Chelsea enjoyed their second 4-0 Champions League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv this season to deliver a significant boost to their chances of reaching the tournaments knockout stages on 24 November. With Dynamo Kiev winning 2-0 at Porto, the qualifiers for the last 16 will be determined in the last round of matches, when Chelsea host Porto and Kiev welcome Maccabi.
Goals by Gary Cahill, Willian, Oscar and Kurt Zouma secured the victory for Chelsea, whose task was made easier when Maccabi captain Tal Ben Haim, a key player in the heart of the defence, was sent off five minutes before half-time. After five games, Chelsea, who only need to draw their final match to progress, and Porto each have 10 points, with Kiev on eight. Maccabi are bottom without a point.
I think we played very well in the first half, the pitch didnt help the quality of our game but we played really well in the first half. In the second half, in the first 15-20 minutes I think we slept, we were too confident, we were waiting for the second goal to come and only when we felt that we were in danger, we had again a good reaction. So I think there was no doubt about the victory and the three points, but I think Maccabi deserved something more than what they got, said Mourinho in the post-match news conference.
Moments before the second goal, Chelsea captain John Terry had to be substituted after injuring his ankle, an incident that Mourinho blamed on the poor playing surface.
The result was I think was 1-0 if Im not wrong. The result was 1-0 when John left the pitch. So for John to leave the pitch with the result 1-0, I know already that hes in trouble, he added.
The extent of the injury was not initially known but Mourinho looked worried and suggested Terry may not be available to play against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday 29 November.
