defences and there was undoubtedly a greater sense of adventure than during the last couple of months.
They are, however, so highly accomplished at getting to where they want to be and, in this case, that was a pitch covered in blue ticker-tape, all the usual victory songs booming out over the loudspeakers and the man with the microphone milking the moment. “Manchester United can’t catch us,” he began. “Manchester City can’t catch us. Arsenal can’t catch us.” Each sentence prompted a louder cheer than the one before.
In many ways it was the classic Chelsea performance that has been witnessed so many times lately: efficient, structured, methodical. John Terry showed again the remarkable influence he has on a team that never seem to be afflicted by nerves. Hazard flitted around dangerously and Fàbregas was never long off the ball.
They always kept half-a-dozen players behind the ball to protect themselves against the speed of Palace’s counter-attacking players and Mourinho’s substitutions late on told their own story. Kurt Zouma was brought on for Willian and Filipe Luís was introduced to replace Hazard. Chelsea ended up with six defenders on the pitch, two of them playing in midfield, and nothing else on their minds but to suffocate the game in its final moments. “Today was not a game to enjoy,” Mourinho said matter-of-factly. “Today was a day to finish the job.”
No doubt they will face more accusations of not winning thrillingly enough but do not presume that will bother Mourinho. “I think everyone knows we deserve this,” he said. “It’s just that somedon’t say it.”
His late changes also recognised the fact they were confronted by difficult opponents. Wilfried Zaha caused problems all afternoon and Palace matched their opponents until that moment a minute before half-time when Hazard played a one-two with Willian, darted between James McArthur and Adrian Mariappa and won a penalty that Alan Pardew summed up as a “nice piece of luck”. If Hazard was clipped it was mostly because he initiated the contact himself, already in midair. What looked a penalty at full speed looked considerably less so in slow motion.
Hazard’s penalty was struck so poorly that Speroni, having got his hands to the ball, might have made a better job of holding on to it. Instead the rebound popped up invitingly for Hazard to brace his neck muscles and score at the second attempt, showing great composure for someone who is hardly renowned for his heading ability.
Chelsea had not offered a great deal until that point other than a dipping free-kick from Didier Drogba that Speroni clawed away at the second attempt and a shot from Nemanja Matic towards the near post. Drogba and Willian had decent chances to soothe any lingering nerves in the second half but Chelsea always maintained a calculated measure of caution.
Mourinho’s first substitution had come at half-time, when he took off Juan Cuadrado and brought on Mikel John Obi to add more muscle and presence alongside Matic. Terry and Gary Cahill headed away just about everything and César Azpilicueta got tight to Zaha. “It’s what champions do,” Pardew said. “They don’t let you back in when they get the lead.”
Cuadrado had been thrust into the team after Ramires pulled out in the warm-up, feeling so unwell he was taken to hospital, but the £27m signing from Fiorentina has looked lost in his brief time at Chelsea and his struggles were in keeping with an occasionally laboured first half from Mourinho’s team. Terry’s sprawling block to turn away Jason Puncheon’s shot was also worthy of scrutiny given that the ball struck both his midriff and arm. Terry maybe deserves the benefit of the doubt after some exceptional defending to get his body in the way and the Chelsea captain was superb in the second half as Pardew’s team continued to attack with width and pace.
Unfortunately for Palace Yannick Bolasie’s element of surprise did not often catch out his opponents.
Mourinho looked tired in his press conference after a week in which he has also flown to Portugal because his father was having an operation. At the final whistle his first reaction was to go into the seats behind the dugout to find his family. But the man who is averaging a trophy every 34 games still managed to get the last word. This one came in the form of an old Portuguese saying – “Os cães ladram, mas a caravana passa”. It translates as dogs bark but the caravan keeps on.
It means to pay no attention to what people say – good advice when the Premier League trophy is on it way back to Stamford Bridge.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 0
Eden Hazard scores as hosts crowned Premier League champions
By Henry Winter
Chelsea’s players basked in the sunshine and the glow of title glory, their celebrations brief but emotional. “Manchester United can’t catch us, Manchester City can’t catch us, Arsenal can’t catch us,’’ screamed the Bridge announcer. “We are the champions.”
Staff immediately appeared with large boxes, handing out scarves and caps proclaiming Jose Mourinho’s side “champions 2015”. They had been expecting it. Everyone had. Crystal Palace tried to ruin the party but could not subdue Eden Hazard, the PFA Player of the Year who scored the decisive goal, or break down a defence organised with typical experience and expertise by John Terry.
