10-Man Chelsea Holds On for 2-2 Draw With Swansea

Chelsea were fortunate not to become the first ever Premier League champions to start their title defence with defeat after Swansea threatened an opening-day upset.

Then Swansea City caught a break 10 minutes into the second half, when Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis in the box.

Mourinho insisted he was satisfied with his side’s performance and gritted his teeth to avoid criticising referee Michael Oliver.

Gomis later had a goal disallowed for offside as Swansea pressed for a victor.

In the end nothing materialised but Mourinho nevertheless wished to make clear his discontent.

Earlier this year he was fined £25,000 (35,328 euros; $38,741) for comments he made following his side’s visit to Southampton when he complained of a “campaign” to influence decisions against his team.

Falcao further said that knowing his team-mates well will help after the pre-season tour to the United States and added, “It helped to go away on tour with my new team-mates”.

“I want to react this way so you don’t say he was [complaining] from day one“.

Swansea coach Garry Monk said, “We were magnificent”.

Jose Mourinho was left fuming with his “naive” medical staff after Chelsea were temporarily reduced to nine men in their 2-2 draw with Swansea.

Chelsea instantly took the lead again though, with a Willian cross being deflected into his own goal by Federico Fernandez in the 30th minute.

The inclusion of Costa – and Courtois, who recovered after picking up a knee injury in the warm-up – meant the Chelsea starting line-up carried a familiar look with new recruits Asmir Begovic and Radamel Falcao named among the substitutes.

It does not get any easier for Chelsea, with last season’s nearest challengers Manchester City next up.

And while this result is unlikely to force a late change of policy in the final weeks of the transfer window, criticism is sure to mount if Chelsea suffer many more disappointments.

“You have to know you have one player less and to assist a player you must be sure he has a serious problem.

It is the club closest to my heart and I am very happy to know I will be staying here for a long time”, Mourinho said. We’ve got a good keeper, the problem is not that we miss Petr, because we have two excellent keepers.

But the first effort on goal came from the visitors on eight minutes, when Gomis out-jumped Gary Cahill on the six-yard line and glanced a header inches wide of Courtois’ left post. “It will give him great confidence”.

“So maybe a bit more control in the game (was needed) but unfortunately obviously a draw at home which is, to be honest, not ideal but give a lot of respect to Swansea, they played well”.

“Penalty, red card, goal, after that everything is different.”