Jose Mourinho is starting to feel drained at having to watch his Chelsea team hang on for scrambling victories despite dominating opponents, the manager said after Thursday's 1-0 Premier League win over Swansea City.
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League
English Premier League champions Chelsea needed two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Saturday, with Brazilians Ramires and Willian coming off the bench to earn Jose Mourinho's stuttering side a point.
'Before the start of the season I felt Manchester United will be a lot better this year and they were my tip for the title'
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Out-of-sorts Chelsea have a golden opportunity to restore battered self-confidence when they face Maccabi Tel Aviv in their opening Champions League Group G match.
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri will not be able to watch the game which could deliver his side their first-ever Premier League title because he wants to have lunch with his 96-year-old mother on her birthday. The Foxes will be crowned champions if Tottenham Hotspur, who trail them by eight points, fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a ground where they have not won since 1990, on Monday. But, speaking after Leicester missed out on the victory against Manchester United that would have sealed the title on Sunday, Ranieri said he will be flying back from Italy when the game kicks off. "I'd like to watch the match tomorrow, but I think I'm on a flight back from Italy so it's difficult for me to watch the match," Ranieri said after the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. "My mother is 96 years old and I would like to have a lunch with her. I will be the last man in England to know," Ranieri added. "Three matches ago I said, in my mind Tottenham will win all the matches. Look, for us it's important to continue to dream." Ranieri thought the draw with United was a fair result. "United started very very well, moved the ball very well, and it was very difficult for us to restart and make something good," he said.
Champions Chelsea have not enjoyed the best of starts at home this season and face their biggest test yet on Saturday with the visit of free-scoring leaders Manchester City.
Sergio Aguero struck twice as Manchester City came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester United won away for the first time this season when they beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to climb to fourth in the Premier League table.
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, who hoped to celebrate his new contract with victory at an expectant Stamford Bridge, ended up grateful his team did not become the first Premier League champions to start their title defence with a defeat.
Chelsea banking on other big strikers with Costa still doubtful
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has apologised for shoving his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho on the touchline during a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is wary of the danger posed by Juventus forward Paulo Dybala ahead of their opening Champions League Group D clash on Tuesday.
It is time to deliver for Paris St Germain and Manchester City as the two mega-rich teams prepare to lock horns in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Tottenham Hotspur have the chance to exert psychological pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea when they open the weekend programme at home to Watford on Saturday.
Manchester United's Jose Mourinho, humbled for the second time this season in front of the Chelsea fans who once idolised him, did not go quietly on Monday as he declared that he remains the London club's number one manager.
Champions Chelsea begin title defence at home to Swansea City, while runners-up Manchester City kick-off at West Bromwich Albion
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has made a surprise return to Chelsea's training ground ahead of Sunday's big London derby after Adidas sent a consignment of gloves to his former club by mistake. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, whose misfiring champions travel to Cech's Premier League leaders on Sunday, made light of the situation at a news conference on Friday. "I was here when Petr showed up. It was nice to see him," the Dutchman told reporters at the Cobham facility to the south-west of London. "We had a chat here. Almost everyone was gone already, it was late afternoon....we tried to hide them, which he did not accept. Also we tried to make them a little bit slippery but he discovered that also. "They were wrongly sent here and we gave them back. It was nice. That's the story."
With dreams of European glory in tatters, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur turn their attention to the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend clinging to their last chance of silverware this season.
Chelsea play "ugly" football under Jose Mourinho and the Premier League's runaway leaders deserve to be branded as boring because of their refusal to attack teams, their former manager Ruud Gullit has said.
Liverpool will attempt to sweep away the January blues on the last day of a wretched month when they host commanding Premier League leaders Chelsea at Anfield on Tuesday.
Chelsea will have to be wary of the danger posed by the in-form Marouane Fellaini.
However, cracks in the relationship surfaced this season as the team's form slumped, with the first signs appearing as early as August when Mourinho hauled Terry off at halftime during a 3-0 defeat to ManchesterCity.
'If you are a big player, and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player'
Jose Mourinho believes his Chelsea team could challenge for the Champions League this season despite their woeful form in the Premier League.
Liverpool blew a chance take a vice-like grip on the title race and Chelsea suffered their worst league defeat in 23 years.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Chelsea skipper John Terry has hit back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic's description of his team mates as 'babies'.
'I would like to make clear on behalf of everyone at the club our disgust with regards to the incident that took place on the Paris subway' 'We are proud to support the work of Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card among other organisations'
Chelsea's players must look at themselves and start performing, former Blues stalwart Frank Lampard said as speculation continues to swirl over the future of manager Jose Mourinho.
Departing captain John Terry led his Chelsea champions to a rip-roaring 4-3 victory over Watford on Monday, scoring the first goal on an evening of celebration, fireworks and streamers rather than vintage football at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal fought back from a goal down against old foes Chelsea to reach the League Cup final as Granit Xhaka poked home to complete a 2-1 second-leg win on Wednesday that set up a Wembley showdown with Manchester City.
Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Liverpool recovered from an early deficit to beat struggling Premier League champions Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and pile more pressure on Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
The victory, Chelsea's 28th of the season, put the long-time league leaders 10 points clear of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have only three games left to play.
Liverpool opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the English Premier League with a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, while Arsenal's poor away form continued with a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United.
Nuggets of news coming from the English Premier League
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was fuming at the final whistle after Pedro and Alvaro Morata were dismissed in extra time and two penalty appeals had been waved away, but the Premier League champions regained their composure to win the shootout 5-3.
"I cannot understand what the official behind the goal does because he doesn't make a clear decision too."
A round-up of Saturday's matches in the English Premier League.