Pumping from the speakers was the Bridge favourite “One Step Beyond”, fittingly for a manager and team always one step ahead of their rivals.
Chelsea deserve to be taken on an open-top bus ride while their supposed challengers deserve to be taken to task. Manchester City’s defence of their title has been anaemic.
Liverpool faded with Luis Suarez going to Barcelona, and Daniel Sturridge going lame. Arsene Wenger tried to belittle Mourinho and Chelsea, claiming that defending was “easy”, a mind-set helping explain why Arsenal have failed to nail down a title since 2004.
None of Arsenal’s back-four or keeper would get into Chelsea’s rearguard.
Chelsea’s title is a triumph for Mourinho’s tactical nous and his players’ individual abilities and collective willpower. They are a team in the true sense of the word, playing for each other, covering each other’s back. They stood strong when injuries bit during the second half of the season, and when Palace attacked strongly late on in the second half here.
When Palace’s last surge ebbed, and the game was won, the title secured, Mourinho turned to embrace his family. A sign of the occasion’s significance was the presence of his wife, Matilde, hardly a regular attendee. Mourinho is driven by this hunger for titles, for this gleaming proof of being the best strategist and motivator over 10 months.
This was his eighth league in 12 years, comprising two with Porto, two with Inter Milan and one with Real Madrid as well as three at the Bridge.
Mourinho looked out towards his partying players. The three who have started every Premier League game this season led the celebrations.
Branislav Ivanovic spearheaded the celebratory charge towards the Shed, followed by Hazard, clutching a scarf in his right hand, and Terry.
Then came Thibaut Courtois, Diego Costa in jeans and Cesc Fabregas, highlighted that this was also a victory for long-term planning with judicious strengthening last summer.
There was the return from Atletico Madrid of the battle-hardened Courtois, who made a vital save from Wilfried Zaha with eight minutes remaining.
Until troubled by injury, Costa was a wrecking ball of opposing defences. Fabregas was recruited to bring guile to midfield and has so far provided 17 assists, closing on Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20.
Fabregas possesses such composure and technique that the FA has used his style in educating younger players, particularly his ability to take the ball on the half-turn and always knowing its next destination. There were almost gasps of shock when Fabregas miscued a shot, following Didier Drogba’s lay-off after 35 minutes.
Drogba was immersed in the celebrations at the final whistle, his head swathed in a scarf with the “champions 2015” logo prominently at the front.
Nemanja Matic picked his way effortlessly through the blue streamers piling up on the pitch, just as the commanding Serb had advanced unchecked through opposing midfields this season.
Terry and a laughing Drogba gathered the players in a huddle, sharing the moment, a symbol of their collectivity that has served them so well during difficult moments this season. Terry and Hazard were the last players from the field, fittingly so as the team’s most important.
Terry stopped to talk to Sky Sports, managing to scratch an old wound called Rafa Benitez, the erstwhile interim manager, by noting that “one person said I couldn’t play twice in a week - he knows who he is”. Embodying the team’s craving for silverware, Terry has not missed a second of Premier League football this season.
Showing a touch of class, Terry then sent his condolences to Rio Ferdinand following the death of the QPR defender’s wife.
Organising and intercepting, Chelsea’s captain has embodied their drive in recent weeks, leading to some observers to campaign for him to be voted Footballer of the Year.
The 34-year-old, playing his 46th game of the season, did get caught out, tugging back James McArthur after 37 minutes and being cautioned. Palace fans promptly denigrated Terry. “He’s won more than you,’’ chorused the Chelsea fans. He’s won 14 major trophies.
Yet there is surely the more convincing claim of Hazard, who has scored and created at key moments of the season, whose dangerous dribbling has seen him fouled more times than any other player this season. He scored his 14th Premier League goal of the campaign on the cusp of half-time, putting Chelsea on the brink of nirvana.
He engineered the opportunity with a pass in to Willian on the edge of the area before running on, taking the Brazilian’s elegant back-heeled return in his scampering stride.
To Palace’s disgust, Hazard then fell to earth as he sped between Adrian Mariappa and McArthur. First challenged by Mariappa, Hazard appeared to push his knee towards McArthur, tumbling under the slightest of contact.
The penalty certainly came in the “soft” category.
So did Hazard’s kick, the ball planted gently towards Julian Speroni.
