Mourinho riled as Cottagers stun Blues

Fulham 1 Chelsea 0

The Premiership title is surely already ensconced in the trophy cabinet, but they ended this match bruised, bedraggled and eventually deservedly beaten by a Fulham team fired by raw, insatiable desire.

The Cottagers’ first victory over Chelsea for 27 years was a story in itself, but with Chelsea there is always a juicy sub-plot. On this occasion there were several, including the sending-off of William Gallas in stoppage time for kicking Heidar Helguson and ugly on-pitch clashes between rival supporters after the final whistle.

The most notable of all, however, came from Blues manager Jose Mourinho when he accused the football authorities of conducting a vendetta against his club. His ire had been stoked in the second-half when Didier Drogba used his arm to beat Zat Knight to a dropping ball and rolled his shot past a stranded Mark Crossley. The linesman closest to the incident signalled for a goal but the referee Mike Dean, harangued by furious Fulham players, correctly overruled him after discussions with his assistant.

“I have seen the incident on television and I know now it was handball,” said Mourinho. “But the referee didn’t see and the linesman didn’t see. Then they couldn’t resist the pressure from the Fulham players, which is a big problem.

“When Chelsea does this, it is terrible and the FA run after us. When our opponents do it, nobody says anything. For us there is one measure, and for other clubs there is another measure. There is no doubt about that.”

For a man who is so feted for his meticulous preparation, Mourinho has shown a surprising willingness to rip up his pre-match plans when they show the slightest hint of going awry. Yesterday he substituted Wright- Phillips and Joe Cole after just 26 minutes. True, Chelsea had started poorly, but to haul off two of the Premiership’s in-form players so soon smacked of recklessness.

“We didn’t play in the first hour,” explained Mourinho. “Joe and Shaun didn’t have a happy game. They did not bring the ball into play down the wings. I wanted more from the players, but there was no reaction and I made the change.”

With Frank Lampard and John Terry unusually out of sorts Fulham took advantage with a superb display. Hungry in the tackle, poised on the ball and continually threatening up front, this was a victory which did much more than simply perk local pride. “My best result as a manager,” was manager Chris Coleman’s emphatic assessment.

Amid the maelstrom that followed, the winning goal, scored after Paolo Ferreira’s attempted clearance bounced in off Luis Boa Morte’s knee, was almost forgotten. It was lucky, but Fulham deserved their good fortune.

FULHAM: Crossley; Volz, Knight, Pearce, Rosenior; Malbranque (Christanval 88), Brown, Pembridge, Boa Morte; McBride, John (Helguson 70).

CHELSEA: Cech; Ferreira, Huth (Carvalho 45), Terry, Gallas; Essien, Lampard, Makele; Wright-Phillips (Duff 26), Crespo, Cole (Drogba 26).

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).