Chelsea Football Update: April 2014

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Simeone thanks mothers of his brave Atletico troops

By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone thanked his players' mothers for producing such gutsy sons after the La Liga leaders fought back to beat Chelsea 3-1 on Wednesday and secure their place in the Champions League final. After last week's semi-final, first leg at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid ended 0-0, Atletico fell behind to a strike from former captain Fernando Torres in the 36th minute of the return encounter at Stamford Bridge. However, they refused to throw in the towel and goals from Adrian, Diego Costa and Arda Turan drove them into the final of Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 1974, setting up a meeting with wealthy city rivals Real Madrid.

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Soccer-Simeone thanks mothers of his brave Atletico troops

By Iain Rogers MADRID, May 1 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone thanked his players' mothers for producing such gutsy sons after the La Liga leaders fought back to beat Chelsea 3-1 on Wednesday and secure their place in the Champions League final. After last week's semi-final, first leg at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid ended 0-0, Atletico fell behind to a strike from former captain Fernando Torres in the 36th minute of the return encounter at Stamford Bridge. However, they refused to throw in the towel and goals from Adrian, Diego Costa and Arda Turan drove them into the final of Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 1974, setting up a meeting with wealthy city rivals Real Madrid.

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Chelsea 1 Atletico Madrid 3 agg 1-3: Jose Mourinho rues 'impossible save'

Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid came after two events in the 61st minute

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Chelsea v Atletico Madrid: Eden Hazard laments Jose Mourinho's tactics following Champions League defeat

Eden Hazard critical of Jose Mourinho's counter-attacking philosophy following Chelsea's exit from the Champions League

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Mourinho: We Paid The Penalty

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho refused to criticise his side after bowing out of the Champions League after losing the second-leg of the Champions League semi-final 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had gone ahead through Fernando Torres' deflected effort ten-minutes before the break, but they could not hang-on as Adrian Lopez levelled on the stroke of half-time. Then arrived the turning point of the match came on the hour as Thibaut Courtois brilliantly saved a header from John Terry, and within a minute Ateltico had won a penalty which was clinically dispatched by Diego Costa. The win was sealed by Arda Turan's late goal, and Mourinho admits that his side could not have given much more - but he felt they were the better side up until Atletico went ahead.

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Chelsea v Atletico Madrid: Eden Hazard laments Jose Mourinho's tactics following Champions League defeat

Eden Hazard critical of Jose Mourinho's counter-attacking philosophy following Chelsea's exit from the Champions League

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Hazard blasts Chelsea tactics

Eden Hazard gave a stinging critique of Jose Mourinho's tactics after Chelsea went out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid.

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City look to take advantage of Liverpool's slip

By Josh Reich LONDON (Reuters) - Having had their Premier League title charge reignited by Liverpool's loss to Chelsea on Sunday, Manchester City will be wary of letting the opportunity slip when they meet Everton in arguably their toughest remaining game of the season. Manuel Pellegrini's men sit in third place with 77 points, three behind leaders Liverpool and one adrift of Chelsea, but with an extra match to play and a superior goal difference, three successive wins should secure the trophy. Their final two games are at home to Aston Villa and West Ham United, both woefully out of form, and the 2011-12 champions would back themselves strongly to take six points against sides in the bottom half of the table.

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PREVIEW-Soccer-City look to take advantage of Liverpool's slip

By Josh Reich LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - Having had their Premier League title charge reignited by Liverpool's loss to Chelsea on Sunday, Manchester City will be wary of letting the opportunity slip when they meet Everton in arguably their toughest remaining game of the season. Manuel Pellegrini's men sit in third place with 77 points, three behind leaders Liverpool and one adrift of Chelsea, but with an extra match to play and a superior goal difference, three successive wins should secure the trophy. Their final two games are at home to Aston Villa and West Ham United, both woefully out of form, and the 2011-12 champions would back themselves strongly to take six points against sides in the bottom half of the table.

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Chelsea 1 Atlético Madrid 3; agg 1-3: Thibaut Courtois' amazing save was decisive, says Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager denies being annoyed by role of club's own on-loan goalkeeper in denying him chance of third Champions League triumph

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Mourinho rues crucial minute after semi-final defeat

By Clare Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat by Atletico Madrid hinged on a pivotal second-half minute and the expertise of a young goalkeeper on loan from the Premier League club to the Spanish side, Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday. Atletico beat Chelsea 3-1 to set up a final against city rivals real Madrid after coming back from a goal down at Stamford Bridge. Atletico equalised just before halftime and Belgium goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, on loan from Chelsea, showed lightning reactions to keep out a John Terry header on the hour. Less than a minute later Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o brought down Diego Costa in the area and the Atletico forward converted the subsequent penalty.

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Atletico's Courtois shines as he shuts out parent club Chelsea

There was one Chelsea player smiling after the club were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid on Wednesday - goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who is on loan at the Spanish side. Courtois made a string of saves to help Atletico to a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge that gives them a place in the final against city rivals Real Madrid, while also cementing his reputation as one of the world's best young goalkeepers. With the match finely balanced at 1-1, Courtois produced an instinctive stop to keep out a powerful header from Chelsea captain John Terry shortly after halftime. "I thought he was outstanding," said veteran Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who at 41 is almost twice the age of the 21-year-old Courtois.

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Atletico bathe in glory as Real await in final

By Mike Collett LONDON (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid enjoyed one of the most glorious nights in their 111-year history when they knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League on Wednesday to set up a final against mighty neighbours Real. The Spanish sides will cross the border into Portugal for the final in Lisbon on May 24 after Atletico came from behind to beat Chelsea 3-1 with a superb display of counter-attacking football that left Jose Mourinho's side in tatters. Former Atletico striker Fernando Torres put Chelsea ahead in the 36th minute but goals from Adrian Lopez a minute before halftime, a 60th-minute penalty from Diego Costa and a 72nd- minute goal by Arda Turan gave Atletico a 3-1 aggregate win after the first leg ended 0-0 in Madrid. Atletico and Real, who knocked out champions Bayern Munich on Tuesday, will become the first two teams from the same city to contest any European final.

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Chelsea 1 Atlético Madrid 3; agg 1-3: Thibaut Courtois' amazing save was decisive, says Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager denies being annoyed by role of club's own on-loan goalkeeper in denying him chance of third Champions League triumph

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Mourinho rues crucial Courtois impact

Jose Mourinho says keeper Thibaut Courtois, on loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, played a key role in the Blues' European exit.

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Chelsea undone by Atlético Madrid's touch of class, says José Mourinho

'The players gave everything, but they lost to a very good team'

Diego Simeone hails semi-final victory as 'special moment'

Chelsea 1-3 Atlético Madrid

José Mourinho admitted an "impossible" save by Thibaut Courtois, the Chelsea goalkeeper on loan at Atlético Madrid, had been critical as his team were well beaten in the Champions League semi-finals, with the Spanish club progressing to confront their city rivals, Real, in the showpiece in Lisbon.

This game, and with it the tie, was level on aggregate when Courtois dived to his left to turn aside a 53rd minute header from John Terry at full stretch. The young Belgian's involvement in the tie had been the subject of some controversy, with the terms of his loan to Atlético demanding payments of around £2.5m for each appearance made against his parent club. Atlético had claimed they could not afford to pay those fees, prompting Uefa to insist any deal that affected the competition's integrity should be deemed "unenforceable".

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