Chelsea
boss Jose Mourinho admitted the ease of his side’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa
surprised him as the Blues maintained their Premier League lead.
Three points for the Blues at Stamford Bridge were rarely in doubt as they
controlled possession throughout, goals from Oscar, Diego Costa and Willian
sealing victory.
Villa boss Paul Lambert admitted to being relatively pleased to “come away
with confidence still intact” in spite of the comprehensive defeat but
Mourinho was shocked by the “passive” nature of the visitors who managed
just one effort on target.
“It was a very solid performance," said Mourinho. "We played really well, we
had the ball, we controlled a lot of possession while always controlling
their counter attack.
“My four defenders and midfield were really solid with and without the ball.
“I think they (Villa) are a good team and when you beat them in such an easy
way it has to be a good performance
“The team was keeping the ball and because they were so passive they never
tried to press the ball. Our victory was never in doubt. They didn’t have a
reaction.”
Mourinho also had an eye on Tuesday’s Champions League trip to face Sporting
Lisbon with Eden Hazard, Oscar and Costa all replaced in the second period.
Costa's participation in Portugal remains a major doubt with the Spain
international struggling to play more than a game a week due to a persistent
hamstring niggle.
“It is a gamble to play him (Costa) in consecutive matches without a week to
recover from his situation. The accumulation (of games) is the problem."
Chelsea skipper John Terry knows they will miss Costa should he fail to
recover to face Sporting.
“Diego Costa is a different class. He’s always a threat, is hungry for goals
and we’re delighted to have him here.”
Loic Remy replaced Costa in the Villa game and is competing with Didier
Drogba to lead the line in Portugal.
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