The Palace keeper saved and then threw himself to his right, seeking to protect the more exposed part of his goal. Intelligently and calmly, Hazard headed the ball back across Speroni and in. Any surprise at Hazard’s first Premier League penalty miss in 10 attempts was soon lost amidst admiration for his nerveless reaction to his a mistake.
There was a legacy from the incident, notably Palace fans chanting “he’s going to dive in a minute” whenever the Belgian gained possession in the second half. Yet Hazard, as well as Fabregas, Willian and Costa, are the vibrant human counterpoint to the laughable criticism that Chelsea are “boring”.
Mourinho mocked the howls of disparagement with his pithy “the dogs bark and the caravan goes by”. The big blue machine rolls on, ignoring the yapping.
Chelsea fans were too busy singing in the second half, praising everyone from Peter Osgood to Frank Lampard, Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and “there’s only one Di Matteo”. They also hailed Roman Abramovich and Mourinho.
Some supporters wore T-shirts adorned by a photograph of Mourinho in the driving seat of a bus and the message “he parks where he wants”. Yet Chelsea have been much more than park the bus, or the caravan.
Mourinho’s side had been a joyous, mobile force for half the season.
The epithets were relentlessly flattering when Fabregas played what is still one of the passes of the season to Andre Schurrle on the opening weekend at Turf Moor, when Chelsea prevailed 6-3 at Goodison Park in a game widely acclaimed as a “thriller”, and when they beat Spurs 3-0 at home to the accompaniment of gushing headlines. Chelsea have contributed some of the high points of an admittedly average season.
When Hazard and Terry eventually reached the dressing-room, Fabregas was standing in the middle, punching the air. Terry was soon spraying champagne while Gary Cahill waved his arms manically like a traffic cop at Hyde Park Corner in rush hour. “Campeones” they sang.
So what now? There will be the guard of honour from Steven Gerrard and the Liverpool players here next Sunday, the trip to West Brom and then, finally, the lifting of the Premier League trophy after the game with Sunderland here on May 24.
There will be the parade the following day and then the preparations for next season. It would be good to see youth given its head, drawing on the excellent development work of Neil Bath and his staff.
Even if Dominic Solanke and Izzy Brown go out on loan, intensifying the maturing process, Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks ready for the challenge.
Mourinho predicted that the energetic central midfielder will cause “a big surprise” in the Premier League next season. Chelsea’s own success this season comes as no big surprise. Others need to respond.
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Mail:
Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace
Blues clinch Premier League title as Eden Hazard heads home after seeing initial penalty saved
By MATT BARLOW
By the end of the day, all those in Chelsea blue had what they came for and Roman Abramovich was waving and smiling down from his executive seat.
When you see Abramovich crack his surly Russian visage and display such emotion, you are witnessing a special moment, and here was his fourth Barclays Premier League title in 12 years since buying the club.
It ends a wait of five years and was clinched with three games to spare, thanks to a goal from Eden Hazard, who nodded in the rebound of a poor penalty he had seen saved, just before half-time.
Chelsea had to dig in and defend but Jose Mourinho's team do this so well. They produced another clean sheet and the best team in the land are the champions.
Out came the streamers and that song by Queen. Champagne corks popped and the bubbly was sprayed, scarves were wrapped around heads and players slid across the turf on their bellies. Messages, photographs and videos started to fly from their social media accounts.
The DJ moved onto 'One Step Beyond', a ska anthem of celebration at Stamford Bridge and it all began to sink in: a first Premier League title for many of the squad, including Hazard.
He was an appropriate match-winner on such a day, although his scruffy goal came with accusations that he dived for the penalty and there were uneasy moments when the coronation party seemed about to fall flat.
Mourinho's touchline activities provided a strange side-show. At times he sulked moodily, clearly dissatisfied with the support of the home crowd for his team, while seeming to court the noisy Palace fans in the Shed End.
The Chelsea manager ignored those in the Matthew Harding Stand when they sang his name and then seemed to react angrily when they sang Frank Lampard's.
'It was not a game to enjoy,' said Mourinho, who has been under added stress since his father, Felix, suffered a brain haemorrhage, last week. He dashed to Portugal by private plane after winning at Leicester, returned to the club and made another flying visit home on Friday.
'I was there with him at the most difficult moment, the moment of surgery,' he added. 'After that, everything is under control. He is getting strong and better and I am much more relaxed.'
On Sunday his wife Matilde was in the crowd. She rarely comes to watch but this was a special occasion and Mourinho went straight to her on the final whistle.
