Chelsea almost champions

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said that his team were "almost there" in their pursuit of the English Premier League title after they beat Manchester United 1-0 at home on Saturday.

Eden Hazard put Chelsea ahead against the run of play in the 38th minute and his goal proved enough to end the visitors' six-game winning run and open up a ten-point lead over second-place Arsenal. Louis van Gaal's United are a point further back in third place, having played a game more, and Chelsea will be champions if they win their next two matches against Arsenal and Leicester City.

"I feel we are almost there, but there are no 'almosts' in football," Mourinho said. "We need eight points to be champions. It is pure mathematics. Six games to play; three at home, three away. Every game is difficult, every team needs points. But our situation is very good."

Chelsea won despite enjoying only 30 per cent of possession at Stamford Bridge, but Mourinho felt that his team were worthy winners.

"The game was exactly the game we want," he said. "The only thing we couldn't do was to kill the game with a second goal. We were able to make their important players disappear. Nobody saw them. They were in our pockets. Football is talent, but strategy is also important."

But United manager Van Gaal disagreed, arguing that the result failed to reflect the away side's dominance.

"I'm not frustrated -- I'm very proud of my team," the Dutchman told reporters. "We played the best match of this season. But in football, you can lose in spite of being the better team."
Source: FIFA.com