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.”

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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.

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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

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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).

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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.

Tottenham 1-1

Independent;

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1 match report: All square in love and war for old allies

Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas share the points if not a drink as substitute Juan Mata turns the game and Jan Vertonghen does his  bit in Fernando Torres’s red card

By STEVE TONGUE

The compelling, if low-scoring, start to the Premier league season continued with all the fun of the derby fair here yesterday. It left these old rivals still up among the early leaders and both managers just about satisfied, given the controversial climax to a rollocking game. Had the Portuguese pair felt like discussing it all over a bottle of red, there would have been much to talk about, but Andre Villas-Boas’s need to fly to Oporto provided him with a diplomatic way out, in every sense. He did suggest they had at least swapped phone numbers.
Before leaving, Villas-Boas admitted with justification that Chelsea were the better team in the second half, which was clear to everyone in a packed stadium.
Jose Mourinho insisted that Chelsea would have won had Fernando Torres not been wrongly sent off, although there were only nine minutes plus added time left when he was dismissed for receiving a second card encouraged by Jan Vertonghen’s play-acting.
Visiting supporters pleased enough with the point against a team they never used to lose to were left to debate whether their manager had proved himself a genius of man-management or a fallible judge in his handling of Torres and Juan Mata, the latter having been omitted once again before coming on at half-time to effect a transformation.
Both players had been regularly left out until the Capital One Cup tie at Swindon in midweek, then told to go and prove themselves in Wiltshire. They did so to good effect and therefore earned a start and a substitution respectively here, in contrast to the disappointing Kevin de Bruyne and Willian, the Brazilian reported yesterday to have actually signed a contract with Tottenham before being snatched away by Chelsea.
Torres looked so sharp that it was impossible to see how Mourinho could have favoured the out-of-touch and out-of-shape Samuel Eto’o previously.  Mata was brought on for Jon Obi Mikel and immediately trusted to play the role he craves in the centre of midfield, pushing the normal occupant Oscar out to the left. That gave Chelsea the attacking midfield three that had changed round the fixture last season, when their team came from 2-1 down to win 4-2. If the transformation was similar this time, the result remained frustratingly different.
Early on, Christian Eriksen, one of the three Tottenham summer signings to start the game, had looked capable of becoming the dominant figure. He had a key role as Tottenham took the lead in the 22nd minute by finding another new man, Roberto Soldado, whose equally deft ball offered Gylfi Sigurdsson a chance. The Icelander hurdled John Terry’s desperate challenge and flicked his shot wide of Petr Cech.
If Paulinho, effective when going forward from midfield, had beaten Branislav Ivanovic to Soldado’s low cross shortly afterwards or put his shot just before half-time inside a post instead of against it, Chelsea might have been left with too much to do.
Villas-Boas felt that second effort was “the [key] moment of the game”. Chelsea had already begun to exert some pressure at last and Terry’s strong header wide from a long cross by Ramires was a sign of what was to come.
From the start of the second half Torres made increasingly strong runs, often prompted by Mata. Just after the hour Vertonghen committed a blatant foul to stop Ramires bursting through and from Mata’s free-kick Terry, just onside, glanced in a smart header. It was only the second goal Spurs had conceded in all competitions this season.
They would finish with five yellow cards, but Chelsea’s proved more crucial. Torres picked up one for tripping Vertonghen as part of their ongoing feud, then pushed his hand down the Tottenham defender’s face but escaped with no punishment. That may have been in Vertonghen’s mind when the pair contested a long ball with nine minutes left and the Belgian stayed down longer after minimal contact. This time Torres was off.
From there a disgusted Chelsea settled for a draw that was the least they deserved, although it was almost denied them twice in the last few minutes. Michael Dawson set up Sigurdsson, who drove wide a ball that sat up nicely for him; Jermain Defoe, on for Soldado, had the sort of chance he often puts away but hit it straight at Cech.
A winning goal to the home side would have been unjust, however, for all the impressive briskness of their start in which Andros Townsend and Kyle Walker, both watched by the England manager Roy Hodgson, had combined especially well down the right flank.
“Chelsea had the upper hand on counter-attacks and deserved their equaliser,” Villas-Boas admitted.
His former friend said: “The second half was the best we’ve played – a very good spirit, tactically well. Mata showed this is the way players have to say: ‘I want to play’. He did that with the effort he made against Swindon and the way he changed the second half. Now we have played away to two title contenders, Manchester United and Tottenham and got two points. The start has been difficult but we won’t be like the last two seasons, 15 and 20 points behind.”

Line-ups:
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton; Paulinho, Dembélé; Townsend (Chadli, 63), Eriksen (Holtby, 70), Sigurdsson; Soldado (Defoe, 77).

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, David Luiz, Terry, Cole; Mikel (Mata, HT), Lampard; Ramires, Oscar (Azpilicueta, 83), Hazard (Schürrle, 69); Torres.

