Manchester United’s strategy was to shackle Chelsea’s main creative force by any means and Phil Jones could have been sent off before Ander Herrera wasMidway through a thrilling, slightly wild first half at Stamford Bridge Phil Jones could be seen bumping and jouncing into the back of Eden Hazard on the edge of the Chelsea box like a middle-aged man performing an aggressively drunken conga at the office party. As Hazard fell Jones also stood on his hand, no doubt balancing up the throb in Hazard’s right cheek, where Ander Herrera had left his shoulder a few minutes before.The match facts will reveal that this 1-0 FA Cup quarter final victory was decided by N’Golo Kanté’s clinching goal just after...
There is needle to the relationship between Antonio Conte and José Mourinho; goalkeepers may tempt Real Madrid; and N’Golo Kanté is a bargainJosé Mourinho tends to single out those he considers threats and Antonio Conte, the permanent successor to his crown, is his target of choice. Having spent the buildup suggesting Chelsea play a more defensive style of football than under his stewardship, and that the Premier League leaders have benefited from a lack of European football, all that frustration that has simmered since the 4-0 humiliation here in October came pouring out. The pair do not know each other well but there is needle already to their relationship. The fourth official, Mike Jones, found himself sandwiched as they screamed...
José Mourinho may follow Tottenham’s lead and reinforce Manchester United’s defence in FA Cup sixth-round tie to counter the loss of his No1 strikerEvents this season are not quite going as José Mourinho has told them to. There is a possibility, of course, that he was being sincere in his praise of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the EFL Cup final and that he had no ulterior motive in telling Manchester United fans to camp at his Swedish striker’s house until he signed a new contract, but it would go so against the grain of the past 15 years of public utterances that have either been emotional outbursts or calculating manipulations that there is little point detaining ourselves any further with the...
Chelsea’s manager, whose team host Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday, has got under his predecessor’s skin by winning games rather than by goadingIn Italy, they know it isn’t actually true that Antonio Conte – contrary to the impression he might have given during his first season at Chelsea – is immune to the kind of sniping that leaves the distinct impression he has already burrowed his way under José Mourinho’s skin.Those who remember Conte’s work at Juventus might certainly be surprised by his newly acquired restraint given he previously had a habit of taking great offence, with hair‑trigger sensibilities, when managers or pundits talked about his team, even sometimes if what they said might have seemed...
The manager known for his ruthlessness and finishing first is too reliant on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the result is a regular failure to beat supposedly inferior teamsJosé Mourinho used to be defined by an extraordinary home record. In one respect, he still is. The difference is that it is now a subject of regret and recrimination. Related: Manchester United’s top-four push stalls in chaotic draw with Bournemouth Continue reading...