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Chelsea lose 2-1 to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge
Defeat at home is Mourinho's first in 78 English Premier League matches
Sunderland remain bottom of table but move to within one point of nearest rivals
Jose Mourinho suffered his first ever home defeat in the English Premier League as Chelsea slumped to a 2-1 loss to bottom side Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Portuguese manager’s remarkable 77-match unbeaten record which covers both his spells at the west London club was ended when former Chelsea player Fabio Borini scored an 82nd-minute winner.
The Italian, who is currently on loan to Sunderland from league leaders Liverpool, slotted home from the penalty spot after Cesar Azpilicueta had been adjudged to have fouled Jozy Altidore by referee Mike Dean.
The decision incensed Chelsea assistant coach Rui Faria who angrily confronted Dean before being sent to the stands.
After squandering two points at Manchester City in midweek, Gus Poyet’s side weren’t about to make the same mistake twice and gamely held on for the win despite concerted pressure from the home side.
The win isn’t enough to lift Sunderland off the foot of the table but it does move them to within one point of Cardiff and Fulham who each have 30 points and have played one game extra.
Earlier, Samuel Eto’o had put the Blues ahead steering home neatly from a corner in the 12th minute before Conor Wickham scored his third goal in two matches six minutes later – the 21-year-old firing home after goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer had spilled Marcos Alonso’s speculative shot.
Despite enjoying almost two thirds of possession, Chelsea failed to find a way through Sunderland’s defenses converting just one of their 31 scoring opportunities.
The Blues’ third league defeat in six matches leaves them two points adrift of leaders Liverpool who can move five points clear if they beat Norwich City on Sunday.
Mourinho has been insisting for some time that his team are not favorites for the title and now his pessimistic predictions are perhaps coming true.
He wasn’t taking questions on that subject or any others following Saturday’s loss, choosing instead to issue a brusque statement.
“I just want to say four things, and I’m sorry, because if you make me (answer) more questions, I will repeat in exactly the same way,” a dejected Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“Congratulations to my players, because they gave what they have and what they don’t have. Congratulations to Sunderland, because they won. Congratulations to Mike Dean, because he made a fantastic performance.
“And congratulations to Mike Riley (the man in charge of Premier League referees), because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going.
“So congratulations to all of them, and I have nothing more to say. I’m sorry.”
When Mourinho has prized his tongue out from his cheek he will have the task of getting his players ready for Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg at Atletico Madrid. After that, there is the small matter of a league trip to Liverpool next weekend.
In the remaining Premier League matches Tottenham Hotspur beat Fulham 3-1 at White Hart Lane.
Back-to-back wins in their last two matches had given the Cottagers hope of avoiding the drop but Saturday’s defeat keeps them second-from-bottom, two points from safety with only three games remaining.
Spurs, meanwhile, remain sixth with 63 points from 35 games.
Fellow strugglers Cardiff City drew 1-1 with Stoke City to move up to 18th in the table while Aston Villa and Southampton played out a goalless draw.
Crystal Palace beat West Ham United 1-0 at Upton Park to record a fifth straight win while Swansea City beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St James’ Park.
Arsenal are away to Hull and Everton take on David Moyes’ Manchester United at Goodison Park on Sunday.
PSG lift French League Cup
Paris Saint-Germain won the French League Cup for a fourth time defeating Lyon 2-1 at the Stade de France on Saturday night.
Two first-half goals from Edinson Cavani – one from open play in the fourth minute, the other a 32nd-minute penalty – handed the Ligue 1 leaders the advantage before Alexandre Lacazette 56th-minute goal halved the deficit.
Laurent Blanc’s side held on against the side they lost to in the league last weekend to clinch what will likely be a cup and league double – PSG are currently 10 points clear of Monaco in Ligue 1 with five games remaining.
Over in Germany, Bayern Munich warmed up for their Champions League semifinal first leg match against Real Madrid with a 2-0 win against bottom-of-the-table Braunschweig.
Pep Guardiola’s side, who have already been crowned Bundesliga champions, bounced back from back-to-back league defeats with late goals from Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic.
Borussia Dortmund consolidated second place with a 4-2 win over Mainz. Schalke can move back to within three points of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who now have 64 points from 31 games, with a win away at Stuttgart on Sunday.
Elsewhere there were also wins for Wolfsburg, Frieburg and Werder Bremen. The match between Augsburg and Hertha Berlin ended 0-0.
In Italy, Juventus remain on course for third successive Serie A title after a 1-0 against relegation-threatened Bologna kept Antonio Conte’s side eight points clear of second-place Roma.
Rudi Garcia’s men kept their slim chances of overhauling Juve alive with a 1-0 at fourth-place Fiorentina while third place Napoli drew 1-1 at Udinese.
At the foot of the table, Catania kept their feint hopes of avoiding relegation alive with a 2-1 win against Sampdoria. Victory moves them to within two points of Livorno who lost 3-0 to AC Milan.
The win lifts the Rossoneri to seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Parma who lost 2-0 to Inter.
Three matches were played in Spain on Saturday. Real Sociedad moved up to sixth with a 2-1 against Espanyol while the games between Osasuna and Valencia and Levante’s match with Getafe ended in draws.
Barcelona return to league action on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao after losing 2-1 to arch rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to six points with a 2-0 win over Elche on Friday.