Referee: Mike Dean.
Man of the match: Fernando Torres (Chelsea).
Match rating: 8/10

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tottenham-1-chelsea-1-the-premier-league-match-in-pictures-8846127.html

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

Observer:

Chelsea and John Terry draw at Tottenham Hotspur but Torres sees red
David Hytner at White Hart Lane

Where to start in this helter-skelter derby? Tottenham were impressive in the first half; they led deservedly and they might have been further in front at the interval. André Villas-Boas had suggested that this game could provide the barometer as to how his team would fare in this season's Premier League. It had looked ready to point to something encouraging. Playing like this, Tottenham had to be considered as title contenders.
But Chelsea roared back. Inspired by Fernando Torres, they drew level through the pantomime villain John Terry and they were set fair for victory. This team already has the mentality of champions and here was further evidence. There was drive, conviction and the sprinkling of magic, with José Mourinho particularly pleased with Juan Mata.
On as a half-time substitute, the midfielder, who has seemed to be out-of-favour, not only created the equaliser but gave his all for the team, initially from the left flank and, later, as the No10. Mourinho was so pleased that he said Mata would definitely start the important Champions League tie at Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday.
Torres, however, best summed up the topsy-turvy nature of the contest. He tangled repeatedly with Jan Vertonghen and, in the 51st minute, he put his hand to the Tottenham defender's face, drew his nails and scratched him.
This is what passes for tough-guy behaviour these days but it was spiteful and he was booked. Villas-Boas thought he might have been sent off.
Torres did depart prematurely but in contentious circumstances. He leapt into an aerial challenge with Vertonghen in the 81st minute, leading with his arm but making no contact with his opponent, who went down. Perhaps Torres's aggressive posture had influenced the referee, Mike Dean, or maybe karma was at work for the earlier scratch. Either way, Torres was stunned to receive the second yellow card. Eventually, he wandered off in a daze, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Mourinho fumed.
Tottenham finished on the front foot against the 10 men and they came close to nicking the victory, although that would have been extremely unfair on Chelsea and would most likely have plunged Mourinho into meltdown.
And for the final act of the on-field spectacle, before Mourinho made his bid for the headlines with a press conference that was pure theatre, we were treated to the sight of him and Villas-Boas apparently making their peace on the touchline. Briefly, there were respectful exchanges.
The showdown between the pair, between master and pupil, and two men whose friendship is very much in the past tense had been the principle sub-plot and their pre-match handshake – entirely perfunctory and lacking any positive feeling – appeared to frame the 90 minutes.
This was a derby in which the animosity bubbled, where the intensity was tangible and the margins were suffocatingly tight. Mourinho had set up with Ramires on the right flank to be compact, to stifle Tottenham, but Villas-Boas could punch the air when his team found the early breakthrough.
The creation was all about the balance of Christian Eriksen and the touch of Roberto Soldado. Eriksen was signed after Tottenham lost Willian to Chelsea and it felt ironic that, as the Dane probed, Willian was not even in the Chelsea squad. The Brazilian's start at Stamford Bridge has been inauspicious.
Eriksen slipped away from Frank Lampard and pinged the ball to Soldado, who laid off first-time for Gylfi Sigurdsson. Terry stretched to tackle but was too late and Sigurdsson wriggled away to squeeze a left-footed shot past the advancing Petr Cech.
It was a gripping game, heavy on technical quality and latent menace from the creative players. Tottenham had the first-half stars in Eriksen, Paulinho and Andros Townsend, even if the latter erred with a dive that earned him one of Tottenham's five yellow cards. Branislav Ivanovic denied Paulinho following Soldado's cross while on the stroke of half-time Paulinho clipped the outside of the near post after fine work from Kyle Walker and Townsend. Villas-Boas would lament that moment.
Chelsea were off-colour in the first half, even though Eden Hazard flickered, but they raised their levels. Torres crackled to life; at times, he was unplayable, showcasing his strength and explosive movement. His cross narrowly eluded Oscar while, after beating Michael Dawson, he was thwarted by Hugo Lloris.
The equaliser came when Terry muscled in to glance home Mata's free-kick – the captain gestured in his celebration at the Tottenham fans, who had baited him relentlessly – and Chelsea looked like the only team that would win. The substitute André Schürrle, released by Torres, was denied by the out-rushing Lloris.
Yet the pendulum swung upon Torres's dismissal and Tottenham nearly stole it through first Jermain Defoe, another substitute, who was released by the excellent Mousa Dembélé, and then Sigurdsson, whose fine volley from the edge of the area flew just wide.
Mourinho would have taken the point beforehand and he certainly would have done at half-time. By the end, he was not so sure.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2013/sep/28/premier-league-tottenham-chelsea-pictures

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

Telegraph:

