Mourinho: Chelsea can win Champions League as underdogs

Chelsea will need to be at the top of their game ahead of their next Premier League clash against table-toppers Leicester City on Monday.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is hoping his side’s struggles domestically will enable them to fly under the radar all the way to Champions League success.

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

“They were compact and always had initiative, they tried to win even when the draw would have been enough”.

The pair worked together at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013 but their relationship turned sour during Mourinho’s final season at the club. The Europa League is a new competition for me and I’m looking forward to it. We’ll try and do the best we can.

The Blues were 2-0 winners over Porto at Stamford Bridge to seal top spot in Group G and give the club a favourable passage into the next phase of the competition.

Defeat and an embarrassing drop into the Europa League might have meant the sack for Mourinho, but now he is optimistic a season which has flirted with failure can finish with a flourish.

“The results are not as good as the way we are working every day, but after our first goal we were more relaxed and confident”.

“No problem. I’ve done my job and he has done his, and he has done well”, Mourinho said.

And Willian struck seven minutes into the second half, finding space near the right-hand edge of the penalty area and drilling home after being teed up by Hazard – his seventh goal of the season.

A fan holds up a message of support for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during their Champions League contest on Wednesday night.

“I am sad about the result”, he said.

Mourinho summoned Diego Costa back into his starting XI after leaving the Spain striker on the bench against Tottenham and Bournemouth in the Premier League.