Chelsea Defensive After Lost Points at Everton

There’s little doubt that manager Jose Mourinho was less than gracious after Chelsea conceded their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with battling Everton at Goodison.

After the most perfunctory handshake with David Moyes, the Chelsea boss kicked off the post-match interview with a defiant “We didn’t win? We dominated the game. We scored two goals. Normally it is a victory.” and went on to suggest that disallowing Drogba’s goal for offside was “a big mistake” for which “the referee should apologise”.

The key phrase in Mourinho’s sulky interview performance was “It was clear for me.” An offside? Clear from his position near the half way line? Could this extraordinary visual acuity be yet another unique attribute in the armoury of the Special One?

Not surprisingly, at a time when so many are clamouring for the use of technology to rule on goal line, penalty and even offside decisions, Mourinho appears as usual to hold the trump card. Given the circumstances, we should perhaps christen it ‘Dug-out Technology’.

But having seen the ball strike John Terry’s outstretched arm in the penalty area late in the game, David Moyes’ post-match comments were more on the lines of ‘I’ll see your objection to the offside goal and raise you one disallowed penalty.”

With or without technology, Everton’s stubborn resistance and indomitable spirit entirely justified the point which, in the words of the tired old cliché, might indeed ‘kick start their season’. As for Chelsea, the loss of their 100% record wounded them so much it sent Frank Lampard into denial, as he claimed unconvincingly that “winning every match had never been a realistic goal”, adding “especially at places like Everton.”

That last bit is intriguing because it invites us to speculate about the ‘easier’ venues where it might be more “realistic”. Old Trafford perhaps. Highbury even. Or maybe St James Park. Time will tell.