Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has described as “fake”, his side’s 3-0 beating at Manchester City on Sunday.
Goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho helped Man City maintain their 100% start to the new season.
The Blues have now failed to get a win from their first two games of a Premier League season for the first time since 1998.
Despite an outstanding start from Bosnian Asmir Begovic, who deputised for the suspended Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Manuel Pellegrini’s men went into the break 1-0 up via Aguero’s opener right after the half-hour mark.
The Argentine striker’s deft control of a pass from David Silva saw him evade Chelsea defenders and steer his low shot past Begovic into the far corner.
Mourinho on Sky Sports: “The best team in the first half won the game. The best team in the second half was Chelsea for sure. We had a difficult first half, we didn’t create a lot and our goalkeeper made a few important saves.
“Second half everything was different. If the 1-0 was a doubtful result at minute 70, 3-0 is completely fake. At 1-0 Chelsea were the best team for the whole second half.”
Mourinho brought on Kurt Zouma for John Terry at the break in an apparent bid to beef up his defensive backline. It was the first time in 177 matches (since May 2013 vs Aston Villa) that the Chelsea skipper would be substituted by the Portuguese boss.
Though the champions managed to contain City’s rampant attackers for a short while; £49million Raheem Sterling continued to trouble Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic on the right flank and Begovic was again on alert to avert a Yaya Toure shot after the Ivoirian’s neat combination with Aguero.
Last season’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Eden Hazard, was having a torrid afternoon as well, aside taking credit for Chelsea’s first shot on target in the 70th minute, which went straight at Joe Hart from 15 yards.
City continued pressing for the killer blow and the record 54,331 crowd at the Etihad Stadium finally heaved a sigh of relief 11 minutes from time, when Vincent Kompany muscled his way to the front post to bury his glancing header into the far corner of goal off a Silva corner.
If Branislav Ivanovic had failed to man-mark Kompany for the host’s second goal, the Serbian was then guilty of conceding possession which allowed Fernadinho to smash in a cracking shot from the edge of the box.
“We were the best team by far in the second half. What they did in the first we did in the second (half),” said Mourinho.
“We dominated and when they feel they are in trouble, and they felt, they changed Aguero and Sterling, they try to recover control of the game is exactly when they scored the second goal. For me, completely fake.
“Their goalkeeper was good and we couldn’t score. They were only coming up with long balls and even that we controlled that. Not one single problem in the second half, they had lots.”
Chelsea, who travel to West Brom next weekend, have just a solitary point from two games.
“One point from six is better than zero and worse than two. I am okay in mathematics, multiply 36 by three and I know how much it gives, I know the championship is more than mathematically open,” Mourinho said.
On substituting Terry, the 53-year-old tactician explained: “It was a decision. Zouma is the fastest defender we have in the squad. I know Man City are going to play counter attack and Zouma is a different player to John and was proven right because Zouma was in complete control.
“John is a player I have total trust for, with me he was never substituted, With other managers he was not selected and people thought his Chelsea career was over.
“If a manager has the right, I do, because I gave the chance to make him what he is, a fantastic player and a fantastic captain. I was proven right.”
