Swansea 1-0

Independent:

Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1
Demba Ba leaps to keep Chelsea in title hunt as John Terry marks referee’s card

By MIGUEL DELANEY
Jose Mourinho refused to come out and speak for his post-game press conference but, on this occasion, he would not have been able to spin it or downplay it: Chelsea have a huge say in this title race.
On Sunday, against 10-man Swansea City, they took an appreciable step. That was thanks to Demba Ba making a significant leap. Although this was the striker’s first start since 6 October, he ended up providing the finish that Chelsea so badly needed.
But the dismissal of Chico Flores for a second yellow card as early as the 16th minute undoubtedly helped Chelsea’s cause and John Terry revealed afterwards the part he played in referee Phil Dowd’s decision, which he arrived at only after long deliberation. “I just said, ‘It’s a second yellow for me’,” said the captain. “He gave him one a couple of minutes before on the halfway line and that one just outside the box is probably even more a yellow than the other one. Fair play to Phil, the ref, it was a big decision to make and I thought he made the right one.”
In truth, this game showed why they had recently lost the lead. Despite playing against 10 men for so long, Chelsea made hard work of opening Swansea up. It has been a recurring theme of their season, culminating in Mourinho’s notorious complaints about his forwards. Here, the most overlooked saved him.
“It has been a very good week for the whole club, the fans and my family,” said Ba, who scored the decisive goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final. “I always believe, even though it’s hard when you don’t play, because fitness and confidence go down. I just said I would give everything and the goal came.”
Steve Holland, Chelsea’s assistant manager, praised Ba for his perseverance. “He deserves that,” Holland said. “He’s always working in training, afterwards on his own, this type of finishing, that type of finishing.”
In truth, it was not the cleanest finish. After Nemanja Matic had played Ba in on 68 minutes, the forward seemed to have taken the ball the wrong side before benefiting from a deflection. The relief was palpable after so many missed chances.
Before that, Mohamed Salah, Willian, Oscar, Samuel Eto’o and Ba himself had squandered clear opportunities. It looked like it was going to be one big missed chance.
It is also the one big worry for Chelsea in this run-in. While they possess the cast-iron defence that Liverpool and Manchester City do not, they also lack the firepower with which their two rivals more regularly blow away lesser teams. In that, Chelsea’s favourable run-in – excluding that trip to Anfield in two weeks – may actually be a disadvantage. Ominous as Mourinho’s team look, there is the feeling that they have one more blank in them. This came very close to being it, despite the extra man.
Holland, however, argued that the red card had been a disadvantage in the context. “If anything, it’s probably more difficult than against a team that opens up against you and leaves space.
“In that situation, it was not that different than normal. We were trying to get the ball into wide positions, to get bodies in the box. That was very much the thinking at half-time. We needed three in the middle and went two up.”
One of them provided the winner, and may prove the wild card in this race.
Chico’s second yellow came after André Schürrle had been pulled down, and Garry Monk could not dispute that, though did have a problem with the nature of Chelsea’s protests before the red was issued.
“If you go by the letter of the law, it is a sending-off,” the Swansea manager said. “The more disappointing thing is it looked like he signalled [it was not a booking] straight away. So for their bench and manager to surround the fourth official, and their players to surround the referee himself... the circumstances make it strange.”
Swansea’s circumstances in the table, however, have become that bit worse. Despite looking to the positive of having their fate in their own hands at three points clear of relegation, Monk feels that “probably two more wins would make it secure”.
Holland believes Chelsea must win all their remaining games: “That’s the likelihood, but we’ve been facing that task for a good couple of weeks, certainly on the back of the [1-0 defeat] at Crystal Palace. Any leeway we had was eliminated with that result.”
Here, however, Chelsea only added a layer of complexity to the title race. Although it is Liverpool’s to lose, Mourinho’s side have it in their own hands to finish above Brendan Rodgers’ team but require another slip from Manchester City. Manuel Pellegrini, ironically, now needs a favour from Mourinho at Anfield.
If all that is confusing, Ba made this match all too clear. Just when it looked as though it was going to be one of those days, the forward continued his superb week.

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Guardian:

Demba Ba goal secures three points for Chelsea over 10-man Swansea
Swansea 0 Chelsea 1
Stuart James at the Liberty Stadium

The forgotten man of Chelsea is doing a decent job of reminding José Mourinho that he might have something to offer after all. For the second time in the space of six days, Demba Ba came to Chelsea's rescue, following up his decisive late strike against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek with the only goal of the game here to keep alive their hopes of winning the title.
Mourinho may have conceded defeat on that front after losing at Crystal Palace last month but Chelsea, make no mistake, are still in the race. This narrow but deserved victory lifts them to within two points of Liverpool and they still have to go to Anfield. Either side of that fixture Chelsea take on Atlético Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals. They would still need Manchester City to slip up to triumph in the Premier Leaguebut it is shaping up to be quite a climax to the season.
Few would have imagined that Ba would end up playing an important role. It has been quite a week for the man who has spent much of the season confined to the substitutes' bench, listening to Mourinho's put downs about his lack of "real strikers". There is nothing particularly refined about Ba, and there remains every chance he will move on in the summer, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that he has scored two hugely significant goals in his last two appearances.
Granted only his third league start of the season – a penny for the thoughts of Fernando Torres, who remained on the bench throughout, even when Mourinho decided to go for broke – Ba capitalised on a catalogue of Swansea mistakes to score midway through the second half, just when the visitors were starting to become anxious about whether the breakthrough would come.
By that point Swansea had long been playing with 10 men, after Chico Flores was dismissed in the 16th minute, when he picked up two yellow cards in the space of 123sec. Already on a booking for a poor challenge on Willian, Flores was playing with fire when he cynically brought down André Schürrle as the German broke away on the Chelsea left. It was a ridiculous challenge for the Spaniard to make.
The incident proved controversial because of how Phil Dowd, the referee, handled the situation. While there was no doubt that Flores deserved to be sent off, Dowd initially awarded a free-kick and gave no indication initially that he was going to show a second yellow card.
Mourinho, waving two fingers in the air to signify that it was Flores's second offence, was furious on the touchline and raged at Robert Madley, the fourth official. John Terry then ran to confront Dowd and later admitted that he told the referee "it's a second yellow".
Belatedly Dowd arrived at that decision himself and showed a red card to Flores, prompting Garry Monk to lose his cool with Madley. The Swansea head coach was, however, much more restrained afterwards, when he described the circumstances leading up to the decision as "strange" but accepted that Dowd had ultimately got it right.
From that moment on it was a question of whether Swansea could hold out. They restricted Chelsea to few opportunities for the remainder of the first half – Mohamed Salah, one of five changes from the team that beat PSG, was guilty of two poor misses – but the visitors cranked up the pressure after Mourinho introduced Oscar and Samuel Eto'o for Ramires and Schürrle at the interval.
Ba's glancing header flashed wide and Eto'o snatched at a glorious opportunity, before Swansea's defence was finally breached. The frustration for Monk was that it was such a poor goal to concede. César Azpilicueta was deep inside his own half when he took a throw-in that released the unmarked Nemanja Matic, who was able to stride forward before picking out Ba. Ashley Williams never got tight enough to the Chelsea striker, who shifted the ball on to his left foot before striking a 20-yard shot that Michel Vorm should have kept out.
Although Swansea never surrendered, it was difficult to see them finding a way back into the game. Petr Cech, who had made a fine save to tip over Wilfried Bony's superb twisting header in the 13th minute, endured a nervous moment in the closing stages when he scrambled across his line to keep out Jonjo Shelvey's attempted cross but that was as close as Swansea came to an equaliser.
They remain in a precarious position, three points and three places above the relegation zone. "Four games left, it's not a position we want to be in, but we're not chasing, we've got it in our own hands," Monk said. "We need to do something in the next game."
Man of the match Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1
By Matt Law, at the Liberty Stadium

Jose Mourinho has been cast as the villain on plenty of occasions during his successful career. So the Chelsea manager will have no problem trying to ruin Liverpool’s Premier Leaguedream.
After Liverpool had secured another thrilling victory that sent them clear of Manchester City and underlined their status as this season’s great entertainers, Chelsea produced a classic Mourinho response to keep themselves in the title race.
There was controversy, effort, determination and a never-say-die attitude. What Chelsea lack in style under Mourinho, they make up for in substance.
Just a week ago, it would have been easy to forget Demba Ba existed but he has been Chelsea’s unlikely hero twice in the space of six days to keep their season alive.
Having rescued Chelsea’s Champions League hopes with a late goal against Paris St-Germain, Ba was on target again at the Liberty Stadium to secure a narrow win over 10-man Swansea.
It was not a performance or result that screamed ‘title winners’ at their rivals, but it kept Chelsea only two points behind Liverpool with a trip to Anfield to come on April 27.
Captain John Terry said: “It feels like a bigger win because of the Liverpool result earlier in the day. We knew about it and, looking at the result, it’s probably the one we wanted – even though Liverpool are flying.
“The manager said before the game, regardless of the Liverpool result, if we don’t win our games then we will make it easy for them. We’ve won our game and the pressure is still on the teams above and below us.”
Glen Johnson may have labelled Liverpool the people’s champions, but Mourinho has never been one to worry too much about the thoughts of those outside his immediate circle.
The siege mentality has set in at Chelsea. After cancelling his pre-match press conference, Mourinho also decided not to speak after the victory.
Asked if Chelsea were bothered by the fact Liverpool believe neutrals are on their side, assistant first-team coach Steve Holland said: “If that’s the way Brendan Rodgers wants people to see it, that’s fine. What the reality is I’m really not so sure.
“The only important thing is you do everything you can to try to win the championship for your club, your supporters. What everybody else thinks is up to them.
“We’ve probably got to win all of our games, one way or another. That’s the likelihood, but we’ve been facing that task now for a good couple of weeks on the back of our defeat at Crystal Palace.”
Ba’s start at Swansea City was his first in the Premier League since Oct 6 and the winning goal was only his fourth in the top flight this season.
It took 68 minutes for him to make the breakthrough and the goal owed more to terrible defending from Swansea than attacking brilliance.
César Azpilicueta’s long throw from well inside his own half was not cut out, Nemanja Matic punted the ball forwards and Ba was given too much space by Ashley Williams before firing under the body of Swansea goalkeeper Michael Vorm.
“I always believe, even though it’s hard when you don’t play because your confidence and fitness go down,” Ba said. “I just said I would give everything and the goal came today. I never stopped believing. I know the manager always wanted to keep three strikers. I knew I would get the opportunity to come in.”
Apart from not worrying about the prospect of spoiling Liverpool’s party, Mourinho will not care that Swansea were upset by his perceived influence in the 16th-minute dismissal of Chico Flores.
Two minutes after being booked for a cynical challenge on Willian, Flores upended André Schürrle on the left edge of the Swansea penalty area.
Referee Phil Dowd took an age before finally showing the defender a second yellow card.
The decision appeared to be the correct one, but Swansea were furious with the protests of Mourinhho to fourth official Robert Madley and the complaints of Terry and Azpilicueta to Dowd.
Dowd clearly took advice in his earpiece from Madley before issuing the second yellow card.
Mohamed Salah had missed a great chance to put Chelsea ahead before the sending off, but the visitors struggled to create chances despite their advantage. Even a half-time switch to a four-man attack, with Samuel Eto’o joining Ba, Salah and Willian, failed to inspire a Chelsea goal flurry.
Eto’o missed two good chances, but Ba’s strike proved to be enough and Mourinho can start to plot how he can trip up Liverpool. No doubt he will use every trick in the book.