Palace made Chelsea sweat for the points, but these players have been injected with the sort of brutal mentality which is the hallmark of Mourinho's teams.
When not playing fluently, they still find a way to win. Rather than snipe and whinge about their style of football, his rivals might prefer to adopt this quality which Chelsea have boasted since he built his first team at the Bridge.
It has been most evident in the title run-in, when Mourinho's small squad was beset by injuries, most notably to top-scorer Diego Costa. Oscar was missing on Sunday and Ramires was taken ill during the warm-up and sent to hospital, which catapulted Juan Cuadrado into the team.
Cuadrado has not found his stride since arriving from Fiorentina in January and he struggled again. He did not make it past half-time. John Obi Mikel replaced him, the first of several defensive shifts from Chelsea.
By the end, Mourinho had six recognised defenders on the pitch protecting the one-goal lead plus midfield enforcers Mikel and Nemanja Matic.
Palace can be flattered. They had performed well, initially offering stubborn resistance which played on frayed nerves inside Stamford Bridge and then threatening on the break until the final seconds of the game.
Goalkeeper Julian Speroni denied Matic and Didier Drogba before Hazard won the penalty, threading a pass to Willian, collecting the return and wriggling into the box from his usual berth, wide on the left.
James McArthur closed him down and tried to pull out of the tackle but Hazard forced the contact. At real-speed, it seemed a penalty and referee Kevin Friend gave it in a flash. On the slow-motion replays, it looked more like Hazard had engineered it.
The Belgian put the ball on the spot and took it himself, but his kick was tame and easily saved by Speroni. It was the first time Hazard had missed from the spot in the Premier League, but this one looped up, straight onto his head.
Hazard seized this second chance. He buried a header inside the post and ran off to soak up the applause while mopping his brow in mock relief.
Palace fans were in no doubt what they thought. Hazard's first touch of the second-half was greeted with a chorus of: 'He's gonna dive in a minute.'
Pardew refused to wade into controversy on Chelsea's day of celebration, but he thought his team deserved a penalty for handball against John Terry as he blocked a fierce drive by Jason Puncheon when the game was goalless.
'They're difficult once they go ahead,' said the Palace boss. 'That's what champions do, they don't let you back in once they take the lead. They've had two defeats all season and they've done the job. That's why this guy earns the money he earns. He wins trophies and he'll win the manner he sees fit for the occasion.'
Chelsea could not find a second to soothe the nerves. Increasingly desperate efforts came in from increasingly ambitious angles but it was Puncheon who came closest to changing the result, with another flashing effort which zipped inches wide.
When Thibaut Courtois blocked the final effort at Wilfried Zaha's feet to preserve the slender lead it seemed like the best way to cross the line: goal conjured by Hazard, followed by a solid display of defensive might.
Chelsea are champions. Worthy champions, it has to be said. More than one step beyond.
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Mirror:
Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace: Blues secure the Premier League title in true Mourinho fashion
By John Cross
Mourinho's side may have finished the game with three defensive midfielders on the pitch, but they also finished it as champions of England
Jose Mourinho is only interested in winning trophies not popularity contests. He did not even join his players for the joyous blue ticker-tape celebrations on the pitch after Chelsea were finally crowned Premier League champions.
Instead, the Portuguese went to his son and then his wife and daughter, who were sitting near the dugout before heading down the tunnel.
It almost felt like Mourinho was determined to miss his own parade as the Chelsea boss did not look to be in the mood to party with the rest of Stamford Bridge.
In fairness, his father has been ill and last week the manager flew back to Portugal to be at his bedside.
But it was more than that. Mourinho clearly wasn’t happy, rarely have we seen a title manager look so sullen and even seemed to turn on Chelsea’s fans as at times it did seem rather quiet and flat.
He is all about winning and his demeanour at Stamford Bridge was almost a sense of disbelief at Chelsea not getting the credit they deserve.
Forget style, thrills and spills. Enjoy the glory.
The Blues were the best team by far in the first half of the season, playing free-flowing
football which entertained us all. And no one should blame them for the poor title race. Blame the rest.
The last few weeks of the season has been an uncomfortable stumble over the finishing line as the west Londoners have run out of gas.
Victory here even felt strangely unsatisfying as they had to rely on a moment of controversy to accomplish it.
PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard won a penalty, had it saved and then headed in the rebound. But Palace were incensed and their travelling fans made it clear they felt Hazard had dived under James McArthur’s 44th-minute challenge.
