Jose Mourinho buys some breathing space with Porto win

Chelsea 2 Porto 0: Jose Mourinho’s position will not be secure until Chelsea finally breathe some life into their disastrous Premier League campaign, but the manager can draw satisfaction that in Europe, at least, it is business as usual for his side.

With their Champions League future in the balance, Mourinho’s side needed to avoid defeat last night to ensure they progressed to the knock-out stage of the competition. In seasons past, the outcome would never have been in doubt.

This season, however, doubt has overwhelmed too many Chelsea performances, most recently when Bournemouth became the latest side to breach what remains of the Stamford Bridge fortress.