The 52-year-old Portuguese had two seasons remaining on the contract he signed in 2013 when he returned to the club for a second stint in charge.
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Swansea coach Garry Monk said, “We were magnificent”.
“In our first game – at the home of the champions – we got on the front foot and reacted well to going behind”.
His header in the first ten minutes tested Courtois and it was Gomis threatening again shortly afterwards but John Terry was there to block the Frenchman’s shot.
And Courtois will have plenty of time to recover from his knock having been sent off for a foul on Bafe Gomis after the break.
Chelsea were boosted ahead of the game when Diego Costa started, but it was Swansea striker Befetimbi Gomis who made the bigger impression.
Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (right) corrals the ball… They keep me, they trust me. – Broadcaster Andy Goldstein remembers Petr Cech.
Though Chelsea might feel unlucky to have only a point to show for its opening match, there was more than a touch of fortune about the team’s goals. The hosts started well enough but were unable to cope with Swansea’s increased intensity, leading to desperation on and off the pitch. It’s nearly like he’s gone unnoticed – unless you are the opposing full back. Chelsea scored nine goals against Swansea last season but today the body language didn’t seem right.
Swansea manager Monk told Sky Sports 1: “It’s surprising to say that (he was disappointed)”. “I’ve just seen the replay and in my eyes for sure it’s an opportunity on goal”.
At Old Trafford, Spurs defender Kyle Walker handed all three points to United by steering the ball into his own net in the 22nd minute as he tried to tackle United captain Wayne Rooney.
“I think It was a tough one; I am lucky that the guys are really cool”.
“Our target is very high – we want to win the Premier League”. “We know in this League you can get bitten, so we need to focus”.
Courtois, who will miss next Sunday’s trip to Manchester City through suspension, took to Twitter on Saturday evening to apologise and praise his team-mates for their efforts in the second half. Substitute Nathan Redmond pulled one back for Norwich with a long-range goal, then Cameron Jerome had a goal disallowed and the Canaries thought they should have had a penalty when Sebastian Bassong went down. “After that it was hard”, he said.
West Ham should come into the game in good physical shape as they’ve been playing competitive football for over a month – although they did crash out of the Europa League to Romanian side FC Astra.
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There was a feel-good factor around Stamford Bridge heading into the game, with the club basking the afterglow of last season’s success and the self-proclaimed Special One penning a new long-term deal.