They chanted “cheat” at the Belgium international in amongst songs about the lack of atmosphere at Stamford Bridge during the game.
Mourinho seemed to love the Palace fans.
At one point he turned to them, acknowledged their loud singing, then looked at the Matthew Harding Stand before turning to the bench and said, “Nothing.”
Just before half time, the boss even mocked his own fans by pretending to fall asleep while he appeared to turn away in disgust and mouth obscenities during the second half when they started singing about Frank Lampard.
Mourinho has no time for sentiment, he is only interested in winning.
And the fact not everyone appreciates Chelsea or understands his philosophy, seems to have really upset him.
But he has the medals to prove his brilliance.
This is his third Premier League title from his two spells in west London and he has also won titles at Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
His teams just know how to win and never has that been more true than here as it was a forgettable game but they got the three points – and clinched the title.
The Blues offered little in the first half as twice Julian Speroni’s poor handling nearly gifted chances.
The Palace keeper’s poor punch almost let in Nemanja Matic and then he spilled Didier Drogba’s fierce free-kick.
The Eagles grew in confidence as the half wore on and boss Alan Pardew was convinced his team should have had a penalty when John Terry’s arm blocked from Jason Puncheon.
But Chelsea got a lucky break. Hazard broke forward from the left, swapped passes with Willian, then went down as McArthur and Adrian Mariappa tried to block him off.
Referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot, Hazard’s poor penalty was saved by Speroni but the ball spun up into the air and the No.10 headed home the rebound.
Palace had a couple of second-half chances but it was almost inevitable Chelsea went on to grind out a 1-0 win to clinch the title. But no one should dispute that they are worthy champions.
Mourinho certainly doesn’t care how they won. Just as long as they did.
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Express:
Chelsea 1 - Crystal Palace 0: Hazard goal seals Premier League title with 3 games to spare
IN THE END, at the moment of triumph, he turned to reach into the crowd to embrace his son, and then his wife and daughter.
By TONY BANKS
He had already shaken his opposite number Alan Pardew’s hand – before the final whistle, in fact. But then, as Stamford Bridge exploded with joy, came Jose Mourinho’s group hug with the family, the nearest and dearest.
And then, as the players collapsed to the turf in joy, as the ticker tape and streamers poured down onto the pitch, as the crowd sang and danced in the stands, he disappeared down the tunnel.
The third Premier League triumph with Chelsea, the eighth of his career in four countries in the space of 12 years. Mourinho had said earlier in the week that he would only celebrate for five minutes, and would then get on with planning next season. He was as good as his word.
This one though was special, for the Special One, as he had also admitted. He had come back to the club he loved, when they always say you should never go back, and he had rebuilt in two years a team that could win the title again.
In truth, despite the euphoria, despite the sheer joy when it finally happened, this was a rather mundane final clinching of the crown.
A scrappy, tense game, settled, fittingly by Chelsea’s (and everyone else’s) player of the season, Eden Hazard, who nodded home the rebound after Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni had saved his 43rd minute penalty.
It was a slightly fortunate penalty anyway, the Belgian going down rather too easily under James McArthur’s challenge – though there was contact.
Crystal Palace had fought hard, right to the very nervous end, and had created several good chances but Mourinho had ruthlessly locked the game down as he threw on defenders to protect the lead as the game wore on.
It was job done. It usually is with Mourinho. But Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was beaming in delight from the stands along with the delirious fans, and really, this morning, who can argue with that?
Chelsea have won the league with three games to spare and at this moment in time are 13 points ahead of Manchester City, the defending champions, who are in second spot.
They have lost only two games, the last of those on New Years’ Day, and they scored 69 goals, only one team in the league scoring more.
They have been the best team in the league since they hit the ground running at Burnley on the opening day – and they had never let up.
It was, in many ways, a performance typical of this long campaign. With Ramires dropping out in the warm up through illness, winger Juan Cuadrado made a rare start. Palace were organised and motivated and gave Chelsea little room, as Cuadrado and Didier Drogba, who again played the full 90 minutes at the age of 37, each fired in long range efforts.
Skipper John Terry blundered but redeemed himself by blocking Jason Puncheon’s shot, but then came the breakthrough, courtesy of the magic little Belgian Hazard – as it so often has in the latter stages of this long campaign. Chances were actually few and far between as Palace closed down the spaces, but Puncheon will feel he should have levelled the scores when he shot wide.
After Branislav Ivanovic and Drogba both missed chances, Chelsea had goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for keeping their lead intact when he dashed out to foil Wilfried Zaha.
