Chelsea’s miserable season went from bad to worse on Saturday when the reigning Premier League champions lost 0-1 to Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge to leave them just three points above the bottom three.
It was their first loss to a team newly-promoted to the Premier League since 2001 and the first since the Roman Abramovich era began.
Jose Mourinho’s side produced another disjointed display and were stunned in the 82nd minute when substitute Glenn Murray, who had only been on the field for two minutes, headed home after a goalmouth scramble.
Mourinho again left Diego Costa on the bench after snubbing the Spaniard last week.
But even when the former Atletico Madrid striker did come on in the second half, replacing Oscar, the Blues could not find a way through and failed to score at home in the league for the first time since May 2014.
Chelsea’s eighth defeat in 15 Premier League matches since the start of the season leaves them in 14th place, 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Abramovich – as well as key directors Marina Granovskaia, and Michael Emenalo were in attendance – and he was seen with his head in his hands as Chelsea mounted a late onslaught in vain.
When Mourinho was asked whether he believed he still had the confidence of the club’s board, who last issued a statement in support of him after the defeat to Southampton in early October, he said that he did.
The club said then that results must improve but they have lost just as many league games – four – since then as they had done prior to the statement and now find themselves three points above the relegation zone.
Mourinho said that the situation had become so grave that he could no longer set a target of the top four, saying instead that the top six might be more realistic.
He said that referee Mike Jones should have disallowed Glenn Murray’s goal for offside, scored 99 seconds after he came on as substitute, and that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty. Mourinho said: “I am concerned, of course. There is no chance that Chelsea will be fighting relegation. That is not the problem. It is that our objective is to finish top four. Before this game it was realistic to think that our quality would take us out of this position, but maybe now we have to think about top six.
“If our players are not able to give the maximum every day that is a problem. If you analyse match after match there are a few players where it is difficult to be consistent. You think there is evolution, but maybe it is just one moment in which they are good.”
He added: “I feel that we don’t have the right to ask the club for players. I don’t think so. We started the season with this squad. We have to do better. The players have to do better. And it’s more about the players having to do better than the club to go to the market.
“I think people must feel responsibilities. I think the club is the club. We all are the club.
“The owner, the board … they are not responsible for the bad moment. The responsibility of the bad moment is mine and the players.”
However, the Cherries moved out of the bottom three with their first ever victory over the Blues.
“The guys did great before I came on and sort of controlled the game at times,” Murray told Sky Sports.
“When it’s 0-0 after 80 minutes they were more nervous than us because we don’t expect anything out of these games really.”
Chelsea had been unbeaten in their past 43 home league games against newly-promoted teams, winning 37.