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1
By Jason Burt

This was an encounter of the highest technical quality and an even higher tetchy quality. Scratch below the surface – as Fernando Torres attempted to by grabbing Jan Vertonghen’s face – of a hurly-burly London derby and here are two genuine Premier League contenders.
For Chelsea the second-half was their best 45 minutes of the season, which is ominous for the rest of the division, while for Spurs there is a growing belief that a top four finish is attainable and with it Champions League qualification. And maybe more.
It was the game of two halves, quite literally as the cliché goes. Spurs dominated the first, Chelsea claimed the second. The game-changer? Well it had to be – and it was – Juan Mata who came on at half-time and as he had done at White Hart Lane 12 months ago ran the show.
How galling that must have been for Andre Villas-Boas who brought the Spaniard to Chelsea and has then looked on perplexed as he has been deemed second-choice, at present, by Jose Mourinho who has publicly questioned his work rate.
But then, of course, Villas-Boas and Mourinho have their differences. As have been well chronicled. Sorcerer and apprentice; master and upstart and all eyes were on the pair prior to kick-off as they prowled by the side of the pitch appearing to be separated by an imaginary exclusion zone.
There was a handshake – lukewarm – and a brief exchange of words afterwards and the upshot of which was that Villas-Boas could not stop and chat as he had a plane to catch back to Porto for his, and Mourinho’s, former club’s anniversary celebrations.
He will have clinked glasses a little more heartily had Spurs held on for the win and though Mata’s introduction did make a significant difference, while Mourinho argued that Torres’s dismissal killed the momentum his team was gathering to win the game, there was another crucial moment.
It came just before half-time when Spurs midfielder Paulinho, who along with Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend had been the dominant figure in the first period, broke through and struck an angled shot which clipped a post. Had he scored then it could have been game-over as Villas-Boas ruefully commented.
“That was the moment of the game,” he said. “That could have put us in a very, very good position and we deserved that for the first half we played. The second half was not well played by both teams but Chelsea looked very strong on the counter-attack and deserved the point.”
They did. Mourinho made his tactical alterations by moving Ramires into the centre for the static, ineffective John Obi Mikel – another big decision in an enthralling matchup.
For the way he has brought this Spurs team together with gifted players comfortable in possession Villas-Boas deserves huge credit. With his continuing ability to manage games then so does Mourinho who appeared uncomfortable as his team were swamped during that first period.
Spurs’ goal oozed quality as Eriksen’s sharp turn left Frank Lampard floundering before he clipped the ball into the feet of Roberto Soldado. His lay-off to Gylfi Sigurdsson was marginally short but he rode John Terry’s challenge to then poke the ball past the advancing Petr Cech.
Chelsea were carved open again – with Townsend finding Soldado and Paulinho running in the expectation to tap home only for Branislav Ivanovic to intervene. Mourinho appeared intent on encouraging his players to hit long balls over the top to try to use Torres’ pace and the striker grew in influence. It was possibly his best game for Chelsea even if he did not trouble Spurs’ goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
That switched with the Mata switch. Torres broke clear, running past Vertonghen but Oscar, on the stretch, could not connect properly with his sweeping cross and then there was another thrilling run by the Spaniard as he wove his way past Michael Dawson into the penalty area. Lloris smothered with a fine save but Torres was, clearly, up for it.
Perhaps his blood was up too much. A keen battle with Vertonghen was turning into something more spiteful and both players were guilty to varying degrees with pushes and shoves, trips and pokes and then that scratch. Just as that was in danger of becoming a distraction, Chelsea equalised. Of course the assist came from Mata.
Vertonghen scythed down Ramires – yet another yellow card – and Mata’s flighted ball was met by Terry, who had wasted an earlier header, but who was not tracked by Dawson and his faintest flick beat Lloris. Chelsea were, most certainly, in the ascendancy now with another fine save by Lloris, this time denying substitute Andre Schurrle after he was played in, again, by Torres. The French goalkeeper’s speed off his goal-line and anticipation ranks him among the very best.
Both managers rang through the changes but Torres’ dismissal stalled Chelsea. Suddenly Spurs sensed they could hit back and, twice, substitute Jermain Defoe went close – shooting weakly at Cech and then running across goal only for his driven effort to be deflected narrowly wide.
The tension grew and there was one last chance which fell to Sigurdsson who collected Dawson’s pass just outside the area, swivelled and shot. Cech was wrong-footed but the ball sailed, just, past his post.
“The attention should not be drawn to the managers but to the game and it was a difficult, hard battle between two teams who wanted to with this game,” Villas-Boas said. “It was a fair result.” But not one contested in the fairest of atmospheres.

