Chelsea memories don’t ‘feed’ Jose Mourinho after return ends in defeat
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Benfica coach Jose Mourinho shouts instructions to his players from the touchline during the Champions League clash against his former side Chelsea.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Jose Mourinho insisted fond memories of his time at Chelsea were not enough to satisfy him, after Benfica were beaten 1-0 on his return to Stamford Bridge on Sept 30.
The Blues’ Portuguese former boss was given a warm welcome by Chelsea fans, who chanted his name on several occasions throughout the Champions League tie. But the 62-year-old ended an emotional evening frustrated that Benfica could not turn their solid display into a tangible reward.
An own goal from Richard Rios in the 18th minute proved decisive as the Portuguese side were beaten for the first time in Mourinho’s four matches in charge.
After winning seven major trophies, including three English Premier League titles, across two spells with Chelsea, he is the most successful manager in the history of the west London club.
But ever the contrarian, Mourinho disagreed that he should be comforted by the show of affection because the loss was all that mattered to him.
“I don’t feed myself with these memories,” he said. “I feed myself with victories. Of course, I take the memories. On the pitch, I was focused on the game, but you have always a little bit of the sound.
“I thank the fans. I live around here and when I’m in London, I meet them every day on the street. I know that it’s going to be a relationship forever. Hopefully, I come back here in 20 years with my grandkids. They belong to my history and I belong to their history.”
There was more disciplinary woe for Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, when substitute Joao Pedro was sent off in stoppage time for a high challenge.
That brought Chelsea’s tally of red cards to three in their last four games. “At least we learnt how to win with a red card,” Maresca said.
It was a more solid Chelsea performance than in the Sept 27 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, when they collapsed following Trevoh Chalobah’s second-half dismissal, and also an improvement on recent losses to Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Maresca had come under fire after Chelsea’s slow start to the season and he acknowledged the significance of their first Champions League win this term.
“We needed the win,” he said. “Sometimes you need to learn to win in an ugly way.”
Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur emerged from a chastening trip to the Arctic Circle with a 2-2 draw, courtesy of a late own goal by Bodo/Glimt’s Jostein Gundersen.
Local-born Jens Petter Hauge scored a brace for the impressive hosts, before Micky van de Ven and the 89th-minute own goal snatched a point for Thomas Frank’s Europa League winners. AFP