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Times:

Dreary Chelsea keep excitement of title race alive
Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1

Gary Jacob

José Mourinho can protest all he likes about Chelsea being outside the title race but the trophy remains theoretically in his grasp. After this dreary display Manuel Pellegrini will feel justified in his assertion that the champions should be entertainers.
There is another part of the footballing jigsaw, of course, and just hours after Pellegrini’s City side gifted the advantage to Liverpool, losing 3-2, Chelsea laboured to victory over Swansea City. Liverpool play Chelsea at Anfield in less than a fortnight and Mourinho will revel in testing his tactical nous against one of his former apprentices, Brendan Rodgers, now the Liverpool manager.
Yesterday saw the kind of victory that showed why no one should write off Chelsea. They might not match the swashbuckling goalscoring displays of their two rivals, but they are defensively resolute and relentless.
Mourinho refused to speak yesterday for fear of saying too much as he appeals against an FA fine of £8,000 after being sent off in the defeat away to Aston Villa last month. He did, though, have a word with Robert Madley, the fourth official, shortly before Chico Flores was dismissed for a second bookable offence. Swansea, who were unhappy about the decision, played gamely for 75 minutes with ten men, but caused their own downfall when Michel Vorm allowed Demba Ba’s low strike to pass under his hand midway through the second half.
It was bad timing for Swansea. They had weathered the storm and were punished for overcommitting in their attacking adventure, leaving Nemanja Matic, the Chelsea midfielder, to find the perfect through ball.
Ba, who was making his first Premier League start since October, said: “I always believe even though it’s hard when you don’t play, because fitness and confidence go down. I just said I would give everything and the goal came today.
“It was difficult for the strikers. They were defending very tight together. I had to finish it and I did.” Ba used the opportunity to start his bid for a new club and linked himself with a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer. “I look forward to playing those 90 minutes next season, wherever that is,” Ba said. It probably will not be in west London. Mourinho will have seen yesterday more evidence, if any was needed, of the need for a prolific striker.
Chelsea lacked a clinical edge and the invention and trickery of the injured Eden Hazard as they toiled — even after Flores was shown a red card.
After Flores left the field, they mustered one effort when Willian dragged a shot wide. Mohamed Salah has not played to the ability he showed while at Basle, his previous club; his best effort scraping the outside of the post with the goal at his mercy after Branislav Ivanovic’s brilliant pull back found the winger in plenty of space.
Samuel Eto’o entered at the break and was pretty awful. He pulled one chance wide and allowed the ball to go under his feet on another occasion. Oscar turned Willian’s shot goalwards and Ashley Williams hacked clear in front of his line while Ba glanced inches wide from a teasing cross from Ivanovic.
Swansea had little possession but when they did get the ball Wayne Routledge, their winger, sprinted clear of the Chelsea defence only for his shot to deflect off John Terry. The home side pressed for the equaliser and Petr Cech denied Wilfried Bony and Nathan Dyer and scooped clear a shot from Jonjo Shelvey at the death to ensure the title race remains on. @garyjacob

Swansea City (4-2-3-1): M Vorm 4 — Á Rangel 5, J M Flores 4, A Williams 7, B Davies 6 — L Britton 6 (sub: J De Guzmán, 87), J Shelvey 5 — N Dyer 7 (sub: D Ngog, 73), P Hernández 6 (sub: J Amat, 19 6), W Routledge 6 — W Bony 6. Substitutes not used: G Tremmel, N Taylor, J Fulton, M Emnes. Sent off: Flores.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech 6 — B Ivanovic 7, G Cahill 6, J Terry 6, C Azpilicueta 7 — Ramires 4 (sub: Oscar, 46 6), N Matic 6 — M Salah 6, Willian 6, A Schürrle 6 (sub: S Eto’o, 46 5) — D Ba 7 (sub: J O Mikel, 79). Substitutes not used: M Schwarzer, A Cole, D Luiz, F Torres. Booked: Schürrle, Mikel.

Referee: P Dowd. Attendance:20,761.

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Mail:

Swansea 0-1 Chelsea: Ba's strike against 10 men keeps Blues hot on Liverpool's heels

By Riath Al-Samarrai

Straight down the tunnel and not a word for the press. A win is a win, but a victory like this will do nothing to convince Jose Mourinho that he commands anything other than a battering ram with a blunt nose. He’s said it all before so perhaps there was no point in repeating himself.
True, it is a win that puts Chelsea close to where they want to be. Had he stopped for a chat, he might have even admitted they now have a chance of winning the title.
But this was a laboured win against a side playing with 10 men for 75 minutes, a performance of wasted chances and not many deep breaths. They cantered and strolled, comfortable and occasionally attractive, but not exactly busting a gut and certainly not clinical.
Here, they managed 26 shots and, astonishingly, hit the target with only three of them. A season in miniature? They might have won by five or six, but instead they were perhaps lucky to win by one, Demba Ba’s winning strike taking a deflection before it was helped by some poor goalkeeping.
Maybe they were helped, also, by referee Phil Dowd, who made the right decision in a questionable manner when the game’s key moment arose after 15 minutes. Chico Flores had committed his second poor foul in the space of 84 seconds, and he was rightly booked for both.
But the contention came from the fact that Dowd made a delayed call to show the second yellow, having initially appeared to decide a free-kick was punishment enough. John Terry was part of the swarm around the referee that preceded the change of heart and he later admitted: ‘I told the referee: “that’s a second yellow card for me”.’
Right as the call was, Swansea manager Garry Monk was less than impressed by the persuasive tactics, saying: ‘He initially signalled no, then their bench get in the fourth official’s ear, and their players surround the referee.
‘I was surprised it took so long for the decision to be made. I’m sure the referee’s got a legitimate reason for doing it the way he did.’
On such moments can a season turn and that might apply as strongly to both clubs.
Mourinho has gone to peculiar lengths in writing off his team’s chances in this campaign and the message appears to have been passed down to his assistant, Steve Holland, who said: ‘I think not much has changed. We are five clear of Manchester City who have two games more than us. Manchester City win their matches and they finish ahead of Chelsea.’
All of which piles more emphasis on to Chelsea’s April 27 match against Liverpool. Terry added: ‘It’s very tough, but it’s very important we keep winning our games as well. It’s obviously out of our hands at the moment.
For Swansea, the end of the campaign might herald the end of Flores’s Swansea career. A second red in six games has made him a liability, his foul on Andre Schurrle on 15 minutes coming just moments after he hauled down Willian in Chelsea’s half.
The recriminations were strong in the crowd, particularly towards Terry, but however the decision was reached, it was the right one.
Demba Ba scored his third goal in four Premier League appearances, but it was only his third goal in 14 Premier League starts for Chelsea.
Not that Chelsea made it count for nearly an hour after the incident. They dominated possession, but it’s hard to imagine Liverpool or Manchester City being so wasteful in so many good positions. Swansea were admirably dedicated in their task, but this was another game against smaller opposition where Chelsea have appeared flat.
It was Salah who had the best of the first-half chances, twice getting on the end of lovely, quickfire moves and not hitting the target on either occasion. Good chances, bad misses. Mourinho carried a look that said as much.
TIn between, Nathan Dyer and Wilfried Bony forced good saves from Petr Cech. More than that, though, they fought and they got rough. Bony crunched into Nemanja Matic, a pair of proper heavyweights. Leon Britton, all 5ft 6in of him, beat Willian in a 50-50.
They are surely too good to go down, if such a thing exists. Monk said: ‘I told them if we show that in the last four games we will have no problems.
‘But we are not in a good position. We have to do something quickly’ Mourinho had something to do here and his response at half-time was to take off Ramires and Schurrle for Oscar and Samuel Eto’o. The impact was underwhelming.
Willian blew one chance and Ba missed the target with a header. Eto’o wasted two excellent opportunities.
Swansea had one chance of note in retaliation, Wayne Routledge shooting against Terry’s shoulder, before Ba made his contribution after 68 minutes.
Matic collected a throw in and was perhaps afforded too much space by Shelvey before looping a long ball to Ba, who turned outside Williams and hit a snapshot. The ball deflected off Williams and squirmed under Vorm.
It was an ugly goal for an ugly win.

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Vorm 5; Rangel 6.5, Flores 3, Williams 6.5, Davies 6; Britton 6.5 (De Guzman 86), Shelvey 6.5; Dyer 6 (Ngog 73, 6), Hernandez 6 (Amat 19, 6), Routledge 7; Bony 6.5.
Subs not used: Taylor, Tremmel, Fulton, Emnes.
Sent off: Flores.
Manager: Garry Monk 6.5

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6.5; Ivanovic 6.5, Cahill 6.5, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 6; Ramires 5.5 (Oscar 45, 6), Matic 7.5; Salah 5.5, Willian 6, Schurrle 6 (Eto’o 46, 4.5); Ba 6.5 (Mikel 79)
Subs not used: Cole, Luiz, Torres, Oscar, Mikel, Schwarzer.
Booked: Schurrle, Mikel.
Goals: Ba.
Manager: Jose Mourinho 7

Ref: Phil Dowd 7
Att: 20,761
Man of the match: Nemanja Matic

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Mirror:

Swansea 0-1 Chelsea: Demba Ba the hero again as Blues cling to Liverpool's coat-tails

Michael Steele

They keep on coming. They will not give up.
And at Anfield on Sunday week, the Sorcerer will get the chance to tame his Apprentice.
Jose Mourinho’s post-match vow of silence here was about his gripe with the FA rather than anything said by the Blues' former reserve team manager Brendan Rodgers, or Manuel Pellegrini.
But while the red half of Merseyside will go to bed on Sunday night and dream title dreams, Mourinho and his men still have the chance to be the stuff of nightmares, their first win at the Liberty Stadium ensuring the race remains well and truly on.
Here, for more than an hour, even when Swansea were forced to play most of the game with 10 men after Chico Flores’ red card, Chelsea looked to have shot their title bolt.
An early miss by Mohamed Salah, somehow steering wide of the gaping target from 10 yards, summed up a display that lacked art and graft.
And, as so often, as Mourinho has bewailed constantly, the cutting edge that a “real striker” provides. Real or not, though, Chelsea’s line leader did deliver when it mattered.
It was, remarkably, not until the 59th minute, with their 17th attempt of the game, that Demba Ba’s weak effort on the turn ­actually forced a save out of Michel Vorm.
Soon after, though, with the aid of the Dutch keeper,the midweek goal hero against Paris Saint-Germain kept Chelsea on their glory path – and tipped the hosts a little closer to the precipice.
City were exposed far too easily by Nemanja Matic’s ball forward.
Suddenly, Ba – again preferred to Fernando Torres – was one-on-one with Ashley Williams, who allowed the Senegalese to get his left-footer away.
The hitman struck with pace, yes, but surely not the direction to trouble Vorm. But the keeper made a fearful hash of his attempt as the ball squirmed under him and into the net.
That, in reality, was that, for Swansea - still angry about Flores’ red card.
Not, in truth, that they had any cause.
Two minutes after a cynical foul on Willian inside the Chelsea half, the Spaniard chopped down Andre Schurrle on the edge of his own box.
Monk blamed Mourinho and the Chelsea bench for ­pressuring ref Phil Dowd who – after a long delay – correctly sent off Flores.
It confirmed the pattern of the game, with the Londoners pushing and Swansea seeking to strike on the break.
For all that possession, Salah’s horrendous miss and a Gary Cahill header over the top were all that the Blues managed before the break.
But Swansea still forced Petr Cech into making decent saves to deny Pablo, Wilfried Bony and Nathan Dyer.
Mourinho acted, sending on Samuel Eto’o as part of a half-time double swap, although fellow ­replacement Oscar, Ba and the Cameroonian all missed the target before the hour.
And they surely would have disappeared out of the title race had Terry’s shoulder, with the skipper on the floor, not deflected Wayne Routledge’s shot behind.
Enter Ba, the swing of the ­striker’s left foot, Vorm’s error, three more points.

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Express:

Swansea 0 - Chelsea 1: Jose Mourinho playing the silent assassin in race for title
Tony Banks

THEIR MANAGER keeps saying they are not contenders - but Chelsea keep coming, keep remorselessly grinding on.
Whatever Jose Mourinho might say - and he didn’t say anything at all after this game - his Chelsea side are not out of this title race. Liverpool may hold the advantage after yesterday’s thrilling win over Manchester City, but Chelsea visit Anfield on April 27 - and that game now has the look of a potential decider.
It was Demba Ba, for the second time in six days, who popped up with the deciding goal at the Liberty Stadium, just as he had on Tuesday night with the late strike that sent Chelsea into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The big Senegalese has probably been the most ignored of all Chelsea’s much maligned strikers this season, and he will be on his way in the summer - but he has come up with two goals that could prove crucial at the end of this campaign.
Mourinho refused to talk after this first win in four away games because he is still fuming at the FA for being fined for coming onto the pitch at Aston Villa, a punishment which he intends to appeal.
Swansea though will forever claim that referee Phil Dowd’s decision to send off defender Chico Flores for his second daft yellow card in two minutes just 16 minutes into the game, was the key moment.
Dowd took an age to make his decision and Swansea were furious that Mourinho and his staff surrounded fourth official Swansea Robbie Madley demanding a second yellow - as did his players with Dowd.
I'm not doubting Phil - he’s an honest guy. He was probably just taking his time. People asking for red cards in the game happens - what can you do about it?
Manager Gary Monk said: “The most disappointing thing was that he didn’t give it straight away. But their bench surround the fourth official and their players the referee, and then the red card comes - it makes you wonder.
“I’m not doubting Phil - he’s an honest guy. He was probably just taking his time. People asking for red cards in the game happens - what can you do about it?” Chelsea skipper John Terry admitted he spoke to Dowd, insisting: “I just said, ‘It’s a second yellow for me’.
The second one was probably even more a yellow. “Fair play to Phil, it was a big decision and he made the right one.”
In truth though, Dowd’s decision was correct - and Flores, by his sheer stupidity, fatally damaged his team. This was a desperate result for Monk’s side, who now lie just three points above the drop zone, and their game with fellow strugglers Aston Villa on April 26 now looks crucial.
This was far from a vintage performance from Mourinho’s men, who took an age to break down Monk’s gallant side. But when they did, after almost an hour of total one way traffic, Chelsea made sure they claimed the points. And it is that grim efficiency which will have old Stamford Bridge old hand Brendan Rodgers looking over his shoulder.
Mohamed Salah should have given Chelsea an early lead but shot wide from eight yards, but Wifried Bony’s header had to be tipped over by Petr Cech.
Then Flores was booked for fouling Cesar Azpilicueta for his first yellow, and less than two minutes later tripped Andre Schurrle for the second. Even then, Wayne Routledge fired in a shot from 30 yards that Cech had to spring to his right to save. But that was virtually the last Swansea saw of the Chelsea goal.
Oscar almost forced the ball home, Ba flicked across the face of goal, and then Eto’o somehow shot wide.
Swansea, Liberty Stadium, Premier League, News, Sport, Football, Swans, Garry Monk, Wilfried Bony, Chelsea, Jose MourinhoChico Flores was sent off after just the 16th minute for his second bookable offence [GETTY]
Routledge saw his shot deflected wide after a rare break - but then the Welshmen cracked. Nemanja Matic hoisted a long ball over the top, Ba tussled with Williams and won a yard of space, and his low shot went straight through the hapless Michel Vorm and into the net.
Chelsea could and should have added to their score - both Ba and Eto’o going close. But they had a late scare when Jonjo Shelvey’s cross had to be tipped away by Cech.
Other than that, it was job done. Watch out, Brendan, Jose is still around.
Mourinho had demanded his players ignore the result at Anfield to focus on their own performances and captain said: “We obviously knew about it and looking at the result, it’s probably the one we wanted.
“It was important, as the manager said before the game, that we knew that regardless of that result if we don’t win our games we’ll make it very easy for them.
“But we’ve won our game and the pressure is still on the teams above and below us.
“I think patience was the key today especially after they had their man sent off not long into the game.
“Sometimes we weren’t patient or at our best but we got the three points today and we’ll take them home.”