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

Mail:

Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1: Terry cancels out Sigurdsson opener before Torres sees red

By ROB DRAPER

In the end, honours were even, egos remained intact and reputations were salvaged - and that was just the managers.
Amid the sideshow, an excellent match broke out, with sub-plots aplenty. Tottenham looked to be establishing credentials as genuine title contenders before Chelsea produced their best football of this Jose Mourinho era and almost won the game.
David Luiz returned but it was the introduction of Juan Mata - finally - at half-time that coincided with a shift in the balance of power.
Fernando Torres was excellent - indeed, it was quite a day for the Mourinho outcasts - until he was sent off after 81 minutes. That decision seemed harsh but Torres was earlier spared when he appeared to scratch Jan Vertonghen’s face.
All that, and outbreaks of superb football from both sides.
From Spurs there was one such move on the stroke of half-time. Kyle Walker backheeled the ball to the excellent Andros Townsend, who dummied and found Paulinho, who in turn struck a post. It exemplified the strides Spurs have been making - glorious, sweeping football that would have graced the best teams.
It was also, for Andre Villas-Boas, a pivotal incident.
‘I think it was the moment of the game,’ he said. ‘Had that gone in it could have put us in a very good position and I think we deserved that for the first half we played.’
But then came Mata and an entirely different Chelsea emerged.
‘I think he changed the game,’ said Villas-Boas. ‘He probably had the impact Chelsea and Jose wanted.’
Indeed, Mata appears to have redeemed himself and he will soon be back as an automatic starter.
‘I think this is the way the players should say, “I want to play!”,’ said Mourinho. ‘Conversations with you [the Press] is not good; the agent saying “blah, blah, blah” is not good.
‘This is good: the effort he made against Swindon and the way he changed the team in the second half. Because of that I’m a very happy manager to say two days in advance he will play against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League.’
It was not all Mata. Ramires switched into John Obi Mikel’s holding midfield role and suddenly there was zest, bite and invention in  Chelsea’s game. Torres was as much at the heart of the recovery as Mata, his running duel with Vertonghen a function of his appetite for victory.
Still, the Spaniard was fortunate not to receive a red card after a  confrontation in the 51st minute.
Torres tripped the Belgian and then appeared to scratch the player. But he received a yellow card only for the trip and the second caution seemed an honest attempt to head the ball that resulted in a coming together with the Belgian.
Both fell to the floor dramatically but Mourinho reserved his wrath for Vertonghen. Mourinho felt it cost his side a chance to win the game. ‘We were much, much better and they were in trouble,’ he said, not unreasonably. But he was honest about their first-half shortcomings.
‘We have to keep working,’ he said. ‘Some qualities of some players we cannot change. We have to try to hide our weak points and bring up the situations where we are good.’
For 45 minutes it looked as if a younger, more muscular and energetic prototype was demonstrating its superiority over a tired, jaded model. Villas-Boas was looking the innovator, the likely victor.
Fernando Torres earned plenty of sympathy after being sent off following a clash with Jan Vertonghen — but he could have been dismissed half an hour earlier.
A running battle between Torres and Vertonghen finally boiled over in the 50th minute, when the Chelsea striker tripped the Belgian. Vertonghen was furious, squared up to the Spaniard who then appeared to scratch the Spurs player. But Torres was only booked for the original trip.
Tottenham’s goal was symptomatic of all that was good in their play. Christian Eriksen, dominant before fading amid Chelsea’s renaissance, turned away from Frank Lampard to create space and play in Roberto Soldado, who held the ball up for Gylfi Sigurdsson. With John Terry stretching to intervene, Sigurdsson took a touch and smashed the ball home.
The equaliser, when it came, was initiated by Mata’s beautifully floated free-kick which was met with the most traditional of English thumping headers by Terry.
Hugo Lloris saved well from Andre Schurrle after 77 minutes and only when Torres left did Spurs recover. Sigurdsson fired over and, at the death, substitute Jermain Defoe had a chance to win it but saw his shot deflected wide.

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Walker 7, Dawson 6, Vertonghen 6, Naughton 7; Paulinho 6, Dembele 8; Townsend 7 (Chadli 62, 5), Eriksen 6 (Holtby 69, 5), Sigurdsson 6; Soldado 6 (Defoe 76, 6)
Subs not used: Friedel, Chirches, Lamela, Sandro

Booked: Townsend, Eriksen, Vertonghen, Dawson, Dembele
Goal: Sigurdsson 20.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Luiz 6, Terry 7, Cole 6; Mikel 5 (Mata 46, 7), Lampard 6; Ramires 8, Oscar 5 (Azpilicueta 82), Hazard 5 (Schurrle 69, 4); Torres 7

Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cahill, Essien, Eto'o.
Booked: Torres, Ivanovic
Sent off: Torres
Goal: Terry 65.
Ref: Mike Dean

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

Mirror:

Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea: John Terry header secures a point for Blues as Torres sees red
By Matt Law

