In a previous existence, not so long ago, Jose Mourinho expressed his worries for the new-look young Chelsea and manager Frank Lampard in the big matches. Mourinho had his fears addressed in the most comprehensive manner possible as Lampard outflanked him tactically and Chelsea outclassed his new Spurs side to secure a richly deserved victory.
Sadly, the win will be overshadowed by the latest allegations of racist abuse, this time aimed at Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger after he was involved in the incident that saw Spurs' South Korean attacker Heung-min Son sent off for raising a boot into his ribs.
The three subsequent announcements over the tannoy cast a shadow over the final stages of the game - but there was no disguising Lampard's delight as he punched the air and threw his coat into Chelsea's celebrating supporters after the final whistle.
This was a victory with an edge - and it is not difficult to guess why.
There remains huge respect between Lampard and Mourinho after the successes they shared at Chelsea, including two Premier League titles.
It did not go unnoticed at Chelsea, however, that Mourinho, in his role as a pundit before returning to the game at Spurs, referenced their 4-0 opening weekend loss to Manchester United as he later said: "In the first weekend I was worried - and I'm still worried with the big matches."
It drew a sardonic response from Lampard's right-hand man Jody Morris, who pretended to cry in an Instagram post to the background of The Verve's hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and posted a mocking Tweet reading "Jose Is Still Worried" with laughing emojis.
No comments:
Post a Comment