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Vorm 4; Rangel 6, Williams 6, Flores 4, Davies 6; Britton 6 (De Guzman 86 6), Shelvey 6; Dyer 6 (Ngog 73 6), Hernandez 5 (Amat 18 6), Routledge 6; Bony 6
Subs n/u: Tremmel, Taylor, Fulton, Emnes.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Ivanonic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Ramires 6 (Oscar 46 7), Matic 7; Salah 7, Willian 7, Schurrle 6 (Eto’o 46 7); Ba 8 (Mikel 79 6).
Subs n/u: Schwarzer, Cole, Luiz, Torres.

Referee: Phil Dowd.
Booked: Schurrle, Mikel (Chelsea) Sernt off: Flores (Swansea) - two yellow cards.
Goals: Ba 67 0-1.

Next up: Swansea: Newcastle (a) League, Sat Chelsea: Sunderland (h) League, Sat.

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Star:

Swansea 0 - Chelsea 1: Blues keep up with leaders Liverpool in drab win over 10-man Swans

JOSE MOURINHO made the hard job, knocking out Paris Saint-Germain in search of Europe's biggest prize, look almost easy.
By Ralph Ellis

Just five days later his Chelsea team turned the relatively simple task of taking a win from ten-man Swansea into the toughest of labours.
The outcome was the same - Demba Ba getting the goal that mattered most just when you began to wonder if it would ever come.
But a couple of hours after Liverpool had so thrillingly set the title tempo, one-paced Chelsea looked anything but champions.
And Mourinho's fears that his strikers aren't good enough to make a difference when it matters were borne out as they mustered just three shots on target between them.
Thankfully for Chelsea one of them was Ba's goal - a rare piece of incisive play after 68 minutes when he ran on to Nemanja Matic's long pass.
And no doubt skipper John Terry will argue that these are the days that win you titles, dragging a win out when you aren't playing well and the other lot have flung up a defensive blanket.
But then Terry was involved in the game's pivotal moment when he proved that, if nothing else, Mourinho's team are masters of the game's black arts.
The Chelsea captain ran half the length of the field to demand action when Chico Flores brought down Andre Schurrle on the edge of Swansea's penalty area.
The Spanish defender had been booked just 84 seconds earlier after ploughing in to Willian on the half way line, but referee Phil Dowd appeared as if he was not going to give any more punishment.
Dowd appeared to change his mind - brought out his yellow and then a red, and Swansea were doomed to face a further 72 minutes with ten men.
It was probably the right decision, and Swansea boss Garry Monk accepted Dowd's explanation to his coaching staff that he was merely giving himself thinking time.
But having a former England captain chipping in your ear - and The Special One talking to your fourth official - can't help but have an influence.
It was a huge blow to Swansea, just three points above the relegation zone and desperate for points, because they had started the game well.
There were only four minutes gone when Willian was caught in possession by Nathan Dyer, and it ended with Hernandez able to turn too easily and Petr Cech grateful to save.
The Chelsea keeper was in action again, reaching to keep Wilfried Bony's header out of the top corner of his net.
But while the sending off should have been the signal for a side who want to be champions to take control, it wasn't so simple.
Swans boss Garry Monk took off Pablo Hernandez and got his team to sit in and be hard to break down - the sort of thing they will have rehearsed in many training sessions.
The trouble from Chelsea's point of view was that it began to look too much like training for them too, passing the ball without really going anywhere as half time ticked closer.
Playing patience against PSG was one thing, but a bit of urgency could have killed this game dead.
Demba Ba, ChelseaMAN IN FORM: Demba Ba made it two goals in as many games by netting the winner at the Liberty Stadium [REUTERS]
Instead Michel Vorm didn't have to make a save and it was suddenly Swansea who broke away with Wayne Routledge holding the ball up brilliantly before setting up Dyer for a stinging shot which Cech turned away for a corner.
Chelsea's frustrations were summed up when Andre Schurrle got himself booked, dashing around trying to win the ball back as Dyer protected it, and then right on half time Mohamed Salah blazed over from ten yards.
Mourinho brought on Oscar and Samuel Eto'o to try and up the tempo but it didn't change much and the noise began to grow around the stadium as the home fans sensed they might steal a much needed point.
And hour had gone when Eto'o finally got an effort on target, although that was straight at Vorm and within a minute Terry was having to throw himself to block a Routledge shot.
Maybe Swansea's players started to believe in miracles too because they looked for a winner and with 68 minutes gone were punished.
Cesar Azpilicueta took a throw-in near his own corner flag, Matic turned and thumped it forward, and there was Ba to gather the ball and run before firing a shot that took just enough of a deflection off Williams to confuse Vorm.
Mourinho almost immediately took off a forward and made the game safe.
Winning had been hard enough, and he probably knows that, whatever he achieves in Europe, the last four games of their Premier League season are going to be every bit as difficult.

Paris Saint-Germain 2-0

Independent:

Chelsea 2 PSG 0 (agg: 3-3)
Sam Wallace

It was fortuitous that Jose Mourinho opted for a tracksuit rather than the smarter gear tonight, because when the second goal went in to propel his team into the Champions League semi-finals he was off down the touchline like it was 2004 at Old Trafford all over again.
Another stupendous night of European football at Stamford Bridge. Another thrilling conclusion. Another win pulled off by the manager who has never lost a quarter-final in the Champions League in his life and was not about to start the habit now. When substitute Demba Ba scored Chelsea’s second with three minutes of normal time remaining Mourinho headed down the touchline as he once did as Porto manager in that famous Champions League tie against Manchester United ten years ago.
This time he was going to tell his players how to defend the last few minutes of the game, pulling the substitute Fernando Torres off the pile first to shout instructions in his ear. Then he collared Andre Schurrle. At the critical point in the game, the Chelsea manager was once again at the centre of everything and yet again his team were turning the tables on one of the big guns in Europe.
Chelsea are in the semi-finals on away goals and as they celebrated at the end, you wondered why you had ever doubted them. This is the team that just tends to get its way in Europe. “Champions of Europe,” the home fans sang through the game, “we’ve done it before” and that warning certainly came true for Paris Saint Germain.
For all their Qatari investment, the men from Paris, defending a two goal lead, learned a little last night of what it requires to be successful at this level. They just do not give in at Stamford Bridge, through the early loss of Eden Hazard to injury and finishing the game with every one of the three strikers that Mourinho rates so little on the pitch together. In the end it was Ba, the last man on Mourinho’s mind most of the time, who was the difference.
There is something about their reaction to adversity that suits Chelsea so well in Europe. They went out the Champions League at the group stage last season but in all the last two years, which have yielded the Champions League and Europa League titles have been testament to their ability to tough it out. With Mourinho in charge, they are the street-fighters that no-one will relish playing in the semi-finals.
With Real Madrid through as well, there is a possibility that Mourinho will come up against his former club. Or Barcelona with whom his history would fill a few books. Or Manchester United, Bayern Munich or Atletico Madrid. It was why the Chelsea manager soon calmed down, later claiming that the victory had not registered especially high on his list of achievements and that the players had stopped celebrating in the dressing room within two minutes.

It was not just the loss of the man who has given Mourinho’s team their sharpest cutting edge this season, so early in the game; there was also PSG’s much stronger start to take into consideration too. They approached the game on the front foot, attacking in the early stages and dominating possession. With Ezequiel Lavezzi on the left  and the even pacier Lucas Moura on the right, they looked like the team more likely to win on the night by a two-goal margin.
But these high-end Champions League ties can switch-around so quickly. For Chelsea it was just around the half hour stage when they exerted a grip on the game and scored their first.
Until then, Thiago Motta in particular had been in control of the game in the middle for PSG with Frank Lampard and David Luiz struggling to get a hold of the ball. Then Lampard’s free-kick from the left was deflected off the PSG wall and Salvatore Sirigu was obliged to throw himself across to his near post for a very good save.
In the closing stages of the half Eto’o burst forward with the kind of power that Chelsea have often lacked in attack and it required a brilliant tackle from Thiago Silva, coming in from the side, to win the ball.
It did not take much for the second half to ignite too, not least when Chelsea struck the bar twice in the space of a minute in an absorbing phase of attacking play. Lampard and then Willian from the right combined to pick out Schurrle on that right foot of his on 52 minutes and his shot rattled Sirigu’s bar.
Recycled out on the left, Eto’o was fouled and from the free-kick Oscar beat Sirigu again. His shot located the same part of the bar that Schurrle had hit earlier. PSG survived with their lead in the tie intact and saw off that period of pressure. If nothing else, it had developed into a wonderful tie with the tension that one mistake capable of swinging it either way.
When the changes came it was Ba, whom Mourinho opted for first, and then Torres. A surprise given that even though the Chelsea manager rates Torres so little, he seems to rate Ba even less. This was the last roll of the dice from Mourinho, who had seen Eto’o do little of note after half-time. All he needed was one goal.
It came from Ba, who got ahead of Maxwell to score when Cesar Azpilicueta’s shot found its way into the area. There was a flurry of pressure at the end but Petr Cech in particular along with the excellent Cahill stood strong to hold for another remarkable win.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Luiz, Lampard; Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Eto’o.
Subs: Hazard/Schurrle 18, Ba/Lampard 66, Torres/Oscar 81,
PSG (4-2-3-1): Sirigu; Jallet, Thiago Silva, Alex, Maxwell; Verratti, Thiago Motta; Moura, Matuidi, Lavezzi; Cavani.
Subs: Cabaye/Verratti 54, Lavezzi/Pastore 72, Marquinhos/Moura 84
Man of the match: Cahill
Rating: 8
Booked: Chelsea Willian, Lampard, Luiz PSG Verratti, Cavani, Moura, Matuidi, Maxwell

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Guardian:

Chelsea snatch place in semi-finals thanks to last-gasp Demba Ba goal
Daniel Taylor