The Spaniard was given a second yellow for an innocuous challenge after Terry cancelled out Gylfi Sigurdsson's opener
The claws had been out all week between Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese men at war struck a temporary truce at White Hart Lane, but Chelsea striker ­Fernando Torres could not resist a swipe of his own.
Torres was fortunate to get away with scratching Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.
But he was not so lucky in the final 10 minutes, when referee Mike Dean showed the Spaniard a second yellow card for an aerial clash with the Belgian.
Replays showed that Torres had not connected with an elbow, despite the fact that Vertonghen clutched his face in supposed agony.
Chelsea boss Mourinho said: “The player had his hands on his face pretending there had been a violent action.
“It was a situation where the player was not helping the referee.
“It was not a wrong ­decision because the referee trusted the player. The player looked like he needed to go to hospital with a broken bone, but you see the replays and there is nothing.”
The battle between Torres and Vertonghen was far more fierce than anything that went on between Villas-Boas and Mourinho.
The pair shook hands before kick-off and at the final whistle, and both men seemed satisfied with a point.
Mourinho can perhaps claim a small victory in the fact he changed the game with the introduction of Juan Mata, who inspired a second-half fightback from the Blues.
But it was Villas-Boas who had got his starting line-up spot on as Spurs dominated the first half and could have gone in a couple of goals ahead.
Gylfi Sigurdsson opened the scoring in the 19th minute, following good work from Christian Eriksen.
The Dane escaped Frank Lampard and played the ball into Roberto Soldado, who pushed it through for Sigurdsson.
He evaded an attempted challenge from John Terry and left Petr Cech with no chance.
Villas-Boas jumped from his seat in the dug-out and White Hart Lane erupted as Spurs sensed an opportunity to take advantage of ­Chelsea’s slow start.
Branislav Ivanovic came to Chelsea’s rescue four minutes later as he cut out a cross from Andros Townsend with Paulinho sliding in.
With England manager Roy Hodgson watching, Townsend produced a wonderful first-half performance that caused Ashley Cole plenty of problems.
It was Townsend who created the chance just before the break that Villas-Boas felt would have secured all three points for Spurs.
The winger freed Paulinho in the area, but, from a tight angle, the midfielder struck the outside of the post.
Mourinho needed to make a change and sent on Mata to replace John Obi Mikel at the start of the second half in a substitution that altered the course of the game.
But Torres could easily have left Chelsea with a mountain to climb just six minutes after the break when he first clashed with Vertonghen.
The Spanish international was booked for tripping the Spurs man and, as the pair squared up, Torres scratched Vertonghen’s face.
Referee Dean may not have seen the incident, which could yet lead to retrospective action from the FA – even though Torres was eventually given his marching orders.
While they still had 11 men, Chelsea bossed the second half and it was no surprise that Mata had a hand in the 65th-minute equaliser.
Following a foul from Vertonghen on Ramires, Mata drifted a free-kick into the box and Terry rose to head past Hugo Lloris.
The Spurs keeper then had to race from his line to make a great save from substitute Andre Schurrle after the German had been sent through by Torres.
Chelsea looked likely winners before Torres got his marching orders.
Vertonghen landed in a heap, clutching his face after challenging for a ball with Torres and Dean sent him off.
The decision gave Tottenham a second wind and Sigurdsson almost clinched all three points with a looping volley that dropped just wide.


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

Express:

