I Was Wrong to Throw Bib at Mourinho – Chelsea’s Costa

“The best teams in Europe are in the Champions League”.

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea breathed new sense of positivity in its stuttering season after winning 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to top Champions League Group Stage.

Arsenal pulled out a necessary 3-0 victory over Olympiakos thanks to a hat trick by Frenchmen Olivier Giroud.

Chelsea, Porto and Kiev were in the mix for the first two places of the group with each controlling their own destiny.

A year ago, the situation could scarcely have been so different. The result sends Champions League newcomer Gent to the Round of 16, while Valencia is Europa League-bound after a dispiriting 2-0 loss to Olympique Lyon.

“The truth is Chelsea haven’t been in a great moment, above all losing the other day at home”.

If results go against them next weekend they will find themselves in the bottom three, ahead of Monday night’s visit to…leaders Leicester City.

Lionel Messi’s 80th Champions League goal – leaving him eight behind Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo – was cancelled out by Javier Hernandez as the holders, already assured of top spot, dropped points in Group E for the second time in a 1-1 draw.

As the Spanish striker bore down on goal, his shot deflected off Iker Casillas and into the unwitting Ivan Mercano, who couldn’t prevent the ball from deflecting into the back of the net, despite the best efforts of Maicon to clear it. “I made a mistake, but my relationship with Mourinho is incredible and we get on really well”. Chelsea have played their recent league games without strikers and the Special One is setting his sight on Emmanuel Adebayor.

“That little bit of luck we never have in the Premier League”, he said. Captain John Terry also return to the starting 11 for the Premier League side, but he and his fellow defenders were rarely threatened by a rather toothless Porto.

“We needed something special to come back like we did and tonight we needed a complete team performance”. “I’ve always defended his character and he has shown it again today”.

“Every team finishing second wants to play us or Zenit St Petersburg”, Mourinho told reporters after a win that eased the pressure on the two-times Champions League victor.

With nothing to play for, group victor Barcelona played Bayer Leverkusen with a largely reserve side bolstered by Lionel Messi.

Two draws in Group E meant that Italian side Roma squeezed through to the knockout round at the expense of both BATE Borisov and Bayer Leverkusen.