This is not the first time Chelsea have reminded us of their durability, but there is still something remarkable about the way this team just never give up. They put everything into this match, never relinquishing their self-belief – and that competitive courage resulted in that euphoric moment when everything came together and José Mourinho could be seen haring down the touchline on one of his victory runs extraordinaire.
He first treated us to one of those fist-pumping sprints when Porto knocked out Manchester United back in the days before he had announced himself as the Special One. Mourinho has never lost a quarter-final in this competition and that record was perilously under threat before Demba Ba, the forgotten man, poked out one of his long legs to scramble in the killer goal three minutes from the end.
Ba was an improbable hero but nobody could dispute that Chelsea deserved to progress for displaying such powers of endurance. This was only the second time in 111 games that PSG had been beaten by two goals, in a sequence stretching back to March 2012. Chelsea had a 3-1 deficit to recover from the first leg at Parc des Princes and their opponents arrived on the back of a club-record, 11-match winning run, with only one occasion in their previous 46 games when they had failed to score.
Yet Chelsea have made a habit of wearing down more refined opponents. André Schürrle's 32nd-minute goal changed the entire complexion of the tie and after that, the manner in which PSG wilted suggests one of Europe's nouveaux riches still have a lot to learn at this level.
Quick to the ball, strong in the challenge, it was Chelsea's tempo more than anything else that was so unsettling for their opponents. Mourinho's team did not play with balletic grace but their intensity of play was relentlessly impressive in the last hour of the match. They ran for everything and if they did lose the ball they quickly hunted it back down. They also hit the crossbar twice in a chaotic second half. PSG were simply worn down, just like Napoli were two years ago, and a few others, too.
The champions of Ligue 1 undoubtedly missed the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic but it is not as if Chelsea were particularly blessed on the attacking front either. They started the match with Samuel Eto'o up front, even though he was still troubled by the hamstring injury that kept him out of the game in Paris.
Eden Hazard lasted only 18 minutes before he was forced off with a calf injury and at that stage there was little sense of the drama that was to follow. Chelsea had huffed and puffed through the opening stages and it is never a good sign when Mourinho's hands are firmly embedded in his tracksuit pockets.
He gambled at the end, largely because he had no choice. Ba was the first Chelsea striker to come off the bench to join Eto'o and, as Mourinho said afterwards, maybe being selected ahead of Fernando Torres gave the former Newcastle player the belief that "he did not have No3 striker on his back".
Torres followed him on to the pitch a bit later, and Chelsea's urgent need for a goal made it inevitable they would leave gaps in their own defence. Fortunately for them, Edinson Cavani is not the same rampager who used to terrorise defences for Napoli. His chances were squandered, and then the moment arrived that will add this game to the list of great European nights at Stamford Bridge.
César Azpilicueta had advanced from his left-back spot. His shot was hopeful more than anything, but the ball took two slight deflections. The last ricochet fell kindly for Ba and he had anticipated getting the run of the ball, flying in for the poacher's goal.
Mourinho was off, charging down the touchline, but still working out his strategy. Even amid the euphoria, he could be seen passing instructions to his players. Torres was told to man-mark Maxwell while Ba was ordered back into defence. It was classic Mourinho, always thinking.
If the finest moment of Ba's Chelsea career had not arrived, then Mourinho would otherwise have been left to reflect on the chance Gary Cahill passed up shortly after the opening goal, plus a wild 90-second spell early in the second half when Schürrle thudded a shot against the crossbar and Oscar did the same from a free-kick 25 yards out.
Instead there was still time, with four minutes added on, for some nerve-shredding moments at the other end. Yet Chelsea defended throughout with great togetherness and vigour, and Petr Cech, who was fallible in the first leg, played with much of his old assurance.
PSG, in stark contrast, had looked fallible when put under pressure to high balls in defence. Schürrle's goal was a case in point, emanating from the kind of long throw-in and flick-on routine that is not often seen at this level.
Branislav Ivanovic was the man hurling the ball into the penalty area, then David Luiz applied the first touch in front of Thiago Silva and Schürrle ghosted in from behind to sidefoot his shot inside a post.
Ivanovic would later collect a yellow card that rules him out of the first leg of the semi-final, but Mourinho was correct with his assessment of the last four. Any team that draw Chelsea, he said, will know they are encountering a team with "a special spirit".

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Paris Saint-Germain 0
By Henry Winter

Chelsea defied all the odds, all the predictions and all the scepticism to reach the semi-finals of the Champions Leagueon one of the great nights at Stamford Bridge. They just refused to give up, running themselves into the ground in search of victory. André Schürrle covered every blade of grass, David Luiz powered between the boxes. Even Jose Mourinho sprinted to the corner flag.
Chelsea’s victory and ticket for Friday’s draw were totally deserved. They shrugged off the early loss of the talismanic Eden Hazard, who damaged his calf and is a doubt for the huge Premier League game at Anfield on April 27. Schürrle, his replacement, embodied Chelsea’s will to win and scored the first. Demba Ba, a Paris St-Germain fan, also came off the bench, pouncing late on to give Chelsea the aggregate edge, demoralising the visitors. Down and out for Paris in London.
Petr Cech, so slated after the first leg, was superb, making a couple of vital saves. His defence was resilient, the tone set by Gary Cahill and John Terry, while Branislav Ivanovic and César Azpilicueta showed their character in surviving some nervous moments when PSG started brightly.
A powerful team ethic pervades the Chelsea dressing-room, a strong sense of the collective that makes them greater than the sum of their individual parts, a contrast to PSG, who remain a puzzle of glittering pieces still waiting to be assembled properly.
Chelsea refused to be daunted by the first-leg 3-1 loss, by the arrival of visitors who had won their previous 11 games in all competitions, who were missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic but had the speed and trickery of Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi added to the line-leading strengths of Edinson Cavani. Chelsea were missing the suspended Ramires while Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah were ineligible. Chelsea still believed.
It is in their DNA. Giving everything from first whistle to last. Fighting footballing logic. “We’ve done it before, champions of Europe, we’ve done it before,” chanted their fans, reviving memories of great escapes against the Napoli of Cavani and Lavezzi, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in triumphing in 2012.
Ultimately, this was a triumph for Mourinho. Chelsea’s head coach got the mood right, ordering his players to be “patient” in team talks before kick-off and in exhortations during the game. He got the tactics right, angling direct balls into the box, pressuring PSG in a way they simply do not experience in their domestic league.
Mourinho got his selection of substitutes right. It can be argued that they were obvious swaps but he still made them. He sent on Schürrle for Hazard after 17 minutes, then Ba for Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres for Oscar. All had an impact, ­particularly Schürrle for his tireless running and goal, also Ba for his opportunism and also the oft-maligned Torres, whose 10-minute cameo saw him drag PSG defenders around and make an important hooked clearance.
For a man who lamented his quality of strikers, Mourinho had three on the pitch by the end, Samuel Eto’o as well as Torres and Ba. It is a sign of the camaraderie in the camp that each contributed despite having occasion for grievance. Mourinho has criticised them and yet they produced for him. He really is a special coach.
Whoever Chelsea are drawn against at 11am on Friday, Mourinho will have history with the semi-finalists, particularly Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, and Manchester United or Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich. As a disconsolate ­Ibrahimovic left the Bridge, he stopped to wish Mourinho good luck, a sign of respect and past shared employment.
Like Ibrahimovic, PSG reacted in dignified fashion, Laurent Blanc refusing to complain about Mourinho’s touchline antics and the club then tweeting “Congratulations to the English, who didn’t want to leave Europe” adding “See you next year”.
Chelsea were also assisted by signs of Blanc’s managerial inexperience in Europe. The French media lambasted the PSG coach’s “timidity” and slated his substitutions, particularly removing the consistently dangerous Lavezzi for the mercurial Javier Pastore with 17 minutes remaining. “Mourinho showed Blanc what a great coach is” was the thrust of one influential newspaper report back in the city of extinguished lights.
PSG twinkled brightly early on. Cavani drove a free-kick into the Chelsea wall after a Lucas run. Lucas then scampered forward again, shimmering with danger, until stopped by Terry. Chelsea’s captain then slid in to clear Maxwell’s cross.
Mourinho was geeing up the ball-boys and the fans to recycle the ball quickly, to keep the pressure on PSG. Chelsea fans responded to the gestures of Luiz to raise the ­decibel level. Chelsea began building. Salvatore Sirigu dived to his right to push away a Lampard free-kick that and then saved from Luiz but was then left exposed by his defence. From Ivanovic’s long throw, Luiz flicked the ball on and Schurrle pounced, driving the ball past Sirigu. The Bridge shook with emotion.
Chelsea’s tails were now up. Schürrle tried to win a penalty, diving when challenged by Verratti. Cahill sliced his shot wide from close range. At half-time, the DJ played Sweet Dreams (are made of this) and Chelsea fans responded again, particularly when PSG fans whistled abuse of Peter Bonetti, the half-time guest. Those sweet dreams almost materalised immediately but first Schürrle and then Oscar were thwarted by the crossbar.
One mistake, one goal ­conceded would have brought ­oblivion for Chelsea. Lavezzi curled in a free-kick which Cech, stretching to his left, pushed away. Cavani fired a shot over. Maxwell dragged an effort wide.
With 12 minutes left Cavani squandered a glorious chance, controlling Yohan Cabaye’s angled pass smoothly with his right foot, and then smashing it wildly over. It was a bad miss for a player valued at £55 million.
With 10 minutes left, Mourinho played his last card, sending on Torres for Oscar.
Chelsea refused to go quietly. Ivanovic whipped in across that Sirigu clawed away. Torres dribbled into the box, causing momentary concern. Cahill was sweeping up the pieces from Parisian attacks. Luiz was roaming around midfield.
Chelsea threw everything at PSG. When a shot from Eto’o bounced back after 87 minutes, Azpilicueta struck the loose ball which squirted through. Ba reacted quicker than Maxwell, lifting the ball past Sirigu. As the players celebrated, Mourinho sprinted down the touchline.
He was suddenly with his players down by the corner-flag, either ­sharing the emotion, passing on instructions or simply wasting time.
He pulled players off the massive piley-on, trying to find his strikers because – as he claimed afterwards – he wanted to tell Ba to play in front of the back-four and Torres to track ­Maxwell.
Chelsea still had to hold on through four minutes of injury time, two corners and a marvellous save from Marquinhos’s shot by Cech until the final whistle triggered an almighty celebration. They never give up.

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Times:

Demba Ba swoops to conquer with Chelsea as PSG rue one that got away

Oliver Kay
Chelsea 2 Paris Saint-Germain 0 (3-3 on agg; Chelsea win on aways goals)

Once again, Europe was treated to the sight of José Mourinho hurtling down a touchline. On and on he went, all the way to the corner flag, where he joined Demba Ba in heralding the goal that had just taken Chelsea into the Champions League semi-finals.
This time, Mourinho insisted, his jaunt was not about celebrating the moment but about impressing upon his players the need to focus and to tighten up, tactically, now that Chelsea were finally ahead, on the away-goals rule, with three minutes plus stoppage time remaining.
For someone with nothing but tactical readjustments on his mind, he looked fairly euphoric as he set off — and who could blame him? If this felt primarily like a victory for bloody-mindedness, Mourinho and his players will take that as a compliment. That resilience, their never-say-die spirit, has been their calling card in European competition for the best part of a decade — retained during his long absence, renewed since he returned to Stamford Bridge last summer.
The decisive goal was not exactly a thing of beauty, as César Azpilicueta’s mis-hit shot was bundled home by Ba in unconvincing style — and neither, in truth, was the first, scored by André Schürrle after Branislav Ivanovic’s long throw was knocked on by David Luiz.
Other teams will win plenty more plaudits for artistic merit, but Chelsea have few rivals when it comes to guts, particularly now that Mourinho is back at the helm.
Put simply, whether you call it the Chelsea factor, the Mourinho factor or even the John Terry factor, it was the difference between the teams last night. In technical terms, player for player, Paris Saint-Germain looked every bit Chelsea’s equal over the course of the two matches, but they failed to seize the opportunity, Edinson Cavani missing a clear opportunity to put them 4-2 up on aggregate before Ba’s goal.
You can call that luck, a €58 million (£48 million) forward missing the target before a £7 million back-up scores a scrappy goal, but fortune has a funny knack of favouring the brave.
Chelsea did not play particularly well over the two legs and seemed to lose their way for long periods of the second half last night, but when a team come good as often as they have done in big knockout matches at this stage of the season, it cannot be dismissed as luck.
Chelsea had been here before. Two years ago, in the first knockout round, they were beaten 3-1 away from home by Napoli in the first leg. That result went a long way towards triggering André Villas-Boas’s departure before the second leg, at which point Chelsea, under Roberto Di Matteo, won 4-1 after extra time, setting them on course via Lisbon and Barcelona to that famous European Cup triumph in Munich. As members of that beaten Napoli team two seasons ago, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Cavani might have thought that forewarned meant forearmed, but it is hard to protect yourself against a Chelsea team whose main quality — certainly once they had lost Eden Hazard to injury — is their spirit.
For much of the game, with Samuel Eto’o dominated by Thiago Silva and Alex, Chelsea were heavily reliant on dead-ball situations, from Frank Lampard in particular. Lampard had already picked out Ivanovic from a corner when his free kick took a deflection off Marco Verratti and seemed to be travelling inside the near post until Salvatore Sirigu intervened with an excellent save.
Schürrle’s goal was as rudimentary as it gets. Ivanovic hurled a throw-in into the PSG penalty area, Luiz knocked the ball on, off the back of his neck, and it was swept past Sirigu by Schürrle, the early substitute, who was lurking near the penalty spot and left in far too much space by PSG’s defenders.
Five minutes later, from another set-piece, Chelsea almost scored a second after Lampard’s free kick ended up at the feet of Gary Cahill. Usually so accomplished in the opponents’ penalty area, the defender swung wildly and did not connect properly.
Chelsea started the second half as if they meant business, Oscar and Willian combining at last to set up Schürrle, who drilled a shot against the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area. Two minutes later the PSG crossbar was rattled again, this time by Oscar’s curling free kick. Mourinho, on the touchline, looked askance.
That momentum deserted Chelsea as quickly as it had arrived as Thiago Silva, Alex and Thiago Motta, the strongmen at the spine of this PSG team, stiffened their resolve.
Lavezzi, with a free kick, and Cavani, with a dipping shot after springing the offside trap, went close. For Chelsea, something had to change. Mourinho sent on Ba. Surprisingly, with a goal needed, Lampard was asked to make way, leaving Luiz as the anchor in midfield.
Cavani had the opportunity to settle the tie for PSG, from Yohan Cabaye’s wonderful pass, but he shot over the crossbar before Lucas Moura, after a fine build-up, had a shot saved by Petr Cech. The Lampard-Ba substitution had not had the desired effect, so Mourinho went for one final gamble, sending on Fernando Torres in an uncomfortable-looking right-sided role. Having bemoaned the quality of his strikers all season long, the Chelsea manager was going for quantity.
On 87 minutes, Chelsea roused themselves for one final push. Azpilicueta seemed to shank his shot, but the ball made its way through a crowded penalty area and was converted on the six-yard line by Ba, sliding in to score in unorthodox style. Chelsea were ahead in the tie for the first time and, as Mourinho made clear in that conflab by the corner flag, it would have been criminal to let that hard-earned advantage slip.
Even then there was time for Marquinhos, a substitute, to force a fine save from Cech at his near post, but by then a sense of indomitability had taken hold among Chelsea players and supporters alike. The semi-finals beckon once more.

Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 PSG (agg: 3-3): Ba strikes late to send Blues through on away goals

By Martin Samuel

There it was again. The manic touchline run. It was how we were introduced to Jose Mourinho, a decade ago, and how we will remember him after he is gone, too.
Cesar Azpilicueta shot, the ball caught a tiny hold-up deflection and fell to substitute Demba Ba. It wasn't, fair to say, the cleanest finish. Ba almost scooped it into the roof of the net, off his boot, off his shin, somehow looping over goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu. No-one cared.
Chelsea were through, and off went Mourinho, down the line to join the celebrations by the corner flag, just as he had done when Porto equalised at Old Trafford to eliminate Manchester United in the same competition in 2004.
This, like that, was one of his greatest nights. Chelsea have come back from 3-1 down before in the Champions League, but not at this late stage and not against a team with the potential of Paris Saint-Germain.
Those looking for omens will be heartened, though. Reversing a 3-1 defeat by Napoli two years ago was part of the campaign that ended in Champions League victory under Roberto Di Matteo.
He is a shrewd one, though, Mourinho, so do not imagine for one moment that his dash to meet his players was inspired by elation only.
For a manager with no strikers, he had three on the pitch by then, and was probably telling them for what remained of the game they had to think defence first. A goal from PSG at that point would have eliminated Chelsea, surely. Amazingly, they nearly got it.
This was a night for old-fashioned heroes and none loomed larger than Petr Cech in Chelsea's goal. After his poor performance in the first leg, at fault for two goals, here was the reason Mourinho may yet resist bringing Thibault Courtois back from Atletico Madrid next season.
Cech was outstanding, most memorably four minutes into injury time when tipping around a low shot for substitute Marquinhos. Stamford Bridge was holding its breath by then; the visitors equally desperate.
Branislav Ivanovic will miss the first leg of Chelsea's semi-final after picking up a booking at Stamford Bridge.
The knockout rounds with Chelsea are never anything less than the grandest theatre, and this was no exception. The final whistle blown, the Chelsea players danced in a corner to One Step Beyond, while PSG's slumped to the floor and Oscar left the field in tears. He will need to get used to it; history suggests it is the semi-final stage when the drama really takes off.
Mourinho has never lost a Champions League quarter-final tie but as the time drained from the game it really did look as if this would not be his night. Referees have denied him, and Chelsea, on occasions, but here the crossbar was the greatest enemy - repelling the home side twice in 60 seconds as they went in search of that elusive second goal.

In the 52nd minute, a flowing exchange of passes ended with Oscar playing the ball out to Willian on the right. The Brazilian cut it back to Andre Schurrle who smashed his shot against the bar with goalkeeper Sirigu beaten. The ball came out and Lucas clumsily fouled Eto'o. A free-kick was awarded 25 yards out. Oscar took it and - crossbar again. Sirigu was truly leading a charmed life. At that moment the momentum was wholly with Chelsea. It was barely believable that, 35 minutes later, the score was still 1-0 and Paris were clinging on.
Really, the difference was nerve. Chelsea are a team that do not know when they are beaten, certainly in Europe, while Paris Saint-Germain have a touch of Manchester City about them.
They are still feeling their way through this tournament as a group and, when the pressure is on, they failed the test. Midway through the second-half, Edinson Cavani was put through by Yohan Cabaye, one on one.
The PSG bench was on its feet, preparing to celebrate, but Cavani shot over. If the game had a turning point, there it was.
Had that gone in, Chelsea were as good as dead. The same could be said of Cech's save from a free-kick by Ezequiel Lavezzi in the 55th minute - Branislav Ivanovic's booking for the foul on Blaise Matuidi takes him out of the next match - or his stop from a low strike by Lucas.
With a single goal taking the required margin of victory to 4-1, Chelsea were always vulnerable. The glory goes to the goalscorers, but the worth of that nil cannot be underestimated, either.
The first 30 minutes were perhaps the most discomforting. So much work to do yet Chelsea barely laid a glove on Paris. They lost Eden Hazard, too.
So often the difference this season, the Belgian had not been travelling well for several minutes, when Mourinho bought matters to a head. Few managers make a firm touchline call like Mourinho.
He gave Hazard the option of continuing and receiving an uncertain reply, wasted no time: off came the talisman, on went Schurrle. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge fell a little flat. Schurrle has had his moments this season - not least that hat-trick against Fulham - but he is no Hazard. What happened next, then, was something of an irony.
Schurrle scored the goal that brought Chelsea into this game. Funny how things work out. Where Hazard had clearly been carrying his injury, Schurrle brought energy and dynamism to the left flank. Not that his goal was the greatest example of either. What was it that Mourinho said about 19th century football earlier in the season? Here was a throwback to agricultural days - a goal Dave Bassett's Wimbledon would have been proud of, or Stoke City in the heyday of Rory Delap.
It came from a long throw by Ivanovic, sailing into the penalty area, flicked on by Luiz - more shoulder than head - into the path of Schurrle, arriving late into space. Sirigu did not even move to stop his first-time finish.
Chelsea were away and with time to spare - but few imagined they would leave the denouement so late. ‘Congratulations to Chelsea - the only Englishmen who do not want to leave Europe,’ read a PSG statement on Twitter. It is impossible to deny them, at times. Long may they run.

Chelsea: Cech 8.5, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 6.5, Luiz 6.5, Lampard 7 (Ba 66, 7), Willian 7.5, Oscar 6.5 (Torres 81), Hazard 5 (Schurrle 18, 8), Eto'o 6.5.
Subs Not Used: Schwarzer, Cole, Mikel, Kalas.
Booked: Willian, Lampard, Ivanovic, Luiz.
Goals: Schurrle 32, Ba 87.

PSG: Sirigu 6.5, Jallet 6.5, Alex 7, Thiago Silva 7, Maxwell 6.5, Verratti 6 (Cabaye 54, 6.5), Thiago Motta 7, Matuidi 6.5, Lucas Moura 6.5 (Marquinhos 84), Cavani 6.5, Lavezzi 7.5 (Pastore 72).
Subs Not Used: Douchez, Menez, Digne, Van Der Wiel.
Booked: Verratti, Cavani, Lucas Moura, Maxwell.

Ref: Pedro Proenca (Portugal).

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

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 PSG: Late Demba Ba goal sends Blues through to Champions League semi-finals
 
By Martin Lipton
 
They rode their luck. But nobody cared.
They got away with it. But nobody cared.
They did it. Against the odds. Against the ticking clock. Against all the evidence.
And everybody exploded in delight, lifted the lid off Stamford Bridge. And began to dream of Lisbon.
Jose Mourinho ran down the touchline, recreating the Old Trafford moment a decade ago when he burst into the nation's consciousness.
This time, to the sheer uncontrolled, unbridled joy of Stamford Bridge, the role of Costinha was taken by Demba Ba.
A forgotten man for most of this season, aware that Mourinho does not consider him a "real striker" - though sent on ahead of Fernando Torres last night.
But with just three minutes standing between PSG and the last four, Rafa Benitez' only Chelsea signing got the touch that sent Chelsea into the semi-finals, again.
Who says Mourinho doesn't write his own scripts? That he isn't "Special" any more?
Whatever you think about him, you cannot deny his magnetism, his ability to conjure big performances in the big matches.
Now eight quarter-final appearances in the Champions League, with Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid. An unprecedented eight victories.
And this, perhaps, the greatest, the most unlikely.
Not only just the third time a side has clawed back a 3-1 deficit, but one grasped with sheer desire, heart and courage, just as it appeared all their efforts would be in vain.
All the more joyous, too, for the circumstances.
Yes, Samuel Eto'o was fit enough to start, if not to really influence proceedings.
But after barely a quarter of an hour, Chelsea lost their talisman, when Eden Hazard, the best in a Blue shirt by a million miles all season, limped off.
Already without the midfield legs of the suspended Ramires, everything appeared to be conspiring against Chelsea, PSG calm and measured.
Yet from somewhere, from deep within their collective souls, Chelsea found the energy and drive to get the goal that breathed life into their endeavours.
PSG keeper Salvatore Sirigu had performed wonders to keep out Frank Lampard's deflected free-kick but just after the half-hour mark, Hazard's replacement, Andre Schurrle, delivered.
Thiago Motta, ruffled out of his composure by Gary Cahill, made a complete dog's breakfast of Branislav Ivanovic's long throw and David Luiz, cleverly arched his back.
Schurrle, the man preferred to Torres in Paris, demonstrated why, sweeping home on the half-volley and with Chelsea playing the referee brilliantly, cranking up the tempo, PSG retreated into their shell.
Twice in a matter of seconds at the start of the second period, Chelsea were so, so close to getting the second they craved.
First it was Schurrle, crashing first time against the bar from the edge of the box after Oscar and Willian had combined to set up the opening.
Then, with Eto'o was fouled in the resulting scramble, Oscar placed his free-kick over the wall and the keeper's glove, only for it to come back off the same piece of woodwork (below).
Blanc's response, sending on Yohan Cabaye, regained the lost initiative.
The former Newcastle man passed with poise and purpose and twice Edinson Cavani had the opportunities to put the tie to bed, failing to hit the target on either occasion, while Petr Cech held on to Lucas Moura's drive.
Even so, with Ba on for Lampard and, only 10 minutes from time, the £50million man sent into the fray, Chelsea were running out of time.
Mourinho, surely, was cursing those few seconds of Parisian madness at the end of stoppage time last week, after he had already shaken hands on a 2-1 defeat, punished by Javier Pastore.
Sometimes, though, all the pretty football in the world is less effective than a pump into the box.
Eto'o made a nuisance of himself, the ball was half-cleared, Cesar Azpilicueta's hack went through the six yard box and there was Ba, in behind Maxwell, to somehow turn past the keeper.
Cue bedlam, Mourinho's dash and words in the ears of Terry, Schurrle and others, a frantic spell of injury-time.
But Cech saved Alex's header, turned Marquinhos' shot round the post and then punched away the final corner.
Once again, Chelsea and Mourinho had found a way of confounding everything. Once more, as in 2005 and 2007, they are in the semi-finals.
This time, though, it cannot end at Anfield. Can it end at the Stadium of Light?

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

Express:

Chelsea 2 - PSG 0 (3-3 agg): Blues enjoy their greatest comeback
THIS one will probably go down as the most famous comeback of them all for Chelsea.

