The Blues maintained our 100 per cent Premier League home record with a comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham United on a day when, had it not been for the heroics of Adrian in the visitors’ goal, the scoreline would surely have been more emphatic.
The damage was done courtesy of a goal in each half, the first by John Terry, his second in a week, and the second a clinical finish by Diego Costa, and it was no more than a dominant Chelsea performance merited.
The victory was the ideal way to prepare for two away fixtures over the next week, firstly against Southampton on Sunday, and then at Tottenham next Thursday.
Jose Mourinho praised the way his team adapted to different challenges throughout the 90 minutes.
‘There’s no perfection but we played very well against a difficult team,’ said the Portuguese. ‘We played well in two different versions; the first against a defensive side, and we were very good, we moved the ball, there was a good dynamic and lots of chances. In the second half we played against an attacking team that made changes by putting on faster players and playing direct balls into space. We coped well and found ways to counter attack. It’s very important for a team to identify different moments of the game and to be able to adapt. Today was a good example of that, the players did very well.’
He explained why there was only one change to the side which beat Stoke on Monday‘My players are human like all the others but the point is that every match is fundamental, there are no better points than others, every match is an important match.
‘We played Stoke on Monday and after that we had three days to recover the players well. Everybody was in condition to play. I made just one change, Oscar for Mikel, because I wanted to give a different design to the team.
‘We play in two days, after that we play at Tottenham three days later and then against Watford, so this is a different period.’
The Blues boss also identified one of the biggest differences between this season and last‘We are a much better team when we have the ball. Last year we were very strong defensively and very well organised but we lacked a bit of creativity when we had the ball.
‘The challenge this year was to bring that creativity and dynamic without losing the defensive qualities of the team. At the beginning of the season there was a little bit of conflict with ideas. We made some defensive mistakes and conceded three goals against Everton, it was difficult to keep a clean sheet, but at The moment there is a good balance. The team is happy to have the ball but also comfortable when the opposition has the ball. I think we are a very good team.
‘Football is football, you never know and the only thing we can do to try to reduce the unpredictability of football is to do what we’re doing: playing very well. Since the Burnley game we are having good, solid performances.
‘The results are good, the players are happy. I’m happy as a coach because the team is playing well. I’m happy as a guy because I love my players. It’s important to feel happy with the people that surround me, it’s something I missed for a while and with this group I have a group that I love.’
John Terry impressed once more, and opened the scoring, just like against Stoke‘He’s always had that, normally four or five goals a season. He’s full of confidence. I see my John of 2004, 2005 and 2006 here, I don’t see any difference. He’s playing so well but when the team is playing so well it’s easy for individuals.’