Tottenham 1 - Chelsea 1: John Terry gets Jose Mourinho off the hook

Jim Holden

THEY shook hands before the game. They shook hands afterwards. What mattered to the animated managers of Spurs and Chelsea was how their teams delivered a compelling match of style and skills, drama and controversy.
The first meeting of former close friends and now deadly rivals Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho was a showdown it was impossible to take your eyes off.
Spurs controlled the first half with a superior passing game and went ahead with a sublime goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Chelsea, presumably fired up by an emotional Mourinho team talk, bossed the second period with a performance of formidable power, equalising through captain John Terry and then hanging on for a point when striker Fernando Torres was sent off late in the game.
Nobody disputed that the fierce draw was a fair result over 90 minutes.
Everybody could see the decision to show Torres a second yellow card for an innocuous aerial challenge was daft. That sent Mourinho into typical manic verbal overdrive, accusing Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen of over-reacting to the incident and playing an unfair part in the dismissal of Torres.
What the Chelsea manager failed to mention was that Torres had been hugely fortunate to escape a straight red card half an hour earlier when TV pictures showed he grabbed the face of Vertonghen in far from gentlemanly fashion.
It’s funny how managers only see the things they want to see. Of course, it suits Mourinho to turn football matches into a morality play, often with a conspiracy theory at its heart. He’s a master of that blatant art.
Yesterday, though, the abiding memory will be of Mourinho’s team finding the very best of themselves in the second half and giving the kind of display that potential champions require. He had brought on Juan Mata as a half-time substitute, and the talent of the impish Spaniard improved the side. But it was the sheer desire and determination of the entire Chelsea side that gave them such strong control.
In the first half Mourinho had looked troubled on the touchline. In the second half he was a manager in command, just like the good old days.
It felt like a serious turning point for Chelsea after their stuttering start to the season.
Villas-Boas admitted that Chelsea would be happier with the result, and he will have been concerned with how Spurs were so severely knocked out of their elegant stride.
For 45 minutes they had been in charge, with Christian Eriksen and Moussa Dembele pulling the strings in midfield and Andros Townsend impressing with darting runs on the right flank, although not with a dive that earned him a yellow card.
Their goal came in the 19th minute, engineered by a sharp turn, the sharp thinking, and an even sharper pass from Eriksen.
That was tapped off by Roberto Soldado to Sigurdsson, who smuggled the ball into the net for a wonderful strike. A few minutes later only a last-ditch clearance from Branislav Ivanovic prevented a second goal after a thrilling Spurs move.
On the stroke of half-time they slashed through the Chelsea defence again, but Paulinho’s shot hit the post.
This proved to be the turning point.
Chelsea started to play instead of wasting possession with hopeless long balls – and their dynamism overwhelmed Spurs for long periods.
Torres was in outstanding form, running hard at the Tottenham defenders and playing with a combination of intensity and incisiveness rarely witnessed in a blue shirt.
He beat the home defence all by himself with one surging run, and was only foiled by a fine save from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
His personal battle with Vertonghen was robust, and maybe Torres was a little too motivated for his own good.
Torres set up Mata for a ‘goal’ that was correctly disallowed for offside, and it was Mata’s delightful curling free-kick that Terry guided into the net with a glancing header for Chelsea’s equaliser.
The red card for Torres, whatever the overall rights and wrongs, gave momentum back to Spurs for the final few minutes and the home side almost snatched victory.
Sigurdsson sent a shot dipping just over the bar, while substitute Jermain Defoe had a goal-bound effort deflected just wide.
Honours even then – and there was honour between the managers too as they set aside the pre-match verbal ding-dong and shook hands after the final whistle and spoke together out of view of the cameras.
Each could take some comfort from a match that revealed both teams have the potential to be title challengers this season.
“We should focus on the players, not the managers,” said Villas-Boas afterwards. He is surely right.

Ref: M Dean
Att: 35,857

TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton; Paulinho, Dembele; Townsend (Chadli 62), Eriksen (Holtby 69), Sigrudsson; Soldado (Defoe 77).
CHELSEA: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Mikel (Mata 46); Ramires, Oscar (Azpilicueta 83), Hazard (Schurrle 69); Torres.

MAN of MATCH: Fernando Torres – the Chelsea striker produced his most dynamic display in a long time.

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

Star:

Tottenham Hotspur 1 - Chelsea 1: Fernando Torres sees red in derby

SPANIARD Fernando Torres ­acted like a raging bull on the day peace broke out between the Portuguese Men at War.

By Tony Stenson

Well, kind of.
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas shook hands with his compatriot Jose Mourinho before and after the game – but at times there seemed to be more warmth in an ice cube than between the pair.
Torres supplied the heat by getting ­under the skin of Tottenham’s defenders with niggling tactics – but he also caught the eye of ­referee Mike Dean.
After being booked for a run-in with Jan ­Vertonghen, he kept chipping away and was eventually sent-off in the 80th minute for ­jumping into the big defender.
There did not seem to be much contact but Dean saw intent in the forward’s movement and had got fed-up with the player for continually arguing.
Torres’ stupid antics took the gloss off Chelsea’s storming fightback and ­deflected some of the attention away from the returning Juan Mata.
Coming on as a ­substitute in the second half, Mata transformed the game and proved again to Mourinho that he is far too valuable to be ­sitting on the bench.
The Chelsea boss said: “Mata played the way I have wanted him to play. He was a real game-changer. Will he play in the Champions League on Tuesday? Wait and see. But after losing at home to Basel in our opening game, it is vital we do not lose in Bucharest.”
At times on the touchline yesterday it was like watching synchronised dancing as both managers prowled, twisted, ­whistled, shouted and waved imaginary yellow cards.
They were watching a typical derby. It was fast, feisty and ­action-packed with moments of wonderful skills – with most of them coming from Spurs new-boy Christian Eriksen.
Chelsea defended solidly but did not have the quality or power in ­midfield ­during the first half to stem a tide that ­regularly rolled their way.
Spurs were ­dominant and Mourinho was finally forced to bring Mata into his side at the expense of John Obi Mikel at half-time.
“At times on the touchline yesterday it was like watching synchronised dancing as both managers prowled, twisted, ­whistled, shouted and waved imaginary yellow cards”
The Spain ace started wide right with Ramires going into the middle to add a snap that had previously been missing.
Mata soon had the ball in the net but that effort was rightly ruled out for ­offside. It did ensure that Chelsea kept momentum though.
Dwelling on the ball was often met with a meaty tackle and both sides occasionally went for the long ball to try to bypass the midfield. The first chance of the day fell to Frank Lampard but he whacked a 12th-minute shot over after good work by Torres and Eden Hazard.
But once Spurs settled they crafted moves with quality and class, with ­Eriksen behind most.
The dainty Dane orchestrated the ­opening goal in the 19th minute.
He wormed his way into Chelsea’s ­defence, slipped the ball to Roberto ­Soldado who then laid it into the path of Gylfi Sigurdsson who battled through a number of tackles to score.
Kyle Walker and Andros Townsend combined well in the 44th minute to split the Chelsea defence open and put Paulinho through, whose effort hit the post.
Mata’s arrival on to the pitch gave ­Chelsea brightness and quality that had been missing and he signalled his arrival by floating over the perfect free-kick for skipper John Terry, putting in another solid performance, to rise highest to head home in the 65th minute.
Chelsea’s ten men held out after Torres’ departure as Spurs launched a ­ferocious late rally that could have paid off if they had kept their nerve rather than whacking efforts from all angles.

