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Mourinho baits Ferguson over fixtures row
LONDON (AFP) - Jose Mourinho saw Chelsea keep up the pressure on Premiership leaders Manchester United but could not resist responding to Sir Alex Ferguson's claim that his side are now controlling the fixture schedule.
The United manager was angry that Chelsea were allowed to face Tottenham less than 48 hours after Martin Jol's team had played out a taxing UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg clash in Spain against holders Sevilla.
Ferguson's fears that Tottenham would be under-strength were confirmed when Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Didier Zokora were rested for the game at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 1-0 thanks to Ricardo Carvalho's second half strike.
Mourinho, whose side were fairly comfortable despite the narrow scoreline, met Ferguson's criticism with a hint of sarcasm.
"At this moment we have done our job. We had a chance to close the gap by playing before United, but we control the fixtures, of course. Imagine what it would be like if we did not control the fixtures," said the Chelsea manager.
"I am not surprised that Alex Ferguson complained about this game. He is an intelligent man but maybe he thinks everyone else is not intelligent."
The first half was a dull affair, with Chelsea only once managing to extend Paul Robinson when the England goalkeeper saved well from Carvalho.
Apart from that, only a deflected Frank Lampard free-kick gave the Tottenham defence anything to think about before the interval.
The early stages of the second half did, however, suggest that the contest would become interesting. Referee Rob Styles failed to award a penalty in the 48th minute when John Terry was pushed by Pascal Chimbonda.
In the 52nd minute Chelsea finally broke the deadlock when Carvalho took a pass from Jon Obi Mikel, before advancing five yards and unleashing a low shot from 35-yards which flew past Robinson and into the bottom left corner.
It was another moment to forget for the England goalkeeper, who will claim he was left unsighted by his static defence.
"In the first half we were the better side but Tottenham were better after half-time. We needed Petr Cech to save us. They have massive players and they are a threat from set-pieces because they are difficult to control," said Mourinho, whose side travel to Valencia for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
"I don't think we have suffered any injuries. I have a hope that maybe Michael Essien can play on Tuesday and he will travel with us."
Tottenham pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, and wasted a fine chance when Steed Malbranque's overhead kick went over the bar in stoppage time.
At the other end, Didier Drogba would surely have made it two had it not been for an excellent recovery and interception by Ricardo Rocha.
Tottenham assistant manager Chris Hughton said: "An equaliser would have been nice given all the problems off the pitch in Seville.
"We utilised the squad with games against Sevilla and Wigan coming up. We always know it is very difficult for us at Chelsea.
"We would have been delighted with a goalless draw. There was no doubt that the game in Seville had an affect on the players and we would have liked an extra day to prepare."
Another bright spot for Chelsea was the return to league action for Joe Cole. The England midfielder played 14 minutes of his side's Champions League quarter-final clash against Valencia on Wednesday, and followed that up with seven minutes against Spurs.
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