SWANSEA 0 CHELSEA
HOLLYWOOD might still be focusing on the Golden Globes following last Sunday’s awards ceremony but in Swansea yesterday it was already Oscar season.
Chelsea’s little Brazilian needed just 49 seconds to put the visitors ahead with the quickest goal of the day and he bagged a second little more than half an hour later for the Blues’ fourth.
In between those efforts his compatriot Diego Costa struck twice and, with substitute Andre Schurrle making it 5-0 after the break to complete the scoring, Jose Mourinho’s men continued their assault on the gong they so desperately want to win in May.
It was a performance which had Mourinho purring, not just about his Brazilians but his whole side, although he still took time to warn them that these sort of displays will count for nothing in years to come if they don’t lead to trophies.
Solid
The Portuguese said: “It was the perfect game for us, everything went in our direction.
“To score a goal in the first minute immediately makes it a different game and to be 4-0 up at half-time is a good situation to control and we did that in the second half.
“So it was good. But I prefer to say that the team played very well because I don’t think Oscar and Costa played better than John Terry or Branislav Ivanovic or Felipe Luis.
“The team played very well. It was solid defensively and in attack obviously they took chances and were aggressive in the way they thought about their football.
“They had ambition, so it was a good performance. But I keep saying, and they have to understand, there is no history without titles.
“So if we play fantastically well but we don’t win cups, then in 20 years’ time nobody will remember this team.
“Oviously, I am the first one who wants the team playing very, very well, but we have to win competitions. And this team is a young team with lots of years in front of them, and we are trying this season. We are going to try to our limits to make some history by winning something.”
Swansea boss Garry Monk admitted he apologised to Mourinho as the pair walked down the tunnel at the final whistle.
He said: “I just said sorry I couldn’t give him a game, that was all.
“I’m disappointed, but he’s obviously very happy. He’s a great manager and their performance was devastating.
“I said at the start of the season they were my favourites to win the league and I didn’t see anything different here.
“It was a horrible performance in the first 45 minutes, way off the standards we’ve set, especially at home.
“We continuously made mistake and, coupled with the fact we did it against a Chelsea side with those sort of players, then it became very difficult.
“We got punished heavily every time we made a mistake and those 45 minutes cost us the game.”
Smiling, Mourinho added: “Garry apologised that they couldn’t give us a game but I was happy with that.
“I have also lost 5-0, not many times, but I have done and it’s hard.
“I don’t know who, but some old manager many, many years ago said it’s better to lose one game 5-0 than to lose five matches 1-0.
“They need to react and they will do because they are a very good side.”
The win put five points between leaders Chelsea and second- placed Manchester City, who take on Arsenal today. Bookies make Chelsea 2-5 title favourites, with City 5-2.
But asked if he would be a Gunners fan for 24 hours t he Portuguese scoffed and said: “No.”