Sorry Chelsea dumped out as Jose gets the last laugh
CHELSEA (0) v/s INTER MILAN (1)
JOSE MOURINHO last night insisted he was the “happiest person on earth” after his Inter Milan side subjected his former club Chelsea to a crushing Champions League exit.
The Portuguese boss was greeted with warm applause from Chelsea fans as he stepped out onto the Stamford Bridge pitch for the first time since his controversial departure three-and-a-half years ago.
And Samuel Eto’o’s goal 11 minutes from time ensured the self-proclaimed “Special One” went home happy too.
Indeed, Chelsea’s misery was compounded late on when striker Didier Drogba was sent off after a tangle with Thiago Motta. “We were the best team, the best team by far,” Mourinho admitted afterwards. “Chelsea are a great team. We came here knowing the way they play very well.
“To win here it must be almost a perfect performance, not just from the team but from every player.
“Samuel Eto’o scored against Chelsea in the only game I lost at Stamford Bridge. Tonight he did it again and this is one of the victories that make me happier. I am the happiest person on earth, but the road to Madrid is still long.”
Inter worked their socks off and never let Chelsea settle in a scrappy affair. Michael Ballack shot wide while Nicolas Anelka saw a shot blocked by Motta as frustrations grew.
Drogba was then denied a strong penalty claim after he was dragged to the ground by Walter Samuel.
But Inter looked the more likely after the break and it was no real surprise when they put the tie beyond Chelsea – man-of-the-match Wesley Sneijder threading through for Eto’o to finish coolly past Ross Turnbull.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti must now turn his attentions to the Premier League and FA Cup, but the Italian had no complaints.
“We didn’t play how we wanted to. Inter put pressure on our midfielders so we had a lot of difficulty playing,” he said. “We played better in the first game in Milan but we were not able to repeat the same display so Inter deserved to win.”