The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Mourinho reprieve as Blues see off Kiev
Stunned Gunners hit for five in Germany
CHELSEA2 DYNAMO KIEV 1
Jose Mourinho was granted a reprieve as Willian’s free-kick earned a 2-1 Champions League Group G victory over Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge last night.
The adulation poured down from the stands on the self-proclaimed Special One, whose position appears perilous, and his Chelsea side eked out an unconvincing victory to ease the pressure a little.
Aleksandar Dragovic turned Willian’s cross into his own net to give Chelsea an opener which had more than an element of good fortune and scored at the other end as Asmir Begovic’s luck deserted him.
But a delightful Willian free-kick settled the contest in Chelsea’s favour, giving the Blues a second win in six games and boosted their hopes ahead of ties with Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Porto, Mourinho’s former club.
Chants of ‘Jose Mourinho’ had erupted in the moments prior to kick-off and continued throughout as the home faithful showed their support.
As often is the case with Chelsea and Mourinho, it was not straightforward and there was a moment of controversy.
Diego Costa was denied a penalty when trying to charge between two defenders in first-half stoppage time and replays showed only the slightest contact, justifying referee Pavel Kralovec’s decision.
Mourinho, who has had numerous run-ins with officials this season and is subject of a stadium ban for Saturday’s Premier League clash at Stoke, was smiling and quietly seething. But had Costa stayed on his feet he could have scored.
BAYERN MUNICH 5 ARSENAL 1
Thomas Muller led the way with two goals as Bayern Munich left Arsenal’s Champions League dream in tatters with a stunning 5-1 win over their Group F rivals in Germany.
Early strikes from Robert Lewandowski, Muller and David Alaba gave Pep Guardiola’s men – who had lost to the same opponents at the Emirates Stadium last month – a huge half-time advantage.
Arjen Robben made matters worse for Arsene Wenger’s men when he added Bayern’s fourth and despite Olivier Giroud reducing the deficit on 69 minutes, Muller struck his second in the 89th minute to pile on the misery.
The result, coupled with a 2-1 win for Olympiacos over Dinamo Zagreb in Athens, means Arsenal must win their two remaining group games to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
Gunners defender Per Mertesacker is not about to throw in the towel.
“We went through an even more difficult period (in the past) so it’s not over and that’s how we approach the situation now. We need to put away the negative energy and fight back,” the German told BT Sport.