Jose Mourinho says his Chelsea side are “in trouble” after suffering a 3-2 defeat against Stoke City on Saturday, while he also called on his side to find their killer instinct in front of goal.
Andre Schurrle netted twice for the profligate visitors, but the Potters claimed all three points thanks to Oussama Assaidi's stunning 90th-minute strike.
The defeat means Chelsea remain points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, who face Everton on Sunday, and Mourinho blasted his side's failure to convert their pressure into a win.
“I don’t feel comfortable enough to tell you what I think about the game,” the Portuguese fumed. “We’re in trouble.
“After 30 minutes we should have been winning 3-0 or 4-0 but we weren’t. When you play so well and it is so easy you find spaces, and when the three players behind the strikers were playing so well, you have to kill the game, and we didn't.
“We played amazingly well at the beginning of the game, [Juan] Mata, [Eden] Hazard and Schurrle played very, very, well.
“But we didn't score enough goals and, on top of that you make defensive mistakes and you concede.
“I think this team is a team that has to score goals; has to capitalise on the production and the way we are playing, because we are not a physical team.
“We are not a team with the conditions to defend against physical teams, so I think we have to score when we have the game in our hands.”
Despite this latest setback, Mourinho is impressed with the mentality of his team, although he accepted that their performance in the closing stages was below par.
“The team wants to attack, the team wants to have the ball and the initiative,” the former Real Madrid boss argued.
“In the last part of the game we didn't play well, because we started playing in a way they (Stoke) can control.”
Mark Hughes, meanwhile, was thrilled with his side's display and hopes the Potters can build on the result as they bid to pull away from the relegation zone.
“I thought it was a fantastic game. I felt from start to finish we put in a real performance,” said the Welsh boss.
“We had to recover very quickly from going behind and thought we showed real character and stuck at it after Chelsea give us a bit of a run around in the first half.
“We’ve set our own standards today and we need to maintain it and if we can we’ll be a very tough side to overcome.”
Latest Stories
-
Miner jailed, fined for stealing motorbike worth GH¢13,500
19 mins -
Dozens killed in Pakistan sectarian violence
20 mins -
Police place GH₵20K bounty on group over election violence threats
20 mins -
From classrooms to conservation: 280 students embrace sustainability at Joy FM/Safari Valley’s Second Eco Tour
2 hours -
Jordan Ayew’s late goal not enough as Leicester lose at home to Chelsea
2 hours -
Global Crimea Conference 2024: Participants reject Russian claims to Soviet legacy
2 hours -
Jospong Group, Uasin Gishu County sign MoU to boost sanitation services in Kenya
2 hours -
Thomas Partey stunner helps Arsenal overcome Nottingham Forest
2 hours -
Over half of cyber attacks in Ghana, rest of Africa target government and finance, says Positive Technologies
2 hours -
Academic City unveils plastic recycling machine to address plastic pollution
2 hours -
Maddison scores twice as Tottenham inflict a fifth successive defeat on Man City
3 hours -
German-based Kanzlsperger makes medical donation to WAFA
4 hours -
It could take over 100 years for Ghana and other African countries to become ‘developed’ – Report
4 hours -
AEC 2024 renews momentum to lift Africa out of poverty despite global shocks
4 hours -
Can RFK Jr make America’s diet healthy again?
4 hours