On went Kurt Zouma, and then Filipe Luis, to protect what they had. There were nerves as Palace pressed, but this defence has been good for Chelsea in recent weeks, and it was again. Only one goal conceded in their last five games.
Family has been important for Mourinho this past week, with his father, Jose Mourinho Felix, having had surgery last week.
The Chelsea manager had flown out after Wednesday’s win at Leicester to be at his bedside, and Jose Senior is now recuperating. It was to his closest that he had again turned yesterday.
In Mourinho’s first spell in charge, Chelsea won back to back titles in 2005 and 2006. He has already said it will be very hard to repeat that feat. You would not bet against him.
And of course, there was another family round him right at the end. Terry, still there after all those year, and somehow Drogba. Still fighting for him, right until the very last.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 7; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Fabregas 7, Matic 7; Cuadrado 6 (Mikel 46 6), Willian 7 (Zouma 85 6), Hazard 8 (Luis 90 6); Drogba 7. Booked: Ivanovic, Terry. Goal: Hazard 44. Next Up: Liverpool (a) Sunday PL.
C Palace (4-4-2): Speroni 6; Mariappa 6 (Kelly 60 6), Dann 6, Delaney 7, Ward 7; Puncheon 7 (Sanogo 71 6), Ledley 6, McArthur 7, Zaha 7; Mutch 6 (Murray 60 6), Bolassie 7. Booked: Dann, Mariappa. Next Up: Man Utd (h) May 9 PL.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicester).
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Star:
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 0: Hazard header secures title for Blues
BE HONEST. You didn’t expect a feast of goals, did you?
By Paul Brown
Chelsea are champions – and how ironic the goal that finally clinched it would come from a penalty.
Jose Mourinho has spent all season complaining his side never get them, ever since Diego Costa was denied one in their opening game against Burnley.
But they got one here, and even though Eden Hazard only scored it on the rebound after his initial kick was saved, it was enough to clinch the championship.
Like Floyd Mayweather against Manny Pacquiao, Chelsea did just enough.
They don’t call Mayweather ‘Money’ for nothing, and just like the unbeaten welterweight champion, Chelsea did what they do best and ground it out.
Mourinho’s men have only been beaten twice all season. They haven’t tasted defeat at Stamford Bridge once.
They saw it out as they have much of the latter part of the season – defending their own goal. But Chelsea fans won’t care. Five years without a title is a long time for a club like this.
Crystal Palace helped kill off Liverpool’s title dream last season. But try as they might they couldn’t land a knockout blow to spoil the home side’s party.
It was the Chelsea that the critics love to hate for most of the game. Tough. Uncompromising. No-nonsense.
Football with a snarl.
Branislav Ivanovic angrily went head to head with Jordon Mutch after taking offence to a late tackle in a confrontation that seemed to sum it all up.
It’s foolish to call Chelsea boring. They’ve blown enough teams away this season to prove they are anything but that.
But this was far from pretty.
It was all niggly fouls and misplaced passes from both teams, with Hazard spending more time on his back than he did on the ball.
In between the ugly stuff Julian Speroni saved with his legs from Nemanja Matic and John Terry blocked a goalbound shot by Jason Puncheon with his hand.
But it was somehow fitting the breakthrough came from a controversial penalty after Willian played Hazard in on goal.
Adrian Mariappa gave him the slightest of shoves and Hazard, off-balance, jumped into a clumsy tackle by James McArthur.
It was probably a foul. But it was soft – and even then Hazard only scored with his head after Speroni saved his spot kick.
If there was one thing this game needed to get pulses racing it was surely not the sight of John Obi Mikel coming on at half time for Juan Cuadrado. But that’s what happened.
Palace made a game of it despite having little to play for, with Jason Puncheon fizzing a shot narrowly wide and Thibaut Courtois saving at the feet of Wilfried Zaha.
Willian, Didier Drogba and Matic all had half chances to score for the Blues, but as the time ticked slowly down the Bridge was strangely quiet.
Maybe it was the sight of the champions-elect defending their own penalty area in the dying minutes against a team in 12th place.
Maybe it was just that everyone knew this was coming weeks ago. Maybe it was the sight of full back Filipe Luis coming on for Hazard in stoppage time.
But even Roman Abramovich looked bored before breaking into a smile when referee Kevin Friend finally blew the final whistle to get the party started.
They are worthy champions.
But they didn’t play like it yesterday.
