It left them fifth bottom.
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In Mourinho’s absence, Chelsea did not send a representative to speak at the post-match press conference.
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard believes the Premier League champions’ poor start to the season is far from just a blip.
It condemned Chelsea to a third straight league defeat, unprecedented since 1999 and their seventh in total, and left them in 16th place, heightening the risk that Mourinho, absent from the game due to a stadium ban, will be sacked.
One the matter of the stadium ban, Begovic said: “Jose did the pre-match talk at the hotel and that was it”.
“I also thought Chelsea played very narrow”.
Asked if he was concerned about the prospect of a change of manager, Bosnia global Begovic told Sky Sports: “That is out of our control but we are behind the manager, you can see that from our performances”.
Hughes expected Chelsea to arrive with all guns blazing- as is the norm when Mourinho is the visiting manager- but found their staff and squad curiously subdued throughout. “It’s hard to say whether it made a difference”. I’m sure they’ve spoken out behind the Stamford Bridge gates. I don’t know if they were jumping up and down.
“The top clubs can bring big money transfers in and I’m forever hearing that ‘oh well, these players need a year to become acquainted with the Premier League'”.
‘It’s like Tiger Woods, ‘ Gullit said. “And with a manager the quality of Jose, I would suggest yes, they would have missed him to be perfectly honest – to give him credit for his standing in the game”. “They have lost that aura of invincibility”, he said.
Marko Arnautovic scored a spectacular scissor-kick in the 53rd minute to give Stoke a second home win over the London side in a fortnight, having triumphed after a penalty shootout in their League Cup clash.
The forward started at Stoke but his influence in the game faded. It got worse for the Blues as Chelsea substitute Loic Remy hurdled the out-rushing Butland and stumbled as he tried to shoot, missing the target with no penalty being given. Had he gone to ground, Chelsea would likely have been thrown a lifeline.
Walters headed onto the roof of the net after good work from Shaqiri down the right, while Diego Costa’s shot was saved by Butland with his legs prior to half-time, and Stoke then opened the scoring eight minutes after the break.
“There was not enough running from Chelsea – people were going towards the ball rather than in behind”.
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It is understood that the issue was then dealt with amicably and put to rest.
