Saturday 17 October 2015 19:48, UK
Chelsea claimed only their third win of the season as a Diego Costa strike and an own goal from Alan Hutton gave them a 2-0 victory over struggling Aston Villa.
Costa opened the scoring after a defensive mistake from the visitors in the first half, and the striker set up their second when his shot bounced in off Hutton after the break.
Here, we round up some of the top talking points from Stamford Bridge as the Blues provided some relief from their dismal start to the campaign...
Chelsea show old resolve
The determination and defensive resolve that characterised the second half of Chelsea's title-winning campaign has been desperately lacking this season, but it was evident again here as they got back to winning ways in west London.
Chelsea had just nine shots on goal to Villa's eight and Mourinho acknowledged they were a long way from their best in his post-match press conference, but he was delighted with the manner in which they secured only their second clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.
"It was not a brilliant performance but it was a solid performance," he said. "I think in football you are brilliant when the confidence levels are very high and the players are able to put all their qualities on the pitch. But when the confidence is a bit low and the results are not good, when you feel the pressure of the moment, the quality is a little bit low and you have to bring the other ingredients of the game. They did it in an amazing way."
Chelsea required a slice of luck for each of their goals, and while Aston Villa were not without their chances in the first half - with Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede going closest - Chelsea kept them comfortably at arm's length after the break. Their supporters enjoyed a chorus of "we are staying up" after the second goal, and following a turbulent start to the campaign, it felt like exactly what they needed.
Mourinho springs more surprises
It has become practically impossible to predict Mourinho's starting line-up this season, and that trend continued here, as Eden Hazard, the Premier League's outstanding player last year, became the latest big-name star to be dropped in a domestic fixture.
Hazard did not emerge from the bench until the last 10 minutes, and Mourinho used his post-match press conference to warn the Belgian that he might not get back into the team unless he "tries to replicate the same work that Willian and Pedro did". By that, of course, he is referencing defensive effort.
"I left out Hazard because we are conceding lots of goals," he said. "We need to defend better. We need our midfield players to just be worried with the central area of the pitch, not to be worried about compensating on the left or the right.
"Playing with Pedro and Willian, the midfield players don't have to look to the left and the right, because they know those players control (those areas) very well. So it was just a tactical decision. Leaving super quality on the bench, but bringing tactical discipline and hoping the team could be solid."
Hazard was not the only senior player among the substitutes. Mourinho made five changes from the 3-1 defeat to Southampton, with Nemanja Matic and Gary Cahill also omitted from the starting line-up. Big calls like these have backfired on Mourinho at times this season, but on this occasion he was vindicated by the result.
Diego Costa impresses
How Chelsea missed Diego Costa. The Blues drew with Newcastle and lost to Southampton during their talismanic striker's suspension, but he was close to his snarling best against Villa as he scored their opening goal, played a crucial role in their second and generally made it an unpleasant afternoon for the visitors.
The Spaniard recently admitted to being overweight when he returned from holiday in the summer, but two weeks on the training ground appear to have served him well. Costa battled tirelessly and worked relentlessly without the ball. In the dugout, Mourinho clapped his efforts, and in the stands, the fans roared their approval.
There were moments of confrontation with Micah Richards and Ashley Westwood as he got under the skin of his opponents, and Premier League tracking data showed no one on the pitch completed more than his 60 sprints.
"I knew that he would be good," said Mourinho. "I cannot say [I knew he would score] goals because goals are unpredictable, but with the way he was working in the past two weeks, I knew clearly that he would bring something positive for us."
Work to do for Loftus-Cheek
It was anticipated that Loftus-Cheek's inclusion would see Cesc Fabregas moved into a more advanced role, but it was the 19-year-old who was deployed behind Costa. The visitors seemed as surprised as anyone to see his towering 6ft 3in frame at No 10, and his physicality caused problems in the early stages as he picked the ball up and drove at Villa's backline.
He was let own by the wrong choice of pass after a rampaging run in the third minute, but he almost scored from a similar situation soon afterwards when his side-footed effort from Pedro's pass was deflected wide.
They were encouraging signs, but his manager appeared to be unimpressed. At one point in the first half, Mourinho leapt out of his seat to angrily berate the youngster, so perhaps his withdrawal for Matic at half-time should not have come as a surprise.
"I wanted more solidity," explained Mourinho afterwards. "He is brilliant with the ball, he doesn't look like an 18-year-old boy with the ball. But without the ball we cannot compare him tactically with the others. It was a decision of stability and control."
So does the Chelsea manager see Loftus-Cheek playing at No 10 again in future? "I see him playing there when he has the defensive ability to do that," he said. Like Hazard, Loftus-Cheek has been warned. Talent alone is not enough to earn a place in Mourinho's starting XI.
Pressure mounts on Sherwood
The defeat was Aston Villa's fourth in a row in the Premier League and stretched their winless run to eight games. Their opening day win over Bournemouth feels like a long, long time ago, and the pressure is building on Sherwood.
In truth, Villa were more than a match for Chelsea in an open first half. But Brad Guzan and Joleon Lescott were badly at fault for the opening goal, and Sherwood felt it would always be tough to recover. "I thought we were better them before that mistake," he said. "But when you give away the first goal in a match in normally ends in a defeat. The first goal is the most important, and it was a poor one to give away."
Sherwood described his side as a "young team in transition" after the game, but having spent over £50m in the summer, he needs to turn things around sooner rather than later.
"I've had no indication that the clock is ticking," he said in reference to his future. "But I'm under no illusion that as a football manager you have to win football matches."
Next weekend's home clash with Swansea City already looks like a must-win encounter.
