QPR 0-1 Chelsea
Jose Mourinho felt a draw with QPR would have been a fair result at Loftus Road but was still pleased to see his Chelsea side snatch victory at the depth.
Cesc Fabregas secured the three points in the 88th minute with Chelsea’s only shot on target to keep them seven points ahead at the Premier League’s summit.
QPR, despite sitting 18 places below the league leaders, put up a firm fight, prompting Mourinho to admit a goalless draw looked the likely outcome.
“It was a typical 0-0. I think we played well in the circumstances. The opponent didn’t let us play better,” he said.
“I’m very happy with my team because we always kept good emotional control, we never lost balance and we were not under pressure.
“I feel sorry for them because they fought hard to try to get the point. It was a very difficult game. One point would be fair, but these three points are fantastic for us.”
With Diego Costa out until at least May and Loic Remy side-lined with a minor muscle injury, Didier Drogba stood in as the Blues’ lone striker but looked every bit his 37 years.
Surprisingly, QPR looked to be the bigger threat in front of goal with both Charlie Austin and Matt Phillips forcing saves from Thibaut Courtois.
The visitors struggled to find their rhythm until Eden Hazard weaved his way into QPR’s box and fed the ball to Fabregas, who slotted past Rob Green.
The Chelsea team as a whole failed to create a spark against a side battling relegation, but Mourinho saw the late goal as a sign of his side’s championship quality.
“Every time I was champion I remember a couple of matches that my team won in the last minutes,” he said.
“It’s like a little light that shines for the teams that are going to be champions.
“We lost two points in Manchester in the last minute but we won these two points, and we won two points against Everton in the last minute.”
Feature image of Jose Mourinho, courtesy of Sky Sports via Youtube, with thanks
