Jose Mourinho a distant memory as double-chasing Chelsea look to future with Antonio Conte

Greg Lea reports from Stamford Bridge where Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals with victory over Manchester United and their former manager.

N'Golo Kante, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring the only goal of the game in Chelsea's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory against Manchester United. Alastair Grant / AP Photo

LONDON // When Jose Mourinho’s second spell at Stamford Bridge came to an acrimonious end in December 2015, Chelsea fans made it abundantly clear whose side they were on.

The Portuguese’s name echoed around the stadium during the 3-1 victory over Sunderland two days after his dismissal, while several players were booed and one banner referred to Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa as “three rats”.

The message from the terraces was clear: Mourinho was not the man most culpable for Chelsea’s remarkable decline from Premier League champions to relegation battlers, and his sacking represented a grave mistake on the part of owner Roman Abramovich, chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum.

As interim manager Guus Hiddink steadied the ship for the remainder of the campaign, ultimately securing a top-half finish after a run of just three losses in 22 matches, the fury of the fans abated.

And by the time Mourinho returned to west London as Manchester United manager last October, Hazard and Costa were once more delighting Chelsea supporters with their fantastic form for Antonio Conte, whose side would soon rise to the top of the table.

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A 4-0 thrashing on that occasion thrilled the majority of those inside Stamford Bridge, with Mourinho the target of chants suggesting that he was no longer deserving of his self-appointed ‘Special One’ moniker. There was plenty more of the same throughout Monday’s ill-tempered FA Cup quarter-final, when Mourinho’s relationship with his former club’s followers deteriorated even further.

Hampered by the absence of forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, Mourinho set his team up in a defensive 4-4-2 formation, which more often resembled a 6-2-2 as nominal wide midfielders Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young dropped back and outside centre-halves Phil Jones and Matteo Darmian tucked infield.

The most interesting feature of the visitors’ set-up was the role assigned to Jones, who was tasked with man-marking Hazard. A couple of meaty challenges demonstrated the merits of such a scheme early on, but its drawbacks were soon made clear.

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Phil Jones was tasked with man-marking Eden Hazard. Gerry Penny / EPA

First, a stunning turn from the Belgium international took Chris Smalling, who had stepped out of the backline to track Hazard, out of the game, with David De Gea forced into a terrific save from the resultant shot.

Sticking so tight to an opponent can be dangerous when the player in question is as effective in one-on-one situations as the Chelsea man, and so it proved as Hazard continued to either wriggle clear of his marker or flick the ball around the corner to a teammate.

The approach came completely unstuck in the 35th minute, when Ander Herrera was given his marching orders after receiving a second yellow card. His first booking was perhaps a little harsh, but United could have few complaints that their deliberate tactic of constantly fouling Hazard led to a sending-off.

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Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were involved in a heated exchange. Julian Finney / Getty Images

Not that Mourinho saw it that way. The United manager protested vehemently on the sideline, as he did whenever a decision went against his side and in favour of the hosts.

Such histrionics prompted a response from the Chelsea fans, whose abuse of their former manager was met with three raised fingers from Mourinho, a gesture signifying the three league titles he won at Stamford Bridge.

Conte, meanwhile, took exception to his opposite number’s regular remonstrations, and even squared up with Mourinho after the latter kicked the ball away when Antonio Valencia fouled Marcos Alonso.

On the pitch, Chelsea took full advantage of their numerical superiority, taking the lead through N’Golo Kante six minutes into the second half. United did have one excellent chance to equalise through Marcus Rashford, but there was little doubt that Chelsea were good value for their victory.

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N’Golo Kante scores the game’s only goal. Frank Augstein / AP Photo

Both managers strode onto the field to embrace their players after the final whistle, before Mourinho made his way towards the away end and repeatedly tapped the United badge on his chest.

It felt like a pointed act from a man who had also embraced Willian, one of the few Chelsea players who continued to perform during their extraordinary slump under Mourinho last season, following his substitution.

“Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I’m No 1 ... until then Judas is No 1,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.

He has a point, of course. Yet as they poured out of Stamford Bridge having witnessed their side’s 13th consecutive triumph at home, it would have been difficult to find a Chelsea fan who would swap Conte for his predecessor.

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