Swindon 2-0

Independent:

Swindon 0 Chelsea 2

If Jose Mourinho's first spell in charge of Chelsea was synonymous with the era of the "untouchables", the theme since his return this summer has been more about the "undesirables".
Mourinho has never been shy in letting players know just who is not in his good books and there was an impressive cast list of victims for this Capital One Cup third-round tie. Chief protagonist was Juan Mata, Chelsea's Player of the Year as voted by the fans for the past two seasons, but surprisingly playing second fiddle to Oscar this term.
There were many other significant names playing a supporting role, including David Luiz, who was left out of the squad against Fulham at the weekend, and players who have seen little action at all, such as Michael Essien, Ryan Bertrand and Cesar Azpilicueta. This was their chance to prove a point in front of their harshest critic.
Mourinho admitted earlier in the week that he does not know what his best team is, so clearly some places in the first XI are still available. For the hosts, League One Swindon, it was an opportunity to add to the angst of these individuals and going into the game boasting a seven-month unbeaten home record certainly gave them cause for confidence.
As always in cup ties like this, the gulf in class on paper was vast. Chelsea made 10 changes to form their "B" team and yet it was worth around £185m in transfer fees. In contrast Swindon's starting XI cost £550,000 – just over three weeks' worth of Fernando Torres' wages.
For the opening quarter, it appeared as if the men in blue were failing their audition and Swindon were happy to capitalise. One strong tackle from Yaser Kasim demonstrated their hunger for the occasion and, unfortunately, brought a premature end to Marco van Ginkel's evening as he limped down the tunnel.
A nervous clearance straight into touch from debutant keeper Mark Schwarzer and a reckless casual back heel from Luiz sparked some sign of frustration from Mourinho on the sidelines. But there was too much quality on show for Chelsea to be subdued for long and it was Mata who typically provided the spark that had not only been missing on the night, but arguably for most of the season so far.
A sublime through ball for Torres put the striker in on goal and only a superb save from Wes Foderingham denied him. Just two minutes later, Foderingham made another fine stop from Mata, but the rebound ran kindly for Torres to stroke the ball into the empty net.
Torres, like Mata, has good reason to be upset, given that he is the only forward to have found the net for Chelsea this season and yet has also been left out in the cold following Samuel Eto'o's arrival. He also played a major part in Chelsea's second, setting up substitute Ramires, who was replaced at half-time by John Terry, to chip home neatly.
However a sloppy second-half showing, which included a Dany N'Guessan header for Swindon being ruled out for offside, may mean Mourinho will still call on the "A" team for the tougher test at Tottenham on Saturday.

Man of the match Torres.
Match rating 6/10.
Referee M Oliver (Northumberland).
Attendance 14,924.

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Guardian:

Chelsea's Fernando Torres starts destruction of Swindon Town ambitions

 Dominic Fifield at the County Ground

In the end a cast of Champions League and even World Cup winners, assembled at a cost of around £180m, eased beyond League One opposition although José Mourinho departed Wiltshire thinking less about what he had learned and more about what he had lost. Marco van Ginkel will undergo a scan on a potentially serious knee injury while Ramires is also doubtful for Saturday's trip to White Hart Lane. Progress came at a cost.
The Brazilian had replaced Van Ginkel, the youngster having collided with Alex Pritchard to limp from the fray within 10 minutes of the start. The coaching staff's initial assessment was pessimistic and his loss to potential ligament damage was compounded by that of Ramires at the interval, with the Brazilian suffering discomfort at the top of his thigh. "He'll be a major doubt for the Tottenham Hotspur game," confirmed the assistant first-team coach, Steve Holland. "So we've ended up with two potential casualties."
That represented unwelcome news on an evening that was supposed to be about swelling the manager's first-team options. Mourinho had billed this as an opportunity for those cast into the shadows to demand more time in the limelight and, albeit predictably, some of his more forward-thinking players excelled.
Juan Mata, on a third start under the Portuguese, will have enjoyed conjuring in the No10 role denied him in the first-choice lineup by Oscar, while Fernando Torres seared beyond his markers at times to score one goal and set up the other.
Yet those positives were rather dulled by the losses to injury, most likely leaving Frank Lampard and Mikel John Obi as starters at Spurs, with Swindon's refusal to wilt ensuring the contest ended more as an exercise in pragmatism. David Luiz was thrust into midfield to replace his compatriot and a disrupted back-line was occasionally undone by the home side's sprightly performance and reliant upon Chelsea's oldest debutant in Mark Schwarzer. The Australian's sure handling, denying Pritchard, Yaser Kasim and Dany N'Guessan, belied a man approaching his 41st birthday.
By then the game had been won with a couple of first-half goals, for all the home side's huff and puff thereafter, with Torres in particular having left the management possibly pondering his inclusion at White Hart Lane. The Spaniard had already benefited from one slipped pass from Mata, with Wes Foderingham summoning a fine reflex save, when Ramires' trademark leggy burst left Swindon defenders lunging in desperately. The Brazilian skipped eagerly across the penalty area then fed Mata. His shot was pushed away at full stretch by the goalkeeper, only for Torres to beat retreating markers to the ball and convert from a tight angle.
The £50m forward remains the only Chelsea striker to have registered this season, though it was the reminder that he can also supply when offered time and space that really took the breath away. His turn of pace and glorious pass for a rampaging Ramires moments later secured the win, the midfielder clipping over Foderingham to convert. "It's the speed at which they do everything, executing their passes and their runs," said the Swindon manager, Mark Cooper. "That's what gets them out of tight places and sets them apart."
Mata's display was encouraging in its own way, the staff quick to point to a tackle near the byline deep into stoppage time as evidence that the penny has dropped. "The message to all our attacking players from day one has been they need to contribute offensively in terms of production: making goals, scoring chances, being a threat, but also contributing out of possession and defending," said Holland.
"Juan's made Fernando's chance early on, was involved in the goal, and then in injury time he's conceded the final corner of the game supporting Ryan Bertrand at left-back, which is how he was all night.
"There's no such thing as a luxury player these days. You can perhaps carry a luxury player in certain fixtures, but not many. And at the business end in major trophies, playing Bayern Munich or Barcelona, you need 10 players who can all contribute out of possession.
"But we're very pleased with Juan's contribution, with and without the ball. Similarly, Fernando's scored, had two other good chances and worked very hard for the team all night. That's the standard we're looking for across every position."
Those constituted the positives. The rather slapdash nature of Willian's display, the loss of one young fringe player and the potential absence of a key midfielder at Spurs represented a grimmer reality.


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Mirror:

Swindon 0-2 Chelsea: Juan Mata and David Luiz star as Blues cruise into fourth round

Jose Mourinho was proved wrong by Juan Mata and David Luiz on Tuesday night.
The Chelsea boss had urged the pair to respond on the pitch after being dropped from the first team.
They did, showing they are too good not to be in Mourinho’s starting XI for more challenging competitions than this.
Fernando Torres and Ramires were the scorers but it was Mata who ran the show to ensure there was no giant-killing at the County Ground.
Mata and Luiz were recalled to a starting line-up which cost £182m even if a Capital One Cup tie against League One opposition felt a long way from Champions League nights.
Swindon quickly tried to make their mark and Marko Van Ginkel was forced off early on after heavy challenges in midfield. He was replaced by Ramires. But if Robins boss Mark Cooper hoped that might put the frighteners on Mourinho’s men he misjudged Mata’s determination to prove his point.
The brilliant Spaniard was instrumental for the Blues and was in the mood to show the Special One he should still be the main man at Stamford Bridge. Mata’s superb pass released Torres in the 27th minute but the striker was denied by keeper Wes Foderingham.
Two minutes later, Mata was again involved. This time he latched onto a Ramires pass and when Foderingham made another fine save, Torres tapped in the rebound.
Chelsea assistant first-team coach Steve Holland admitted he had been impressed by Mata on the night: "He made Fernando's chance and was involved in the goal. Those two moments - goal-making and goal-scoring actions.
"And then in injury time he's conceded the final corner of the game supporting Ryan Bertrand in the left-back spot, which is how he was all night."
"Tonight, for sure, we're very, very pleased with Juan's contribution with and without the ball."
Chelsea’s second came on 35 minutes when Torres produced a superb turn and drag back before playing in Ramires for a clinical finish.
Swindon could have given up hope but battled hard in the second half and Chelsea’s reserve keeper Mark Schwarzer made a brilliant point blank save from a Dany N’Guessan header.


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