LONDON // Both managers at Stamford Bridge left the ground unhappy after Chelsea remained on top of the league with a less-than-impressive 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.
The QPR coach Harry Redknapp felt the decisive penalty award for an Eduardo Vargas foul on Eden Hazard, who converted from the spot 15 minutes from time, was “harsh” and “soft”.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, was unhappy with the fitful intensity shown as Chelsea extended their unbeaten start to the season and moved nine points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who play Manchester United today.
“My team didn’t play well or well enough or so well as I was expecting,” Mourinho said. “We had periods of good football, not consistently. I was expecting more.
“I’m happy with the points. I think we deserved them, no doubt. But one thing is deserve and another thing is deserve and play very, very well, which we didn’t.
“With our quality I would expect us to be stronger and to get a different result.”
Chelsea scored a sublime opener through Oscar, two minutes after the floodlights had been switched on.
Mourinho said the moment also enlivened a quiet crowd. “I think, the man responsible for the lights was in the same mood as the crowd, because everybody was sleeping,” he said.
“He took 20 minutes to understand that it was dark, but I took 30 minutes to understand that the stadium was not empty.
“When we scored was when I realised ‘whoa, the stadium is full. Good’.”
Mourinho also conceded to being culpable for his team’s lack of impetus.
“It was my responsibility. I was not intense, they were not intense,” he said.
Oscar’s goal was brilliant. He hit a first-time shot from Cesc Fabregas’s pass with the outside of his right boot into the far corner. “The goal is not impossible in a very talented boy,” Mourinho said.
“For 90 minutes, I think he was our best player. Not for the goal, but for the dynamic, for the intensity, for the transitions. He was always sharp.
“He was fantastic. He played Sunday (at Manchester United), he played Tuesday (at Shrewsbury), he played today.
“Some other guys didn’t play midweek, so I would expect other people to be sharper than Oscar, but in the end Oscar, for me, was our best player.”
Mourinho praised the organisation of QPR and Redknapp was pleased, but said his side were worthy of a point and the penalty award was unfortunate.
“I’m not saying it was not a penalty. It was a soft penalty,” Redknapp said. “It was a shoulder charge. They both hit each other. Two tiny little guys, Vargas is only 5ft 4in, 5ft 5in and so is Hazard.
“Our guy is very strong and powerful and he bounced him off but I wouldn’t say he dived.”
Charlie Austin had equalised with an improvised finish from Leroy Fer’s mis-hit shot for his third goal in a week after his double in the defeat of Aston Villa last Monday.
Redknapp, who also praised Rob Green, Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker, said: “It’s good for Charlie to be scoring. He’s on a good run at the moment, scoring some goals. I was pleased all-round.
“I thought the keeper was excellent, the two centre-halfs defended for their lives and I couldn’t be more pleased in the way we worked.
“It’s difficult to come here because they have so much talent, so much ability, so much strength.
“I felt we deserved something for how hard we worked. When you work that hard and don’t lie down against the best team in the country, for that we deserved a point.
“We have to work as hard as that every game if we’re going to pick up points and get out of trouble.”
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