Chelsea still title outsiders - Jose

Manager Jose Mourinho again played down Chelsea's Premier League title chances despite their 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal. Photo by: Eddie Keogh /Reuters

Manager Jose Mourinho again played down Chelsea's Premier League title chances despite their 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal. Photo by: Eddie Keogh /Reuters

Published Mar 22, 2014

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London - Manager Jose Mourinho again played down Chelsea's Premier League title chances despite their 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Mourinho enjoyed his best win with the club, embarrassing bitter rival Arsene Wenger on his 1,000th match in charge of Arsenal.

The victory kept Chelsea clear at the top of the table although closest pursuers Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have games in hand.

“City have everything in their hands,” Mourinho told reporters, referring to the fact Manuel Pellegrini's team can overtake Chelsea if they win all their games in hand.

Mourinho's men rattled in three goals between the fifth and 17th minutes and the Portuguese described it as “10 amazing minutes”.

“As we used to say in football we came to kill,” he said. “In 10 minutes we destroy...after that, easy.”

Mourinho pointed out that of the four teams vying for the title, only Chelsea remain in the Champions League quarter-finals and that would add to the strain on his players.

Asked whether he thought he had any chance of winning his third Premier League crown, the Portuguese conceded: “Just a little”.

Mourinho has repeatedly played down Chelsea's bid to win the league in his first season back at the club where he won two titles in 2005 and 2006 but the way his team played on Saturday will sound alarm bells among their rivals.

Classy goals from Samuel Eto'o and Andre Schuerrle put them 2-0 up before Eden Hazard added a penalty.

Brazilian Oscar added two more either side of halftime before Egyptian substitute Mohamed Salah ran clean through before sliding the ball under keeper Wojciech Szczesny for his first Chelsea goal.

To compound Arsenal's misery defender Kieran Gibbs was wrongly sent off after 15 minutes when referee Andre Marriner punished him for handling the ball on the line when it was actually Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who committed the offence. – Reuters

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