José Mourinho does not expect Chelsea to remain unbeaten

José Mourinho does not expect Chelsea to remain unbeaten this season



The rival managers, Brendan Rodgers of Liverpool and Chelsea's José Mourinho, watch the action at Anfield. Photograph: Matt West/BPI/REX
Brendan Rodgers was less than impressed with Anthony Taylor’s failure to spot a late second-half handball by Gary Cahill that might have brought a penalty in Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against Chelsea.

“That was a big decision in a big game and we didn’t get it,” the Liverpool manager said. “It was a clear handball and the referee took a good look at it. We are not getting the rub of the green at the moment, that little bit of fortune that can make a difference. Not that we would have been fortunate to get a penalty because that was what we deserved.”

Rodgers did not get the result he was looking for against Chelsea after controversially resting several of his regulars against Madrid in midweek, and heard boos from his home crowd when he withdrew Philippe Coutinho before the end. “When you lose a game there will always be questions and pressure,” he said. “We have lost three in a row and it is not something this club is used to. I stand by my decisions, I don’t mind taking the criticism, I just thought it was unfair on the players I selected for Madrid to label them as reserves.”

Rodgers also said, in response to it being put to him that his substitution had been booed, that he felt Liverpool needed a bit more creativity and that he understood the frustration of the fans. “The supporters are frustrated and I understand that, but I didn’t feel we were creating enough.”

José Mourinho was pleased with the goal-line technology that awarded Cahill Chelsea’s equaliser – “I am happy with anything that helps us as professionals and the referee, now everybody knows it is the truth” – and the Chelsea manager praised his players’ ambition and self-belief in winning at Anfield to open up a 15-point gap on Liverpool. But he dismissed the possibility of his side remaining unbeaten for the rest of the season. “That will not happen. It is possible to talk of being champions, we can see ourselves as title contenders, but I don’t believe we will stay unbeaten. One day we will lose, a negative moment is bound to arrive and we have to be ready for it.”

Mourinho would not even accept that such a deficit effectively ends Liverpool’s title challenge before Christmas. “In other leagues you might say that,” he said. “In Germany or Spain or Portugal, where only two or three teams can win, if one of them goes 15 points behind it would be too much to make up. But this is England. You can lose points in every match.

“We are in a good situation. I am very happy to be where we are in the league after playing our four games in Liverpool and Manchester, but there is still a long way to go. The best team won and the way we played was fantastic, especially in the second half when the scores were level. Just about every team would accept a draw and a point as a good result at Anfield, but mine wouldn’t. They showed great ambition and confidence in looking for the win.”