JOSE Mourinho was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Chelsea – but said it was results and not memories that motivated him.
Mourinho’s Benfica lost 1-0 to the Blues in their Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge after Richard Rios’ eighteenth-minute own goal.
Chelsea forward Joao Pedro was sent off in the 96th minute for two bookable offences, the Blues’ third red card in their last four games.
Mourinho started his managerial career with Benfica in 2000 before winning the Uefa Cup and Champions League in successive seasons with Porto.
He was appointed by Roman Abramovich in 2004 and called himself “the special one” at his unveiling press conference. He backed that up by winning three Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FA Cup and Community Shield across two spells.
Mourinho returned to Benfica last month after he was sacked by Turkish side Fenerbahce. His name was chanted by Chelsea fans after the game.
“I don’t feed myself with these memories, I feed myself with results,” Mourinho said. “My career took me to a position where everybody thinks I have magic to make things happen.
“I left Man United after winning things, I left Tottenham after taking them to a final, Roma after two European finals. With me it is never enough. If I am in a job I like to put myself on the line every day. I am desperate to win the match, that is the nature.”
Mourinho added: “We deserved something. We started well, we controlled and had chances for sure. The goal is the only mistake we made defensively.”
The result eased some of the pressure on Blues boss Enzo Maresca after their only previous win in five games in September came at Lincoln City in the EFL Cup.
“The effort was very good,” Maresca said. “First half I think we were better compared to the second half in the way we managed the ball and created chances. Second half we dropped.
“In the last two, three games we have conceded two, three goals and it’s not possible to do that. We need to be better defensively but a clean sheet is nice.”
Chelsea host defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League this Saturday at 5.30pm.
“We needed the win,” Maresca said. “Second half we dropped. We have some players on the pitch that unfortunately are not 100 per cent but are playing because we have seven or eight out. Sometimes you need to learn to win in an ugly way.”