By: Tony Banks

Just three minutes were left at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea were staring at Champions League oblivion and a trophyless season.
But then Demba Ba poked the ball in from six yards and bedlam broke loose.
The Senegalese had been on the pitch for only 20 minutes but he was the man who put Chelsea into the Champions League semi-finals.
Andre Schurrle had given Chelsea hope with his first-half goal after they entered last night’s second leg trailing 3-1, but it looked like they were destined for failure as PSG held on. Until Ba struck.
As expected, Mourinho brought Samuel Eto’o back into his line up in place of the hapless Fernando Torres.
The old warrior, three times a Champions League winner, being his most potent forward weapon with 11 goals this season.
Also restored from the weekend’s win over Stoke were Eden Hazard and Oscar – so Mourinho was holding nothing back, with his team two goals behind at kick-off. The Special One had before the game asked his side to believe and to put in a performance that would carry the crowd with them and make Stamford Bridge the fortress, the cauldron it had become on several other memorable European nights.
Only twice in Champions League history had a team turned around a two-goal first leg deficit. And this was a PSG team which had won 11 games on the bounce before last night, lost only three all season and which had failed to score only once in 46 games.
Arguably then, Chelsea’s toughest task of all, even though PSG’s superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic was missing through injury.
Chelsea stormed forward from the off and from Frank Lampard’s corner Branislav Ivanovic glanced a header wide. But PSG were far from staying in their shell, as their coach Laurent Blanc had promised.
A lightning break saw Maxwell cross low, and Petr Cech had to dive at the feet of Ezequiel Lavezzi to save.
But then a major blow for Mourinho. Hazard limped off after being felled early on, and one of Chelsea’s main weapons had gone.
Schurrle went on in his place, but it was a major setback. Lampard though almost grabbed the opening goal Chelsea so desperately needed, as his free-kick took a deflection and was heading in, but Salvatore Sirigu reacted brilliantly to turn the ball round the post.
But then it came. From Ivanovic’s long throw David Luiz flicked the ball on off his back and Schurrle sidefooted home. It could have been two minutes later, but Gary Cahill completely missed his kick from six yards.
For the first time in the game, the French side looked rattled, suddenly unsure of themselves. Willian then pulled wide to the right as the Parisians found themselves stretched yet again.
When the Brazilian pulled the ball back, Schurrle cracked his curling shot against the bar.
Two minutes later the woodwork wobbled again, this time as Eto’o was felled on the edge of the area, and Oscar, inset, curled in a glorious free-kick that once again smacked against the bar.
Mourinho called on another striker in Ba to try to force the issue and the Senegelase almost made an impact as he flicked the ball on, and Schurrle saw his shot on the turn saved by Sirigu.
Then Oscar tested the goalkeeper. Lucas was always a danger with his direct runs in from the right, but Chelsea, even though John Terry was limping, restricted them to few chances. But when Edinson Cavani broke clean through, he should have done better than volley over and then he missed an even better chance. Then Maxwell drilled his low shot wide.
Mourinho was gambling now. It was all or nothing. He had already said that the league title was gone, so this was it as far as trophies went this season. The last hope. The danger was now that Chelsea would get caught on the break but it had to be done. Torres went on for the final 10 minutes. All or nothing.
And amazingly it worked. Cesar Azpilicueta crashed in a shot which deflected across the box and Ba reacted first to stab home to clinch the tie as an ecstatic Mourinho raced down the touchline to join in the celebrations with his players near the corner flag.

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

Star:

Chelsea 2 - Paris St-Germain 0 (Agg 3-3): Best Ba None - Blues through in Euro classic

CHELSEA fans warned all night they had done it before - and they did it again in stunning, dramatic fashion to reach the Champions League semi-finals


By Adrian Kajumba

Super sub Demba Ba’s last-gasp goal sent the brilliant Blues into the last four on yet another European glory night at Stamford Bridge that will live long in the memory.
In a repeat of the fight-back from 3-1 down against Napoli two years ago, which the hopeful home fans sang about all night, Chelsea did it again when Ba’s priceless
88th minute goal fired Jose Mourinho’s men through to the last four on away goals.
And it wasn’t just his players who repeated history against impressive moneybags French champions Paris St-Germain.
So too did Mourinho, who celebrated Ba’s dramatic strike by dashing down the touchline to join in the celebrations with his players just like he did when celebrating
another famous Champions League win at Old Trafford as Porto boss 10 years ago.
Mourinho went on to win the competition that year. Chelsea will hope last night’s sprint from the Special One is an omen.
But for now, though, they can bask in a sensational comeback that will go down as one of the greatest in their history.
Another sub Andre Schurrle kick-started it with the opener which gave Chelsea hope they could salvage the tie.
And just when time was running out and they were starting to look like heading out of the competition, Ba kept them alive and kicking in Europe’s top competition.
He has been something of a forgotten man recently and struggled to get a kick.
But he will forever be remembered in these parts after turning home the goal that kept Chelsea’s Champions League dreams alive.
And after Mourinho bemoaned his lack of a real striker after the first leg it was fitting that Ba answered his manager’s call with a real poacher’s goal to cap Chelsea’s glory night.
It was rip-roaring end-to-end stuff from the off with both sides carrying out their managers instructions to attack to the letter.
Their early positivity was briefly punctured when star man Eden Hazard was forced off.
But his replacement Schurrle made a telling impact to lift the roof off Stamford Bridge.
David Luiz improvised brilliantly to flick-on Branislav Ivanovic’s throw in with his back and Schurrle sweep the ball past Salvatore Sirigu, who delayed Chelsea breaking the deadlock moments earlier with a brilliant save from a Lampard free-kick.
It was a clinical strike from the German who showed in a flash why Mourinho thought he might be a better goal-threat than the out-of-sorts Fernando Torres for the first-leg.
Still Chelsea needed a second and Schurrle and Oscar were inches away from getting it when they cracked efforts against virtually the same part of the bar within minutes of each other after the break.
But they also needed to keep PSG, who played their full part in a thrilling second leg, out at the other end.
Petr Cech flew to his left to tip away a dangerous free-kick from Chelsea’s chief first-leg tormentor Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Then Maxwell and the usually deadly Edinson Cavani, twice, blew chances to kill the tie off as it remained so finely balanced heading into the final 10 minutes.
Those misses proved to be oh so costly.
Mourinho and Chelsea threw everything at PSG, ending the game with four men up front and at one stage all but Cech and John Terry in the visitors’ box.
And just when it looked like the clock was about to run out on Chelsea Ba popped up in just the right place at just the right time to scoop home Cesar Azpilicueta’s deflected shot and send Chelsea storming into the last four.

Stoke 3-0

Independent:
Chelsea 3 Stoke City 0
Frank Lampard keeps ‘impossible dream' alive

Jose Mourinho might have given up on the League title but Chelsea return to the top of the table thanks to an outstanding display from their long-serving midfielder
Steve Tongue 

A week after Jose Mourinho announced that it was “impossible” for Chelsea to win the Premier League amid the disgruntlement of defeat at Crystal Palace, his team returned to the top of the table, albeit only a point ahead of Liverpool, who play at West Ham this afternoon.
Manchester City, a point further back and with an extra game in hand, remain best placed but Liverpool’s home games against the two other contenders – City next Sunday and Chelsea three weeks today – still hold the key to the outcome of an unpredictable season.
Not that Mourinho was prepared to change his assessment significantly, even if leading 3-0 with fully 20 minutes left thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, the outstanding Frank Lampard and Willian allowed thoughts and tactics to turn towards making up the 3-1 deficit in Tuesday’s second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris St-Germain.
Chelsea will at the very least approach it in good heart and with the full support of a noisy home crowd who saw them overwhelm a disappointing Stoke City; the total of 18 shots to four in favour of the hosts was a fair reflection of the balance of play.
“If we concede one against Paris or have a clean sheet we have a chance, so it’s important to defend well,” the manager said. As for the position at the top, he added: “The situation is the same. The table is again fake, with lots of matches in hand.” With Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore standing at the back of the room, he added a new criticism: “I don’t think it’s the best image, playing matches in the last midweek of the season.”
What would have made Mourinho happier would have been a goal for Fernando Torres, who said in an Independent interview this week that he wanted to make himself Mourinho’s best option on a regular basis. Allowed a start, unlike last Wednesday, while Eden Hazard and Oscar were rested, he ran willingly but still without registering a first Premier League goal since early January, or coming close.
Fortunately the Egyptian Salah, starting for the first time, and Andre Schürrle were more effective down the flanks. Nemanja Matic, ineligible for the Champions League, was back in midfield and much more solid than David Luiz, which crucially allowed Lampard to do much more of what he should have done last week at Selhurst Park, bursting forward in support of the attack. Despite the changes further forward, Mourinho stuck with his now regular back four, having tempted fate by praising them so fulsomely before the “joke” goals conceded in Paris. They were untroubled almost all game, Petr Cech having only one straightforward save to make, when Peter Odemwingie, after four goals in three games, chanced his arm from 20 yards.
Stoke, revitalised under Mark Hughes, know they have much to play for despite this result: a highest finish for almost 40 years; most points, wins and goals in a Premier League season; even ending the campaign as highest placed Midlands side for what would be the first time ever.
Already they have completed more passes in a season than under Tony Pulis’s more fundamentalist regime. They were not averse to longer balls to try to turn the Chelsea defence but the confidence gained from three successive victories was only in evidence briefly before the home side began pushing them back. “I was disappointed because in recent weeks we’ve been better than that,” Hughes said.
Lampard was the key figure, even though not involved in the opening goal. In the 10th minute he took part three times in the move that set up up Torres, who dragged a shot wide from 20 yards – an early indication that this might be one of those days when things just did not go his way. Asmir Begovic pulled off the first of several saves, this one from Willian’s deflected shot and then redeemed himself after a bad clearance by smothering Torres’s effort from close in as Erik Pieters unwisely chested down a cross. The goal Chelsea deserved arrived just after the half-hour mark and could be said to have stemmed from smart work by a young ballboy, who caught a Stoke clearance to applause and immediately gave it to Cesar Azpilicueta. His throw-in sent Matic to the byline to cut back a low pass that found Salah for a left-footed shot that flew past Begovic’s outstretched leg.
It would have been 2-0 at the interval had Ivanovic pushed his head forward a fraction later before turning Lampard’s centre into the net. The offside decision was about as close as it was possible to be.
Two half-time substitutions indicated Hughes’s displeasure with his team’s performance while the introduction of Hazard only 13 minutes after the resumption suggested Mourinho was anxious about the single-goal margin. He need not have been. The Belgian’s first intervention, twisting and turning before supplying Salah, led to a penalty and the overdue second goal.
Andy Wilkinson clearly brought down the Egyptian and although Begovic beat out Lampard’s spot-kick, the midfielder beat him to the rebound to score.
The crowd were willing a goal for Torres, but the best he could do was taking a defender away as Willian curled in a fine third goal to relax the manager and those supporters who may believe their team are not entirely out of contention yet.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Lampard (Luiz, 70); Willian (Cole, 77), Salah,  Schürrle (Hazard, 58); Torres.

Stoke (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Cameron (Wilkinson, 46) , Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; Nzonzi, Whelan; Odemwingie, Palacios (Adam, 46), Arnautovic; Crouch (Walters, 77).

Referee: Lee Probert
Man of the match: Lampard (Chelsea)

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

Observer:

Chelsea 3 Stoke 0
Willian rounds off comfortable win against Stoke City to take Chelsea top
Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea's inability to lure a deadly striker in the last transfer window has complicated their quest for honours but here the two players they did sign in January were instrumental in sending José Mourinho's team back to the top of the Premier League. Nemanja Matic bestrode midfield with mighty authority while Mohamed Salah marked his first start by scoring a goal and creating another. Ultimately the destiny of the title could be determined by how often other Chelsea players can compensate for their forwards' bluntness.
Fernando Torres started up front against Stoke after being omitted from the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain but his performance was hardly sufficient to convince Chelsea not to spend heavily on a new forward in the summer. The more immediate matter for Mourinho here, of course, was to get his team back to winning ways after three defeats in their past five matches.
Having spent most of the season talking down his team's chances of winning the title, the manager seemed to realise that a new psychological ploy was required, so railed against negativity before the visit of Mark Hughes's men, who arrived in buoyant mood having won four of their past five games to banish relegation fears.
Stoke made a vibrant start but Chelsea, accused by Mourinho of being too timid during last week's defeat at Crystal Palace, were not prepared to be pushed around on their own patch and soon took control. Torres was given the game's first chance when, in the third minute, Willian won possession in midfield and threaded an inviting ball through to the forward. Alas, the Spaniard no longer has the pace that he used to and was nudged off the ball by Marc Wilson before Asmir Begovic tidied up. The muscularity of the general play was not matched by the finishing, which was feeble by both sides early on. Torres was presented with another opening in the ninth minute when Matic nicked the ball to him after Chelsea's high pressing had again forced Stoke to cough up possession, but the Spaniard's 20-yard shot hurtled wide.
André Schürrle was guilty of a particularly lame finish moments later, offering Begovic an easy save after being put through. Then Branislav Ivanovic nodded a weak effort wide from a corner.
Peter Odemwingie fired off Stoke's first shot from long range in the 13th minute but that, too, was soft and posed no problem for Petr Cech.
Begovic had to be more sprightly in the 18th minute to turn away a curling effort from the edge of the area by Willian. Chelsea were now well on top – all they were missing was a cutting edge. Wilson almost gifted them a way through when he negligently chested a cross into the path of Torres, but Begovic hurled himself at the striker's feet to smother the danger.
Stoke's resistance eventually gave way. After a throw-in on the left in the 32nd minute, Matic shrugged off Odemwingie and banged a low ball across the face of goal to Salah, who lashed it into the net from 15 yards.
Hughes introduced two substitutes for the second half and one of them, Charlie Adam, was quick to make an impact – on Schürrle's foot. The midfielder, making his first appearance since being banned for stamping on the Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, caught the German with a late tackle.
Schürrle was not seriously injured but was soon replaced by Eden Hazard anyway as Mourinho sought the killer goal. The Belgian immediately showed Adam how to make the right sort of impact, artfully rolling the ball into the path of Salah, who was chopped down by Andy Wilkinson. Begovic saved Frank Lampard's penalty but not the rebound.
Chelsea beat Liverpool to the signing of Salah from Basel in January thanks to the money they generated from the sale of Juan Mata, and that could yet have ramifications for the title. "We sold a great player who was in the best moment of his career and bought a kid from a different habitat," Mourinho said. "An Egyptian playing in Switzerland, we knew it would take time for him to adapt. But already you can see the connection between him and the crowd. They like him."
His connection with his team-mates was obvious too. With Matic laying a solid platform, Salah, Willian and Hazard darted around in all directions and at times Stoke seemed caught in a whirlwind. Willian eventually blew them away, curling a sumptuous shot beyond Begovic from the edge of the area in the 72nd minute.
With his side back on top of the league, Mourinho reverted to talking down his team's chances of staying there. "The table is again fake," he said, insisting the fact that Liverpool and Manchester City have games in hands means they still have the advantage.

Match rating: 6/10

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

Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Stoke City 0: match report
By  Jason Burt, Stamford Bridge

“You have to adapt. If I go to a wedding I don’t go in jeans, right?” Jose Mourinho said. But if you play a Stoke City side that is safe from relegation and in danger of switching off – as manager Mark Hughes admitted after this insipid performance – then you can afford to turn up in carpet slippers.
Ahead of Paris St-Germain this was a PSG performance for Chelsea: a Pretty Straightforward Game. But it was a perfect run-out for Mourinho’s players before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Chelsea had better not turn up in jeans for that one – Mourinho’s analogy was about how they had arrived mentally ill equipped for last Saturday’s defeat away to Crystal Palace – as it will be an occasion for best bib and tucker. Suited and booted or Chelsea will be booted out.
There was a bit of booting yesterday, or at least seemed to be with Charlie Adam again appearing to demonstrate an uncanny ability to catch his opponent late as André Schürrle found out to his cost as the Scot stood on the top of his foot.
But Mourinho was not going to engage with that. “I like aggressive football and I can’t go inside the player’s brain to make the decision whether the intention was to hurt or not to hurt,” he said dismissively.
The Portuguese did not want to pick a fight, and Hughes was equally emphatic. He had not seen the incident and no one had brought it to his intention. Maybe the Football Association will take a look at it.
This was emphatically restorative for Chelsea who, almost apologetically, also returned to the top of the Premier League – at least until the final whistle today at Upton Park.
But Chelsea are still fighting at the top despite the sense of despondency that Mourinho has projected of late in his attacks on his attackers. Fernando Torres again drew a blank – and the kind of backhand praise that must hurt a £50 million striker.
“As normally, he gave everything he can,” Mourinho said damningly. “A pity he did not score a goal because strikers need goals. But he participated; he worked hard.”
And he should have scored. His biggest moment came with the game goalless. Foolishly Erik Pieters attempted to chest the ball to Asmir Begovic and it dropped short. Torres reacted quickly to gain possession but his shot was quickly smothered by Begovic from close-range.
Mourinho’s face, as he sank back into his seat, betrayed his frustration. Later he was sanguine. “We deserved the three points and go back to victories,” he said. “Important for the Premier League but one thing is to start the match on Tuesday after another defeat, the other is to start with a victory.”
Chelsea are at home then also. Despite their problems away from Stamford Bridge, it is five league victories in a row and 17 unanswered goals. PSG will be aware of that.
Mourinho rested Oscar; rested Eden Hazard, who came on as a second-half substitute; and gave a chance to January signing Mohamed Salah to make his full debut and shine – and he did, claiming his second goal for the club with aplomb.
There was also another goal for Frank Lampard, a landmark one at that, his 250th in club football, although his penalty kick, after substitute Andy Wilkinson had scythed down Salah, was saved. Lampard hammered home the rebound with Begovic grounded.
That doubled Chelsea’s advantage and, frankly, it was game over. But then it had been game over from the moment they had taken the lead, which came after Nemanja Matic had cleverly rolled Geoff Cameron from a throw-in and crossed low. Salah’s confident, powerful first-time shot skimmed off Begovic’s boot and into the net.
“We did not ask enough questions of a good Chelsea team who did not have to get out of second gear to take the game away from us,” Hughes later lamented before saying he would “address” it if his players were switching off.
Stoke were curiously flat having attempted to start brightly. But nothing happened for them. Nothing. Instead it was simply a question of how many more Chelsea would score. There was just the one more with Hazard involved, as he had been for the penalty, sliding a pass to Salah who moved it on to Willian.
Wilkinson was again culpable, standing off the Brazilian who strolled on, shifted the ball and curled his right-footed shot around the defender and high beyond Begovic.
There was a late appearance for a heavily-bearded Ashley Cole, brought on in left midfield. It was his first game since Jan 11 – the last time Torres scored in the league – while Mourinho even fielded post-match questions on John Terry’s future.
“The club want him to stay, he wants to stay, so normally he stays,” Mourinho said of the prospect of the defender agreeing a new contract when his current deal expires. It sounded straightforward enough. A bit like this fixture.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6; Matic 7, Lampard 6 (Luiz 70); Salah 7, Willian 8 (Cole 78), Schurrle 6 (Hazard 59); Torres 5. Subs Oscar, Ba, Schwarzer, Kalas.

Stoke (4-2-3-1) Begovic 6, Pieters 5, Wilson 4, Shawcross 6, Cameron 4 (Wilkinson 45); Whelan 5, Palacios 4 (Adam 45); Arnautovic 5, Nzonzi 5, Odemwingie 3; Crouch 4 (Walters 78). Subs Munesia, Guidetti, Etherington, Sorenson.

Referee L Probert (Wiltshire).

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

Times:

Chelsea 3 Stoke City 0: All-change Chelsea stroll back to top
John Aizlewood

As the old saying goes ‘you can only beat what’s in front of you’. Faced with a wretched Stoke side, Chelsea cruised home by three goals and have now kept eight consecutive home clean sheets. Stoke offered no response of any kind and seem to have already knocked off for the season. The hosts have certainly had harder games; they will surely have had harder training sessions.
The three points returned Chelsea to the Premier League summit, but manager Jose Mourinho was still maintaining his twinkle-eyed insistence that the title is beyond his team. “The table is fake,” he insisted. “Teams playing games in hand on the last week of the season isn’t a situation adapted to high-level football.”
With a two-goal Champions League deficit to overcome on Tuesday, Oscar, Eden Hazard and David Luiz were exiled to the bench, while Ramires, who completed his domestic suspension yesterday evening, should also return to face Paris Saint-Germain. Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are ineligible in the Champions League; they both started at Stamford Bridge. Such ferocious plate-juggling meant that much hinged on the performances of Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Andre Schurrle and Willian, but such was Stoke’s feebleness that none enhanced or reduced his prospects.
“Today gave us self-esteem,” explained Mourinho. “To face Paris after a defeat is one thing, but to face them after a victory is better. If we keep a clean sheet that will be perfect, but we have to adapt to the situation: if I go to a wedding I don’t wear jeans.”
Having dropped only one point in their previous five games, but not having taken one at Stamford Bridge since 1984, Stoke arrived with nothing to play for. And how it showed.
“I expected better,” admitted the Stoke manager, Mark Hughes. “We can’t carry as many players as we did today. Chelsea didn’t have to get out of second gear. I hadn’t seen this coming and we’ll have to jump on it straight away. This is a wake-up call.”
Initially, though, Chelsea were sluggish. A frustrated Lampard and Matic found themselves edging further and further forwards. The Schurrle, Willian and Lampard midfield were less than the sum of their parts and consequentially, Fernando Torres found himself isolated. “He participated,” noted Mourinho archly. “He gave everything he can and he won with the team.”
Stoke passed neatly in unthreatening areas, but their horizons were limited and the more the game progressed the more Chelsea oozed menace.
 Nature took its course just after the half-hour. Matic controlled a throw-in on the left, shrugged off Peter Odemwingie’s powder-puff challenge, hurtled to the byline and crossed low. The unattended Salah met it first time to handsomely thunder his second Chelsea goal past Asmir Begovic. “He’s a kid from a different habitat,” said Mourinho of the Egyptian winger. “He needs time to settle. Next season he’ll be a real player.”
Hughes, clearly unimpressed that Petr Cech had been neither tested nor troubled in the first half, made two substitutions at the break but the visitors remained somnambulant. Chelsea surrendered possession and they surrendered cheap free kicks, but they never looked like surrendering their lead. Soon, Mourinho had seen enough. Shurrle hobbled off following an unpleasant challenge by Charlie Adam - “I like aggressive football, but I can’t get in people’s minds to tell their intentions,” shrugged Mourinho – and on came Hazard.
Almost instantly, the lambent Belgian’s penalty-area backheel took out three Stoke defenders before reaching Salah. The winger sprinted for goal, only to be crudely upended by Andy Wilkinson. Lampard’s penalty was hard but straight at Begovic. The loose ball cannoned off the Bosnian, Lampard reacted quicker than the dawdling Stoke defence and Chelsea were home and dry.
From there, it was merely a question of goal difference and soon, Chelsea added a third when Hazard expertly found Willian 20 yards out. Ryan Shawcross unaccountably retreated, allowing Willian the time and space to curl an exquisite third around Begovic from 20 yards. After that both teams allowed the clock to roll down. In Chelsea’s case that was understandable; in Stoke’s it was inexcusable.

Star man: Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)

Chelsea: Cech 6, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6, Matic 7, Willian 7 (Cole 78min), Lampard 6 (Luiz 70min), Salah 7, Schurrle 6 (Hazard 59min 7), Torres 6

Stoke: Begovic 7, Cameron 6 (Wilkinson h-t 5), Wilson 6, Shawcross 5, Pieters 5, Whelan 5, Palacios 5 (Adam h-t 6), N’Zonzi 5, Arnautovic 5, Odemwingie 4, Crouch 5 (Walters 78min)

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Mail:

Chelsea 3-0 Stoke: Salah inspires Mourinho's men to victory at Stamford Bridge
By Patrick Collins

When the biggest teams conduct the final arguments of this tumultuous season, then Chelsea will have their say.
An ultimately comfortable victory at Stamford Bridge lifted them to the top of the pile. And while they are unlikely to remain at the summit to the end, they have shown that anybody with serious designs on the title must finish in front of Jose Mourinho’s side.
Stunning goals from Mohamed Salah and the brilliant Willian, along with a penalty from Frank Lampard, carried them past a Stoke challenge which slowly ran out of energy and ambition.
After a few alarms, they enter a critical week of their season in decent heart and reasonable shape. It is all they could have asked.
On Tuesday, they face the formidable Paris St Germain, 3 – 1 down in the Champions’ League quarter final. 'It is one thing to start Tuesday’s match after another defeat’, reasoned Mourinho last night.
'It is another thing to start with a victory’. The manager believes, as he has to believe, that his team have a chance of progressing. The quality of the football they produced, after a tentative, uncertain start, will assist his task of persuading his players.
On Saturday, Mourinho picked a side equipped to carry the title fight. Frank Lampard, now a squad player, came into midfield, while David Luiz and Eden Hazard started on the bench, but Chelsea were strong and competent.
As for Stoke, their approach justified the contention that their ways really are changing. Their manager Mark Hughes was displeased with the way things worked out: 'We weren’t able to troublke a very good Chelsea side today’, he said.
'We wanted to make a better fist of it’. Yet no longer were passes launched exclusively high and hopeful. Instead, defenders who once were encouraged to put their foot through the ball now played it out with some care from the back, and they looked a more effective team for it.
True, a fair number of their attacking ideas involved floated offerings towards the head of Peter Crouch, but, until fatigue sapped their creative ambition, they were far from the primitive Stoke of old.
Chelsea’s main creative source – and the player most responsible for guiding them through their early uncertainty --was the lively, resourceful Willian, pushing forward nimbly from midfield. He ran through his repertoire; the feint, the flick, the startling change of pace, But nothing was successfully constructed until the 31st minute when Nemanja Matic made a strong run down the left and selected Mohamed Salah on the far side of the box with his cross. Salah’s response was dramatic, a stunning left foot drive which fairly exploded past Asmir Begovic for the opening goal.
In truth, Chelsea were faintly flattered by the advantage, but it was a score which settled the side, and the balance of the contest tilted firmly in their favour.
In 40 minutes, they seemed to have taken a firm hold on the match, when Branislav Ivanovic met a deep cross.As the header bulged the net, a distant linesman could be seen, waving an offside flag. Replays showed that he was correct, by perhaps a single foot. Mourinho threw a small, predictable touchline tantrum, but  he wasn’t really trying too hard.
Stoke brought on Charlie Adam in place of Wilson Palacios, and Andy Wilkinson for Geoff Cameron at the start of the second half.
Adam announced himself with a dubious lunge at Andre Schurrle which brought the Chelsea physio racing from the bench. The tackle went unpunished and Adam seemed relieved.
He was equally relieved some half an hour later, when his high, reckless boot thudded in the chest of the substitute David Luiz, and once again the referee Lee Probert saw nothing worth censuring. Stoke will argue that Adam’s reputation precedes him. The rest of us will recall with a shudder just how he acquired that reputation.
Stoke were still struggling to supplement the efforts of their lone striker Crouch. He worked as hard as ever, chasing endless lost causes, but he was outmuscled and heavily outnumbered by Chelsea’s defenders.
Despite their reconstruction, Stoke have been relying on his efforts for so long, that they are perilously short of a Plan B when the Crouch ploy is unsuccessful.
The course of the seemed decisively set on the hour, when Eden Hazard came on for Schurrle. Inside a  minute, the little conjurer was teasing and turning the Stoke defence, as he would hope to bewilder PSG on Tuesday.
A deft backheel sent Salah running to the byline, only to have his legs taken away by the artless assault of Wilkinson. Begovic saved Lampard’s penalty, but the Chelsea ancient was offered the rebound, and the invitation was accepted.
A dozen minutes later, the excellent Willian terminated the argument. The ball was worked pleasingly across the face of the Stoke defence, and Willian advanced upon Ryan Shawcross. Unwisely, the Stoke captain stood off his man, whereupon Willian unfolded a sumptuous curling effort which lodged inside the far post.
Testing trials lie in wait, but for the moment, Chelsea are still stating an eloquent case. Their arguments should not be discounted.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 5; Ivanovic 6.5, Cahill 6.5, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 6.5; Lampard 7 (Luiz 70), Matic 7; Willian 7.5 (Cole 78), Schurrle 6.5 (Hazard 59, 6), Salah 8; Torres 6.

Subs not used: Oscar, Ba, Schwarzer, Kalas.

Stoke (4-5-1): Begovic 5; Cameron 5 (Wilkinson 46, 4.5), Wilson 5, Shawcross 5, Pieters 5; Odemwingie 6, Whelan, Palacios 6 (Adam 46, 4,5), Nzonzi 6, Arnautovic 6; Crouch 5 (Walters 78).

Subs not used: Muniesa, Guidetti, Etherington, Sorensen.

MOM: Salah

Referee: Lee Probert - 6
*Player ratings by SAMI MOKBEL at Stamford Bridge

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Mirror:

Chelsea 3-0 Stoke City: Blues make light work of the Potters to keep pace in Premier League title race
 
By Dave Kidd

Mohamed Salah, Frank Lampard and Willian found the net as Jose Mourinho's side bounced back from their midweek defeat to PSG

So, the daring hijack routine Jose Mourinho performed on Liverpool to snap up Mohamed Salah in the January transfer window might just have an impact on the title race.
The Reds certainly haven’t been pining the loss of the ­Egyptian winger, who so nearly moved to Anfield before Chelsea snaffled him by striking an £11million deal with Basel.
But it was Salah’s first-half strike which sent Chelsea on their way to a victory that propelled them back to the top of the Premier League at ­Liverpool’s expense – for 24 hours at least.
The rocket-fuelled wideman had illuminated plenty of Thursday nights as Basel made a habit of defeating English sides in the Europa League. Now, he is on centre stage – scoring a crucial opener as Mourinho’s men obliterated memories of their season’s worst week.
Plastered in Paris and at Palace, Chelsea were glad to be back home. They simply do not lose League games here under Mourinho – and these days they do not even concede goals.
This was an eighth straight clean sheet at the Bridge and another one is sure to be required against Paris Saint- Germain on Tuesday if Chelsea are to progress to the last four of the Champions League.
Mourinho may not have a “real striker”, but he has a thick blue line of four bona fide ­world-class defenders.
The Portuguese dropped Eden Hazard for the first League match in six months, but, with Stoke virtually failing to turn up, this never looked like any sort of gamble, as Chelsea carved out a series of chances. Fernando Torres sent a ­firecracker just wide, Salah had a tame shot saved and Willian had a shot deflected by Glenn Whelan and turned around by Asmir Begovic.
Then, Torres might have capitalised on a double dose of dozy defending. Peter Odemwingie, dawdling in his own half was mugged by Cesar Azpilicueta, whose cross was chested by Stoke left-back Erik Pieters into the path of Torres, only for Begovic to smother the ball at the Spanish striker’s feet.
Torres had a penalty shout turned down after a Geoff Cameron challenge and you were beginning to wonder whether it might be another day when Mourinho would pay for the absence of a world-class striker, which he had bemoaned after the 3-1 defeat in Paris.
Yet, on 32 minutes, Chelsea were in front – thanks to their two January signings.
Nemanja Matic cut back for Salah to hammer home a shot, which Begovic could only help on its way with a leg. Salah gave the Stamford Bridge turf a prolonged smacker and, within minutes, Chelsea thought they had doubled their lead.
Frank Lampard crossed from the right and Branislav Ivanovic headed in, but some lengthy celebrations were curtailed when a late – but correct – offside flag was spotted.
Lampard might have scored in first-half injury-time when he had the time to pick his spot, only to see his shot blocked. Mark Hughes made a double change at the break, sending on Charlie Adam and Andy Wilkinson.
Adam was straight into the action with a tasty challenge – this one hard, but fair - which left Schurrle needing treatment. When Hazard arrived, in place of Schurrle on the hour, his influence was almost immediate.
A cunning back-heel from the Belgian picked out Salah, who was wiped out by Wilkinson.
It could not have been a clearer penalty, had the Stoke defender driven an articulated lorry at the Egyptian. Lampard’s initial spot-kick was well saved by Begovic, diving to his right, but the England veteran raced in to steal home the rebound.
Salah then teed up Willian for a gorgeous third, curled home from the edge of the box.
Later, of Willian, Frank Lampard said: “He was brilliant in the No.10 role. He shifts the ball so quickly and gets his shots away. He does it better than anyone I’ve ever played with. And he works back too.”
Willian was another of ­Chelsea’s hijack jobs, swiped from under Tottenham’s noses last summer.
Who says crime doesn’t pay?

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Express:

Chelsea 3 - Stoke 0: Willian leads charge at Stamford Bridge
CHELSEA cantered back to the top of a league Jose Mourinho reckons they can’t win – even though it could be just for 24 hours – and fired a warning to Paris St-Germain in the process.

By: Colin Mafham

Mourinho’s men will find the French champions much tougher to topple than sorry Stoke were yesterday.
But there is nothing better than an easy victory like this to get Chelsea believing they still have a chance of progressing in Europe – even if their tongue-in-cheek manager does tip Liverpool or Manchester City to pip them on the home front.
The big question now is will they persevere with a Fernando Torres who doesn’t appear to be able to hit a proverbial barn door right now?
Whether he can rectify that in the next 48 hours is a matter for serious consideration.
Mind you, if anyone took to heart what Mourinho said about some of his players last week it was Willian.
No one could accuse him of lacking that special quality – the five-letter word begins with b and ends with s – his manager chose to write home about.
The Brazilian, starting probably only to give Eden Hazard and Oscar a rest, staked an early claim for a place against PSG on Tuesday with a great effort that Asmir Begovic clawed away.
A pity for Chelsea that poor Torres didn’t do the same.
It’s difficult to tell whether the Spaniard is sulking or sorry. But whatever it is he looks a shadow of his old £50million self, despite Mourinho’s assurances that he still has a big future at the club.
Even when Erik Pieters mistakenly chested the ball into Torres’s path just a few feet out, keeper Asmir Begovic reacted quicker to deny him the goal he looks so desperately in need of.
Needless to say he had little say in Chelsea’s opener on the half-hour when Mohamed Salah made it a dream Premier League start for him with a clinical strike after Nemanja Matic set him up.
It was no more than Chelsea deserved, though, in a first half in which Stoke showed little sign of making it a happy return for their manager, Mark Hughes, who enjoyed some glory years as a player at Stamford Bridge.
They produced virtually no threats before the break and would have gone in two down if Branislav Ivanoic hadn’t been denied a super-looking goal for being a mere fraction offside.
No wonder Hughes’s hair looked like turning a whiter shade of grey! Or that he brought on the more creative Charlie Adam for Wilson Palacios in the second half.
Not that it appeared to make a huge difference, even if Chelsea continued to take little advantage of their territorial supremacy.
Until, that is, young Salah capped a great day for him when he tempted substitute Andy Wilkinson into the sort of rash challenge that gave referee Lee Probert little choice but to point to the penalty spot.
Frank Lampard did the rest, even if Begovic did manage to save his first attempt.
It might have been three soon afterwards but the chance fell to sorry Torres – and you didn’t need JK Rowling to write that script. He missed, of course.
Willian didn’t, though, with a 72nd-minute super-strike that used to be a trademark for Torres. And didn’t he just deserve it?
There didn’t really seem a lot on when the diminutive South American picked the ball up outside the box.
But his superb, curling effort into the roof of the net was just reward for his efforts.
A little surprising then, that Mourinho chose to take him off soon afterwards and replace him with Ashley Cole.
Could it be he was already pencilling him in for that Champions League crunch game on Tuesday?
It was by then, though, well and truly over as a contest.
And Stoke – and Hughes in particular – looked as if they couldn’t wait for the final whistle.
When it did finally come, the previously forgotten Cole threw his team shirt to a fan as he left the pitch after just 10 minutes on it.
Was that a goodbye, do you think?

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Star:

Chelsea 3 - Stoke 0: Frank Lampard makes history as the Blues cruise to victory
FRANK LAMPARD chalked up another career milestone yesterday – at the second attempt.

By Tony Stenson

The veteran midfielder, 35, scored his 250th competitive club goal but he did it on the rebound after seeing a soft second-half penalty saved by Asmir Begovic.
Lampard’s latest strike came almost 19 years after his first – scored on loan for Swansea and helped Chelsea on their way back to the top of the Premier League table.
Lampard said: “I am enjoying playing at the moment and being one of the older heads.
“I want to keep playing for another two or three years and as long as I can contribute.
“It’s different when you get older and you have to stay sharper.
“Will I play against PSG? If the manager wants me to. We need to win 2-0 to get through and with the players we have who says we can’t do that?”
Despite Lampard’s input it was Mohamed Salah, the man from the land of the pharoahs, who stopped Chelsea’s season turning to sand.
The Egyptian international, making his first full start since his £11million transfer from Basel, scored their opening goal to calm nerves and end Stoke’s hopes of inflicting an unheard of third successive defeat on Jose Mourinho’s men.
He was later fouled by Stoke sub Andy Wilkinson for Lampard’s 61st minute spot-kick.
He also played a part in man of the match Willian striking a beauty from 18 yards to round off a perfect day.
Mourinho said: “He will be good. There was a feeling between him and the crowd. They love a winger.
Next season he, along with Oscar and Eden Hazard, will take this club forward.”
Victory gave Mourinho’s side a timely boost before they take on PSG in the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
They trail 3-1 and the men from the Potteries proved just as tough as the monsieurs of Paris.
Stoke are the kind of side you wouldn’t want to watch every week but are the ones you would want in the trenches alongside you in times of trouble. They never give in, are constantly in your face and Chelsea needed to dig in for victory.
The game didn’t start on a happy note with Chelsea boss Mourinho ear-bashing a TV camera crew who picked out Fernando Torres before the match.
Mourinho might not always pick his misfiring striker but he defends him to the last.
He said: “I was unhappy with camerman chasing Torres before the game. It wasn’t professional and I told him so.”
Mourinho’s men were everything that had been missing in each of their two previous league defeats. Gone was the arrogance and in its place was a fierce desire not to fail again.
They were quicker to the ball, went flying into tackles and Stoke were forced back. It was no surprise when the home side took a 32nd-minute lead.
Nemanja Matic broke clear on the right and his cross was met first time by Salah.
Stoke staged a fierce late rally but the final magic came from Brazilian Willian with a stunning 18-yard strike.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes said: “It’s a wake-up call and we need to get back to what we have been doing previously. I hope some don’t think it’s holiday time. It’ll be my job to remind them otherwise next week.”
★ PSG warmed up for their trip to Chelsea by beating Reims 3-0. Boss Laurent Blanc made eight changes to his side but Edinson Cavani opened the scoring, before blundering Reims defender Aissa Mandi scored TWO own goals.

 

 

 

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